“This is my most favorite liquor store in Espanola New Mexico you can find your most favorite bottle of wine and if you like hard whiskey you can find any type of whiskey of your choice and if you're a beer drinker you can find every single type of beer on planet Earth right here at El Rey liquors....”
“The place looks like a biker bar from outside, but inside it is a wonderful liquor store with a wide variety of spirits and wines. It serves several towns in the area, including Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Taos, and others. The wine expert is terrific and will offer all kinds of great advice. They also have tastings on Saturday afternoons. I love going in and looking around. The prices are good also. I always find something special there”
6AM - 9PM
869 NM-68, Alcalde
Liquor Stores
“The owners and staff are some of the nicest people anyone could hope to meet. They make their own jerky and it's well known in Northern NM as being the absolute best!”
“The service here was amazing. As we are out of towners, we wanted to try NM locally made beverages. Instead of pointing us in a direction the gentleman came from behind the counter and gave us a tour of the whole store. I don’t believe he was trying to up sell us or anything of the sort. He was proud of his state and we were happy to buy locally made items. Wow! I love this place! I even walked out with one of my favorite CAO cigars. I’m sorry I didn’t catch his name but please keep that great service going! We would have shopped longer if we could! Thank you so much for top notch service!”
“Saints and Sinners
Española, NM
An angel and a devil lean over the roofline,
not carved, sometimes lit—
always sensed,
like a shift in the air
when you step across the threshold.
The liquor store sits still under humming lights.
Bottles line up,
clear, brown, green,
each holding silence,
each watched but untouched
a second too long.
Next door, the bar breathes low and steady.
Voices stay near the table,
words softened by time,
by habit.
The bartender moves like someone
who’s seen everything twice—
once in daylight,
once at closing.
A man in coveralls counts out quarters.
Another stares at the wall
as if waiting for it to move.
Someone laughs,
no one looks up.
There’s no music here,
just the scrape of a stool,
the clink of glass,
the soft thud of a bottle set down
like a truth no one wants to say.
The angel waits by the exit.
The devil leans in near the taps.
They’re not fighting.
Just watching.”