Spirits of the Season: 6 Spots for Holiday Drinks
It’s the hap-happiest season of all… the holidays! Ah yes, it’s that time of the year again to really embrace the Christmas spirit with family, friends, food, and of course… drinks! During the season, some local breweries and bars really spread the cheer by adding some festive cocktails to their drink menu. Here’s some of our favorite breweries and cocktail bars leading the holiday drink trend in the city.
Photo courtesy of Perry’s Ice Cream
New York Beer Project, 6933 S Transit Rd, Lockport, NY 14094
(716) 743-6927, http://www.nybeerproject.com/
Buffalonians love supporting local businesses, so why not support two in one AND give to a local charity? The NYBP and Perry’s Ice Cream collaborated to create the White Christmas which is a Belgian blonde. The beer is brewed with cacao nibs and mint giving it a nice, fresh flavor. The best part is $1 from each one sold will be donated to Oishei Children’s Hospital. Drinking for an excellent cause? Sign me up!
Photo courtesy of Roost
Roost, 1502 Niagara St, Buffalo, NY 14213
(716) 259-9306, https://www.roostwny.com/
With Roost being known for their ever changing menu, it’s no surprise that they’d be one to keep up with the season, adding in a few fun holiday drinks with the title of one of the best Christmas movies ever, Love Actually! The cocktail blends amaretto, bourbon, and a tart cranberry jam to create the drink. They also have some delicious cinnamon spiced rum and a buttery Tom & Jerry!
Photo courtesy of Buffalo RiverWorks
Buffalo RiverWorks, 359 Ganson St, Buffalo, NY 14203
(716) 342-2292, https://buffaloriverworks.com/
Riverworks continues to surprise us. They’re like their own little town within Buffalo with events, activities, and plenty to eat and drink. They’re always creating fun flavors that even have wine snobs curious like the gin & tonic or their cinnamon toast crunch beers, so naturally they created a fun holiday brew to knock back with one of their super cheesy pizzas. The cranberry ginger is a light, slightly tart, beer that’s here for the holidays!
Photo courtesy of Mes Que
Mes Que, 1420 Hertel Ave, Buffalo, NY 14216
(716) 836-8800, http://mesque.com/
Mes Que is seriously getting into the holiday spirit (literally) with their line of festive cocktails debuting daily on their Instagram. Their marzipan fizz resembles a tasty almond cookie with Disaronno, orange blossom water, vodka, house orgreat (a sweet almond syrup), and frothy egg whites. They have a lattee toddy which is as fun to say as it is to drink! It’s made with chai bourbon, cocoa nibs, spiced simple syrup, and Guinness float. The whack and unwrap is made with honey, gin, tiki bitters, aquavit, and it’s topped with dark cocoa orange foam! This is all in addition to their vegan take on a Tom & Jerry that originally caught our eye.
Photo courtesy of Hamburg Brewing
Hamburg Brewing Company, 6553 Boston State Rd, Hamburg, NY 14075
(716) 649-3249, https://www.hamburgbrewing.com/
Hamburg Brewing Company is so cozy inside, giving us reason alone to visit in the winter. On top of that, they have multiple holiday beers to enjoy like the Frosty the IPA was a jolly HOPPY brew and the Yule Shoot Your Rye Out. Whoever came up with these names deserves a raise by the way. The IPA is light and fruity with aromas of pine and citrus and the YSYRO is a spiced winter ale with notes of ginger and Christmas cheer!
Photo courtesy of Chocolate Bar
The Chocolate Bar, 114 W Chippewa St, Buffalo, NY 14202
(716) 332-0484, https://www.thechocolatebar.com/
The Chocolate Bar has always been a long time favorite. Their desserts are incredible and how can you not love a place that has an entire section of their drink menu dedicated to boozy hot chocolates? They have a wide variety to choose from, but the spiked cherries-n-chilies has a little heat and sweet to really help you warm up! I highly recommend pairing it with their s’mores dessert where you can roast your own marshmallows at the table.
