George R.R. Martin, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, the book series that inspired Game of Thrones, is behind Santa Fe’s Milk of the Poppy bar, but you won’t find dragons on the walls or a menu built around Game of Thrones. Opened in March 2025 in the Railyard District, the bar describes itself as a “Medieval Apothecary Bar and Event Space,” with a beverage program built around old-world spirits, fresh ingredients and bartender interaction. Martin, a longtime Santa Fe resident, is also behind the nearby Jean Cocteau Cinema and Beastly Books and has backed Meow Wolf, making Milk of the Poppy another addition to his collection of Santa Fe projects.
It’s Not a Game of Thrones Bar
The name is a nod to Martin’s fictional world. Milk of the Poppy is the pain-relieving drink referenced in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books and the television adaptations, so fans will recognize it. But Andy Pollack, the bar’s manager and creative director, was emphatic that the fantasy connection isn’t the point.
Instead, he describes the concept as an apothecary-inspired approach to cocktails. The historical connection lies in mixing botanicals and other ingredients into concoctions, much as a modern bartender does. Fernet-Branca and other amari, for example, fit the concept because of their botanical ingredients and traditional use as aperitifs or digestifs.
The bar also commissioned local artists for handcrafted metalwork and other decor inspired by the medieval period. Pollack’s description is less “medieval tavern” than a contemporary bar borrowing from an older visual and drinking vocabulary.
The Drinks Look Backward
The beverage program leans into what Pollack calls old-world spirits, including aquavit, cachaça, arrack and genever. His point is that traditional spirits often developed around what was available locally, whether that meant sugar cane, grapes or other regional ingredients. Rather than trying to recreate medieval drinks exactly, the concept looks at how spirits developed in different places using the ingredients available there. Pollack points to arrack as one example, noting that the spirit varies by region and can reflect local ingredients such as dates, grapes, mangoes and sugar cane.
The Amsterdam Sling puts that idea into a more approachable format. It’s Milk of the Poppy’s take on a Singapore Sling, made with Dutch gin, cherry, sweet vermouth, pineapple, passionfruit, lime and carbonation. Genever, a Dutch spirit and precursor to modern gin, is malted-grain-based and generally less juniper-forward than the London dry style. Another popular choice is the Carrot & Stick, created by head bartender Cable Jackson. It combines tarragon-infused tequila, sweet carrot and blanc quinquina.
The bar also serves European beers, including Kölsch and Weihenstephaner wheat beer, along with wild-fermented sours. The point isn't to recreate a medieval drinking experience. As Pollack put it, “No meads in a mug.”
You Don’t Need a Spirits Degree to Drink Here
The goal is to make the drinks approachable, even when the ingredients or techniques may be unfamiliar. Drinks may require some explanation, but that’s intended to get customers talking with the bartenders rather than make the menu feel inaccessible. That conversation can also make it easier to try something new, while helping you feel comfortable ordering something familiar if that's what you prefer. If you want a Lemon Drop Martini, Pollack says, the bar can make one.
The bar also takes its hospitality approach to mocktails, giving people who aren't drinking alcohol thoughtful options beyond the usual sweet, alcohol-free drinks. The Dear Doctor combines beet juice, Urfa honey, balsamic vinegar and fresh ginger syrup for a drink that’s savory and slightly spicy. Non-alcoholic beer is also available.
There’s Food, Too
Chef Aaron Daniels oversees a food menu with Eastern European influences, including scratch-made pierogies served with kielbasa, along with Milk of the Poppy’s take on a muffuletta, cured meats and chicken liver mousse.
The kitchen stays open late, which Pollack says fills a gap in the area for people looking for something more substantial than late-night fast food.
The bar seats about 55 people, with everything ordered through the bartenders rather than table service. That setup is intentional: here’s a place where people can linger, talk and develop a relationship with the person making their drinks.
Know Before You Go
- Milk of the Poppy is in Santa Fe’s Railyard District.
- Expect bar service rather than table service.
- The bar seats about 55 people.
- There’s a VIP area behind a chain-mail curtain, where Martin sometimes has a drink. If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of him.
- Milk of the Poppy is open Wednesday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to midnight and Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m.
- First come, first served; no reservations.
- Cocktails, beer and wine are available, along with mocktails and non-alcoholic beer.
- You don’t need to be a Game of Thrones fan to understand the concept or enjoy the drinks.
The bar also takes its hospitality approach to mocktails, giving people who aren't drinking alcohol thoughtful options beyond the usual sweet, alcohol-free drinks.