The Capitol Bar was picked by El Defensor Chieftain readers as the best place for an adult beverage. File photo.

Capitol Bar & Brewery, located at 110 Plaza Street, was the El Defensor Readers’ Choice for best place to get an adult beverage.

Situated on Socorro’s historic plaza, the “Cap” is just a good old fashioned bar with a good selection of whiskey and other spirits as well as an array of draft beers and bottles. The story of the Capitol Bar is one of community. Over the last 126 years, it has survived fires, prohibition, a couple of name changes, and a handful of owners. It has been a fixture on Socorro’s plaza since its opening in 1896. This old bar is full of character and characters, woven with stories of well-known characters who have belly-ed up to the oak bar. It became the first legal bar operating in Socorro after Prohibition and remains a popular hangout for a wide variety of patrons today. You’ll see everyone from ranchers and farmers to PhDs from New Mexico Tech. The bar provides a cool dark respite where you can have a cold beer away from the New Mexico sun.

Open Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-midnight, Sunday 3-10 p.m., 575-835-1193.

John Larson, El Defensor Chieftain