Last updated on June 13th, 2024
To celebrate New Mexico Hatch Green Chile season, AJ’s Fine Foods has teamed up with Blue Clover Distillery, The Italian Daughter, Tarbell’s, Tucked Away Craft Kitchen & Bar, Baby Boy at The Pemberton and The Kaz Bar to launch a #HatchAtHomeAZ Cocktail Competition.
Through Sept. 17, Arizona’s armchair mixologists and cocktail connoisseurs are invited to get their cocktail shakers, muddlers, jiggers and strainers out to come up with the most innovative and best tasting cocktail featuring Hatch Green Chile peppers.
Arizona residents ages 21 and older are invited to enter their drink recipes by posting a public photo or video on their favorite social media feeds for a chance to win using #HatchAtHomeAZ. 
The grand prize, valued at $1,000, includes gift cards from AJ’s Fine Foods, Blue Clover Distillery, The Italian Daughter, Tarbell’s, Tucked Away Craft Kitchen & Bar, Baby Boy at The Pemberton and The Kaz Bar; and a VIP experience, including a tour of Blue Clover’s distillery in Old Town Scottsdale, a cocktail kit from Blue Clover that includes its special red Hatch Chile and Habanero Spicy Bitters and two VIP tickets to the Third Annual Hatch Green Chile Roast on Sept. 25, with a bottomless mimosa or Bloody Mary brunch for two, and samplings of Hatch Chile food items and cocktails at this event.
The contest’s winning Hatch Chile Cocktail recipe also will be featured alongside other Hatch Chile Cocktails at Blue Clover’s Third-Annual Hatch Green Chile Roast, and Blue Clover Distillery will feature the winning contest cocktail as a “Cocktail of the Month” on its menu as well.
Recipes will be judged for creativity, heat level and overall taste by Weston Holm, co-owner of Blue Clover; a cellar expert from AJ’s Fine Foods; and John Christie, director of spirits for Tarbell’s.
For creative inspiration, AJ’s Fine Foods locations carry fresh Hatch Green Chile peppers and other food items made with the seasonal peppers. All AJ’s Fine Foods locations are now exclusively carrying Blue Clover Distillery’s spicy Pepper Vodka infused with Hatch Green Chile pepper, red pepper and jalapeño pepper.
Additionally, cocktail experts from Blue Clover Distillery, The Italian Daughter, Tarbell’s, Tucked Away Craft Kitchen & Bar, Baby Boy at the Pemberton and The Kaz Bar are offering special Hatch Chile cocktails at their restaurants, through Sept. 17.
Hatch Green Chiles are available at all 11 AJ’s Fine Foods locations in Arizona.
The Hatch Green Chile harvest has become a culinary celebration in the Southwest. Fresh, authentic Hatch Green Chiles have been known to add flavor to spirits and cocktails. The harvest timeframe is limited, so many people stock up during the season and freeze Hatch Chiles so they can use them year-round. Besides being tasty, green chiles also have many health benefits.
