Hollow Spirits Opens New Cocktail Pub in Albuquerque Northeast Heights

Hollow Spirits Distillery has expanded its footprint into Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights, transforming a former brewery space into a neighborhood cocktail hub designed to prioritize hospitality over pretension. The new location, which previously housed Bosque Brewing Co., blends the industrial atmosphere of a brewhouse with a service-oriented approach to craft spirits, offering a menu centered on the distillery’s own house-made liquors.

The transition marks a strategic move for owner and distiller Frank Holloway. While the original Hollow Spirits taproom on First Street continues to handle production and event hosting, the Northeast Heights location serves as a bridge to the city’s East Side. As reported by New Mexico Magazine, the nearly 6,000-square-foot former brewery was a find credited to Holloway’s mother, who first spotted the potential of the space.

A Shift Toward the Neighborhood Pub Model

Walking into the new space, the energy mimics a busy pub rather than a sterile tasting room. Servers move through the room with updated versions of classics like crispy fish and chips, while the bar serves a mix of local beers, New Mexico wines, and a heavy rotation of Hollow Spirits’ distilled offerings. This isn’t an accident; it is a deliberate attempt to strip away the intimidation factor often associated with high-end craft spirits.

Holloway, who began his career in the industry as a restaurant busser before founding the company in 2018, still spends time in the kitchen learning prep work. This “bottom-up” perspective informs the culture of the new location.

“It’s not about us, it’s more about you,” Holloway said. “What I’m really trying to bring back is just that whole service aspect—having fun and not being too into ourselves.”

This philosophy is most evident in the “Make Me Something Good” option on the cocktail menu. Rather than forcing customers to navigate a complex list of spirits, the menu encourages patrons to simply describe the flavors they enjoy and let the bartenders handle the chemistry. Depending on the request, this might result in a “summer crusher” featuring agave spirit, lime, cucumber, and jalapeño.

The Chemistry of the Menu

The beverage program is built around a broad lineup of house-distilled spirits, including lavender vodka, barrel-aged gin, and silver agave spirits. However, the flagship whiskeys remain the centerpiece of the operation. A primary example is the Salted Maple Old Fashioned, which utilizes the distillery’s maple-finished Red 86 bourbon. The addition of saline is used specifically to balance the sweetness of the maple, demonstrating a technical approach to flavor that remains accessible to the casual drinker.

By treating locally distilled spirits with the same easygoing approach once reserved for craft beer, Hollow Spirits is attempting to normalize the “distillery pub” concept in Albuquerque. The goal is to move the craft spirit experience out of the exclusive tasting room and into the daily rhythm of the neighborhood.

Whether this model can scale across the city remains to be seen, but for now, the focus is on comfort. As Holloway puts it, the objective is simple: “Let’s just get a drink and have fun.”

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