We made a quick 36-hour trip out west to resume our quest to hit the oldest bar in each of our 50 states. This time our destination was New Mexico and the El Patio Bar in Las Cruces. Getting there required us to fly to El Paso, Texas, and then to drive an hour northwest to Las Cruces. We skipped the interstate and instead took the “scenic” NM State Road 28. The drive was interesting as we went past acres and acres of barren (due to it being winter) pecan trees. We were later told that the area is one of the largest, if not the largest, producer of pecans in the U.S.. Besides the miles of barren pecan trees, we also twice passed over a bone dry Rio Grande River. The “scenic” route did, however, provide one unexpected surprise. The Rio Grande Winery was a welcome oasis amongst the bleak landscape, looking like it had been beamed over from Sonoma Valley. The winery was a beautiful place to stop, relax, and have a flight. Jonny was our knowledgeable host that day as he served up yummy wines; filled us in on the area; and gave us dining and drinking tips in town. With our thirsts being quenched, and with Jonny’s local knowledge, we continued on to Las Cruces.
We GPS’ed our way to the El Patio Bar. The cantina is located on a lovely square with church, gazebo, gift shops, and other bars in addition to the El Patio. The bar, was number 33 on our journey to all 50, and it was a true dive bar. The adjacent large event room was evidence of its reputation for being a great music venue. Interestingly, El Patio doesn’t have a patio. It does, though, have history, friendly regulars, and lovely bartender, Allanah. We got some good history on the bar and great service from Allanah. After polishing off our margaritas we headed to scout out a couple more watering holes on the square.
Down the street we found La Posta de Mesilla. Upon entering the beautiful space, we were greeted by tropical fish, macaws, parrots, and a cocky cockatoo. After making our way past the menagerie and through the various Southwest themed rooms, we came upon the most extensive tequila bar we have ever seen. The bar was tended by Sarah, an absolute tequila savant. Sarah knew everything there is to know about tequila and how to use it! Unfortunately, we have no picture of Sarah as she was a blur running the bar and helping serve tables in the adjacent dining room. After saying adios to Sarah we made our last stop at the Double Eagle Restaurant. We found the door off the street at the end of a darkened parking lot, and our expectations were low as we opened the door. But WOW, what a surprise! The bar looked like a high end New York hotel bar, the bartenders were well dressed, classy, and makers of a swell Old Fashioned. The Double Eagle also had numerous well appointed rooms of all sizes fit for large parties or small business meetings. Needless to say, we were very impressed with the Double Eagle and were pleased to wrap up our Las Cruces day there. Adios for now, we’ll soon be heading off to check off states 34 and 35!
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