Los Poblanos has found a way to capture the splendor of its organic farm in a gin and it has not gone unnoticed.
Los Poblanos Botanical Spirits is a Best Craft Gin nominee in the 2023 USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice awards. The publication asked a panel of experts to nominate 20 of the best craft gin distilleries in the country. The public can vote for their favorite daily through May 15 at 10best.com/awards/travel/best-craft-gin-2023. The 10 winning distilleries will be announced May 26.
“Now it goes down to a vote,” said Matthew Rembe, Los Poblanos executive director. “It was an honor to be recognized by their team of experts and curators on just making the list. I think they were looking for artisan gins that really stood out and possibly were a good expression of what made them unique based on where they were located.”
Los Poblanos Botanical Spirits uses botanicals from Los Poblanos’ organic farm in the Village of Los Ranchos to create its Western Dry Gin and Lavender Gin, which features four types of lavender: Royal Velvet, Provence, Munstead and Buena Vista.
The Western Dry Gin is less juniper forward. It is distilled with a plethora of botanicals which creates a complexity that appeals to the palate.
“To create a really good gin, it’s sort of like a good perfume,” Rembe explained. “You might have all these different notes. Ours has rose petals and chamomile and violet so that gives you the floral notes. And then, it’s also got juniper berries, pink peppercorns and piñon resin. It’s got up to 16 botanicals. It’s got lemon verbena, which brings in some citrus, and some lemongrass that brings in some citrus and some orange peel. It’s a really wonderful blend.”
Creating the gins was a group effort.
“What we were trying to achieve was what mix of botanicals is the best representation of New Mexico, the Rio Grande Valley and of Los Poblanos,” Rembe said. “We had a great collaboration with our team on the property. We had farmers and gardeners working with our botanical distillers because we’ve been bottling essential oils with our lavender and other florals and botanicals for over 20 years now. So the farmers worked with the distillers and then also worked with our mixology team who has been making great cocktails at Los Poblanos for about 10 years as well as our chefs on creating the perfect mix of botanicals that really is a great expression of the Rio Grande Valley.”
The Western Dry Gin and Lavender Gin can be savored in a stunning environment in Albuquerque at Town & Ranch, 1318 Fourth St. NW. The location, which is Los Poblanos’ downtown gin distillery, tasting room and retail location, was recently recognized by the New York Times Style Magazine’s T List, as a destination for craft cocktails, New Mexico spirits, beer and wine, Los Poblanos Lavender, Farm Foods and elevated pantry items, according to a Los Poblanos news release.
The historic building housed Heaston’s Town and Ranch Tractor Supplies in the 1940s. The current Town & Ranch features a replica of the original neon signage.
“It was an old Ford tractor dealership and service business,” Rembe said. “And they had their own retail store, where they sold food and had a counter and they had supplies in addition to tractors. And so we have a big photo of it here. And then you kind of go through these big green leather doors into what’s kind of a swanky lounge.”
Los Poblanos Botanical Spirits can also be found at Bar Norte, 201 Washington Ave., in Santa Fe. The venue offers an intimate and quaint setting with light bites to nibble on. The building is an old 1920s gas station that has been restored.
“To be up in Santa Fe is cool and we’re seeing a bunch of people that have never even been down to Albuquerque,” Rembe said. “… We’re very proud to beat the Albuquerque drum up in Santa Fe. We’re proud of all New Mexico. We certainly love Santa Fe but we also love how surreal and authentic Albuquerque is. We are very proud to be Albuquerque. And so we go up there and sell a pretty hard story on what makes Albuquerque a compelling place to live.”
Source : AJ
