New Mexico drink maker making first wave into Texas with line of canned cocktails

Alana Edgin, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
·3 min read

The Land of Enchantment is ready to make waves in Texas and Colorado as a Silver City brewery aims to expand their local flavors across the states, including into Lubbock.

Little Toad Creek Brewery and Distillery started as a husband and wife's venture into owning Little Toad Creek Inn and Tavern in Lake Roberts near the Gila wilderness in 2012. They also had a two-barrel brewery system in their garage, which would end up sending their drinks across the state.

"The hotel business was rough at best in the middle of nowhere ... so we decided to follow the brewery and distillery business," said Teresa Dahl-Bredine, co-owner with her husband, David Crosley.

More:Official tamale of Texas plans Lubbock, out-of-state expansions

After learning the ropes, the couple went to their hometown of Silver City and opened their first tasting room. By 2016, the operation grew to a brewery, and a second tasting room in Las Cruces two years later.

"Then in 2020, COVID hit," she said. "When the news in March came that we were shutting down all our restaurants and bars, which had been our entire livelihood, we decided to make the leap with the canning line. It turned out to be a really good decision."

After some fine-tuning, Little Toad Creek's Mixed Up Mules hit the New Mexico shelves. In the past year, their drinks have been seen at concerts, festivals and other breweries.

Little Toad Creek Brewery and Distillery in Downtown Las Cruces on Tuesday, April 28, 2020.
Little Toad Creek Brewery and Distillery in Downtown Las Cruces on Tuesday, April 28, 2020.

"Now we're in Colorado and just starting to move across the grand state of Texas, which is a huge state, so it's taking a while to reach all corners, but we're making good progress," Dahl-Bredine said. She also hopes to see the canned cocktails expand into other states soon.

The current line of canned cocktails are: Classic Mule, Mojito, Gin & Grapefruit and Watermelon Jalapeno. They are made with various liquors, pure fruit juice and agave nectar for sweetness. Little Toad Creek has more flavors coming, including margaritas, a Lemon Raspberry Mojito and a Peach Whiskey Sour.

The top seller, and her favorite, is the Gin & Grapefruit Mule. Dahl-Bredine also recommended the Lemon Raspberry Mojito, when it comes out.

"It took us a while to really nail the formula, but it has produced a cocktail that's a little different than most of what's out there," Dahl-Bredine said. "It really feels like you're drinking a cocktail that was make in a bar, and that's been our goal."

Here's where to buy Mixed-Up Mules in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas:

Most chains, including Specs, Total Wine and some Pinkies have the line. Here's which cities have the cocktails as of Aug. 4, 2022.

Colorado:

  • Aurora

  • Avon

  • Breckenridge

  • Carbondale

  • Colorado Springs

  • Commerce City

  • Crested Butte

  • Denver

  • Dillon

  • Durango

  • Englewood

  • Estes Park

  • Fort Collins

  • Fruita

  • Glenwood Springs

  • Granby

  • Grand Junction

  • Greeley

  • Lakewood

  • Littleton

  • Longmont

  • Loveland

  • New Castle

  • Salida

  • Silt

  • Silverthorne

  • Steamboat Springs

  • Superior

  • Thornton

  • Windsor

  • Winter Park

New Mexico:

  • Alamogordo

  • Albuquerque

  • Anthony

  • Artesia

  • Belen

  • Bloomfield

  • Buckhorn

  • Carlsbad

  • Clayton

  • Cloudcroft

  • Clovis

  • Cuba

  • Deming

  • Elephant Butte

  • Espanola

  • Farmington

  • Gallup

  • Grants

  • Hatch

  • Hillsboro

  • Hobbs

  • Kirtland

  • Las Cruces

  • Las Vegas

  • Los Alamos

  • Los Lunas

  • Lovington

  • Moriarty

  • Null

  • Portales

  • Reserve

  • Roswell

  • Ruidoso

  • Santa Fe

  • Santa Cruz

  • Socorro

  • Silver City

  • Taos

  • Truth or Consequences

  • Tularosa

  • White Rock

Texas:

  • Austin

  • Cedar Park

  • El Paso

  • Friendswood

  • Lantana

  • Lewisville

  • Marfa

  • New Braunfels

  • Plano

  • Sunset Valley

Dahl-Bredine mentioned they are in the process of adding Lubbock and Midland to their Texas list.

Visit the product locator at mixedupmule.com for a full list, which is updated weekly.

People can keep up with Little Toad Creek at littletoadcreek.com, Instagram and Facebook, or visit their locations in Silver City and Las Cruces. For content on the canned cocktails, follow @mixedupmules on Instagram or Facebook, or visit mixedupmule.com.

Alana Edgin is a journalist covering Business News in Lubbock and the surrounding area. Send her a news tip at aedgin@lubbockonline.com. 

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: New Mexico brewery begins line of canned cocktails in Texas, Colorado