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How to Cruise Happy Hour
Damn if the first extended rays of the Santa Fe sun don't get us all hot and bothered about hitting a happy hour. There's something about just a bit of heat, a touch of allergies and the lengthening days that makes us wanna slurp down a cocktail. But there's more to the art of a happy hour cruise than chicken wings and well drinks.
Do it yourself:
Rule #1:
Don't get stuck at the Cowgirl! We know it's tempting: You stop by after work, just for
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one margarita, but the lure of the sunny, happy, happenin' patio is too much. This is the number one killer of a multi-happy hour hangout. We recommend that you go here last, cuz you gonna wanna stay (all your friends are here, right?), but you'll have to hustle-happy hour here starts at 5 pm and ends at 7 pm.
Rule #2:
Start at Swig. Why? Because by the end of your marathon, taste won't matter, but you want to start off in style. And nothing beats a $5 martini that tastes like a $15 martini. Grab one from Swig's happy hour menu to go along with one of the best tapas in town: Chef Eric DiStefano's warm spicy/sweet chile pecans. They come in this weird porcelain boat-type thing, and they're the perfect finger food to start your night off.
Rule #3:
Hurry! You only have a couple hours to make the circuit! And you can't miss Crappy Hour at the Paramount, the invention of longtime bartender Donnan Sutherland, who rules the roost at Bar B with disco lights, '80s music and white-trash snacks. And he makes a mean Single Guy on the Rocks.
