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Hunting lodge meets biker bar with mountain lions, elk and bear on the walls. 505-829-3547; 17596 Hwy 4, Jemez Springs; 11am-when it gets slow daily Mon-Sat

SLEEP

Casa Blanca Guesthouse & Garden Cottage

Fully furnished casitas (small houses) nestled beside a stream among an oasis of orchards. 575-829-3579; 17521 Hwy 4, Jemez Springs; casitas $110-170;

Canon del Rio

Handsome rooms and riverside lounging beside red-rock cliffs. Strict seven-day cancellation policy during the summer. 575-829-4377; 16445 Hwy 4, Jemez Springs; d $129-139

USEFUL WEBSITES

www.jemezmountaintrail.org

www.fs.fed.us

LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner

TRIP

45 Farm to Table: Organic New Mexico

47 Take the High Road…and the Low Road

52 Rock It: A Geology Expedition

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Return to beginning of chapter

Margarita Marathon

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WHY GO If New Mexico had a state drink, it would be the margarita. With nearly every restaurant serving some variation of the sweet and tangy concoction, where do you spend your hard-earned cash and saved-up calories? Follow our tour to find smooth tequila, hand-squeezed lime and a Grand Marnier nirvana.

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TIME

3 days

DISTANCE

185 miles

BEST TIME TO GO

Sep – Nov

START

Albuquerque, NM

END

Chimayo, NM

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Start your margarita marathon in Albuquerque. Suffering in the sybaritic shadow of Santa Fe, Albuquerque is too often skipped as far as destinations go. But to understand New Mexico, and especially her margaritas, you must visit her biggest and grittiest city. Make sure to snap a photo in front of the giant sign outside Sadie’s telling you “in 1897 in this location nothing happened.” The restaurant is more than just an Albuquerque institution, it also serves the best damn margaritas in the city – and you don’t even have to splurge on the expensive tequila to enjoy their fresh, limey goodness. Go with a carafe of the Grand Gold margarita, and a side of chicken blue-corn tortilla enchiladas topped with vegetarian green chile and guac.

From Albuquerque it’s a quick drive up I-25 to your next stop, America’s oldest capital, Santa Fe. The all-adobe city is filled with fabulous art, culture and architecture. And it serves some of the freshest margaritas around. Upon arrival head to the historic Plaza and the heated roof-top bar of the Ore House, home of our favorite margaritas in Santa Fe. With 40 different types of margaritas on the menu, it’s a really good place to learn your tequila. The cheapest margaritas are made with gold tequila, Triple Sec and pre-mixed Sweet & Sour, all of which you should avoid if possible (the taste is rough and sickly sweet). Instead opt for a translucent silver tequila or a honey-colored Anejo and Reposada. These agave tequilas are aged for at least two months, and taste much smoother and fuller. A good margarita should never be mixed with only Sweet & Sour, but should be made with at least 50% freshly squeezed lime juice. We like our margaritas made with 100% fresh lime. If you find this too tart, ask the bartender to add a splash of orange juice to sweeten it. Much of the sweetness in a margarita comes from its final ingredient: citrus liquor. Triple Sec is the bottom-of-the-barrel sweetener Cointreau and Grand Marnier are much better. Cointreau is more subtle and smoky, while Grand Marnier (our personal favorite) lends more sweetness and body to your fermented-cacti concoction. At the Ore House we love the Santana Rita, made with El Milagro Reposada and Grand Marnier. It has just the right amount of sweetness and tang. For something slightly less sugary, try the SandyRita with Sauza Commemorativo Anejo and Cointreau. It’s also less expensive.

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ASK A LOCAL

“Personally, I think Cointreau is best with silver tequilas; you get a smooth and smoky taste. If you like Grand Marnier, it goes best with Anejo or Reposada tequilas. You get a more full body, sweet taste. The best tequilas are aged and meant to be sipped. A high-quality, 100% agave tequila that’s been properly aged