June 20, 2024

We are uniquely lucky in this city to have some outstanding bar talent and some of the most supportive and invested spirits and cocktail fans around. June marks a special time in the Rochester area, as it includes a festival that’s been a staple for over ten years. The Rochester Cocktail Revival has been an integral point of pride and excitement for cocktail enthusiasts, both industry professionals and private enthusiasts, from all around Rochester and beyond. BayTowne Wine & Spirits is uniquely positioned among local liquor stores, given the extent to which we focus on specialty spirits and unique cocktail modifying liqueurs. Accordingly, we’re privileged to count some of the city’s finest bar talent among our friends. We actually have run a seasonal cocktail feature list for some time now, with the generous contributions of local mixologists building up the list alongside the ideas of our spirits specialist Lucas. For this season’s list, Lucas wanted to draw special attention to the program and better acquaint readers with our kind friends doing this fantastic creative work. We hope you enjoy reading about these creations, and we urge you to mix along with them! Ingredients can be sourced right from us, some of these drinks are built on spirits actually exclusive to the store, and if you have any questions or interests - please do not hesitate to reach out to Lucas!

Kyle is one of Rochester’s most influential bartenders on social media and helms the operations of Rumble + Stir, the premier mobile craft drink service of upstate New York. His team of other mixologists and bartenders offer elevated cocktail experiences through a range of services, from group mixing classes, to full bars for private events, and even collaborative curation of cocktail menus. Kyle has contributed to our cocktail lists in the past, and his work always showcases the level of skill Rumble + Stir brings to bear in crafting bespoke mixes and elegant drinking experiences. Take a look at the Rumble + Stir website at https://www.brandonthebartender.com/.

Brandon Pinkins aka Brandon the Bartender is the bar manager at Cure Bar, located in the Public Market. He also runs a mobile bar business and teaches cocktail classes in his free time. Brandon loves building simple yet elegant cocktails and plans to open his own space one day. Check out his website at https://www.brandonthebartender.com/.

Andy Koster is currently a bartender at Lucky’s on Winton Road. He has worked in the beverage industry for about eight years. He started slinging drinks in Melbourne, Australia at Young and Jackson’s Hotel. It was a wonderful place for him to build his skills working with a consistent high volume and energetic crowd. After an intermittent period working as a dive instructor on a Great Barrier Reef, he headed to New Zealand where he fell in love with craft cocktails at Lulu Bar in Wellington. There, Andy worked with some highly skilled mixologists that made him fall in love with the chemistry and art of mixology. Thereafter he returned to the states and since has worked at several bars around Rochester, including the Daily Refresher, Swan Dive, Owl House, and Cure. What he loves most about the industry now is connecting with people and creating a positive and genuine experience for anyone who sits in front of him at his bar, and of course, sharing with them my most recent cocktail creations!

Lucas is the spirits specialist at BayTowne Wine & Spirits. Having worked on the retail side of the beverage industry for roughly six years, his professional experience is not technically behind the bar. But having served as spirits director/specialist for several years, he has read and researched a great deal to build up a strong background in cocktail history and theory. With that, he really enjoys practicing drink builds at home, conceptualizing original drinks, and featuring classics for BayTowne’s social media. Crafting originals for the BayTowne seasonal features is one of his favorite parts of the job.

Explore the Recipes: