As mixologist Andrea Duran pondered Santa Fe Opera’s 2024 season for us, dreams and drinks emerged. Her delicious imaginings can help set the stage for glorious evenings of romance, drama, transgression, redemption, and of course the scintillating gesamtkunstwerk of opera itself. Get your tickets. Stock the bar cabinet. Magic is sure to happen.
Don Giovanni
June 29–August 23
I Feel a Sin Coming On Cocktail
This sinfully exquisite cocktail was designed to accompany the production, which draws parallels between the infamous seducer, “D.G.,” and the main character in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, who relentlessly seeks pleasure and eternal youth. You could enjoy this cocktail before this captivating opera. But you might instead need it afterwards. The story suggests that we all likely have a thing or two to think about.
The Righteous
July 13–August 13
Virtuous Cocktail
Experience a blast from the not-so-distant past with this cocktail. The opera follows the journey of a preacher turned governor, and the lives of those closest to him, as they navigate the tumultuous affairs of the 1980s. Ambition, faith, family, friendship, AIDS, abuse, and love combine in a potent mix.
Der Rosenkavalier
July 20–August 15
Love Triangle
Like Strauss’s beloved and oh-so-exquisite opera, this cocktail is the gateway to a world of Vienna’s decadence, where a romantic comedy of intertwined lives unfolds. A noblewoman, her handsome younger lover, and a young lady of marriageable age make for a delightful and complicated story.
The Elixir of Love
July 27–August 22
Spellbound Cocktail
In a blend of comedy, romance, and brio, a mechanic with limited brainpower finds himself smitten with Adina, a schoolteacher. He longs for her affection, but is plagued with self-doubt. Enter Dr. Dulcamara, a dubious character who peddles a “magic elixir” which promises to solve all of his problems. Will this cocktail provoke similar results?
La Traviata
June 28–August 24
La Campagne
Join Violetta and Alfredo in their idyllic countryside life with this cocktail inspired by the story of the opera’s title character. She is the belle of every Parisian party who falls deeply in love with her beau idéal. When she and her lover run away from the opprobrium of high society, they start a new life in the country. Soon however, their happiness is threatened. Alfredo’s father urges Violetta to give up her love to protect the family’s honor. Drama ensues.
Story and Recipes by Andrea Duran / Styling by Anna Franklin / Photography by Dave Bryce
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