By Kevin San Jose Wine & Spirits Editor, Explore FLX

Diploma WSET | Advanced Sommelier Candidate (CMS) | Certified Specialist of Wine & Spirits

I’ve spent the better part of the last decade chasing clarity in a glass — from the ethereal tension of a bottle-aged Meursault to the earthy grip of a Mourvèdre. I’ve consulted on wine programs, curated spirits lists, and written for those who understand that what’s in your glass says something about where you are — and, often, who you are.

In my role as Wine & Spirits Editor for Explore FLX, I’ve watched Ithaca mature from a casual craft beer town into a quietly confident destination for drinkers who want more: more depth, more polish, more point of view. These five bars and restaurants aren’t just serving drinks — they’re shaping the city’s drinking culture, one cocktail, one pour, and one thoughtful moment at a time.

Here’s the short list — no fluff, no filler — of where to drink when you want it done right.

1. VINIFERA Ithaca

Collegetown's Crown Jewel of Sophistication

Welcome to the new seat of power in Ithaca’s beverage hierarchy. Let’s be clear: VINIFERA Ithaca didn’t just open — it landed. The second concept from the VINIFERA New York Hospitality Group (known for the Geneva speakeasy that’s now a cult favorite), this Collegetown outpost is what happens when a hospitality team with Manhattan instincts meets a market ready for a higher bar.

Led by business magnate Owner & Founder Jim Cecere, and with myself as VP & Director of Wine & Spirits, alongside mixology veteran Leo Gonta, our Hospitality Director, this isn’t just another upscale bar. It’s a modern drinking salon — worldly but unpretentious, urbane but approachable. The wine program leans deep into Champagne, Burgundy, Barolo, and Priorat, with a German, Belgian, and Japanese beer list and curated imported snacks from across Europe and Asia. An Amaro & Fernet program boasting over 60 labels is also a bonus.

But it’s the cocktails that rewrite the narrative here. Take the “Baddd & Boozy” — our genuine Italianate spin on the espresso martini — built on real Lavazza and Café Bustelo espresso. No

lazy cold brew concentrate or syrups here. No shortcuts. Just a rich, structured cocktail that drinks like a dark silk slip dress — brooding, bold, and somehow still fun.

Prefer something with a little smoke and seduction? The “Tom Ford” — Johnny Walker Black, Alpine Amaro, and Italian Vermouth — is a study in masculine restraint, all angles and velvet edges.

For Cornell students and locals alike, it’s become the rare place where you can sip Gevrey-Chambertin in sneakers — and no one blinks. A modern standard bearer for a city in the middle of a drinking renaissance.

2. Bar Argos

Rustic Charm, Experimental Curiosity

Bar Argos isn’t slick — it doesn’t try to be. Tucked inside the historic Argos Inn, this bar leans into its character: wrought iron, weathered wood, and vintage bones. The aesthetic is raw and intentional, like a curated nod to a time before cocktail culture had hashtags.

Here, the drinks are constructed with visible effort — layered cocktails that lean heavy on house-made syrups, infused tinctures, and often half a dozen ingredients or more. There’s a cerebral energy to the menu. Sometimes you’re rewarded with a brilliant payoff. Sometimes it feels like the bartender had something to prove. Either way, you’re part of the creative process.

The “Flora & Fauna” — gin, local honey, and lime — is a bright, structured sour with real lift. And “One for My Haters” — a shot of Four Roses Bourbon with a Miller High Life back — is either the most ironic thing on the menu or the most honest. Probably both.

Bar Argos oozes vintage charm and experimentation. And for those who prefer drinks with layers to unpack, this is where you go when you want something a little unexpected — even if the road there is a bit winding. It reminds us that drinking, at its best, is romantic, deliberate, and deeply personal.

3. Le Café Cent-Dix

French Precision with Finger Lakes Flair

Step into Le Café Cent-Dix, and you’ve stepped into Parisian déjà vu. It’s classic bistro fare — steak frites, duck confit, charcuterie — yet the wine and cocktail programs are anything but afterthoughts.

The Provençale Cocktail, a lavender-tinged dance of gin, herbs de Provence vermouth, and Cointreau, arrives like a breeze off the Mediterranean. Ideal as an aperitif, it’s herbaceous, dry, and impossibly chic.

Prefer something darker? Their Boulevardier is the unsung hero of the cocktail list — barrel-strength bourbon meets bitter Campari and sweet vermouth in a Negroni's more sophisticated cousin. It’s the perfect match for their pork belly or a steak, should wine not be calling.

Speaking of which — the wine list is lean but luxurious. Expect well-chosen French appellations — everything from Loire Sauvignon Blanc to bottle-aged Burgundy — and a few show-stopping Finger Lakes selections to represent the local terroir with dignity.

4. Mercato Bar & Kitchen

Italian Soul, Underground Cool

Mercato is that rare restaurant where the comfort of the food contrasts beautifully with the ambition of the wine. The menu is grounded — house pastas, slow-cooked sauces, rustic proteins — but the wine list is built like someone back-of-house has a personal vendetta against the boring.

This is where you find Aglianico del Vulture, Sforzato di Valtellina, Etna Rosso — volcanic, high-altitude, indigenous varietals that belong to Italy, but rarely make it this far north. Each bottle on the list feels like a discovery. For oenophiles, it’s a playground. For casual drinkers, it’s an invitation.

Pair the Sforzato di Valtellina with their pappardelle and duck ragu — the wine’s alpine structure holds up to the richness of the sauce, its dried fruit and spice notes echoing the dish’s depth. A classic Falanghina works beautifully alongside their chicken saltimbocca, pulling brightness out of the caramelized edges.

Cocktails are sharp, unfussy, and Italian in spirit — think Amaro-forward riffs, bitter-sweet combinations, and highballs with herbal bite. Mercato doesn’t chase cocktail trends — it complements the plate with an eye toward balance and authenticity.

5. The Rook

Global Influence, Local Intelligence

Of all the places on this list, The Rook is the one most interested in world-building. The menu doesn’t belong to any one country — it moves between French technique, Latin American spice, and Mediterranean vibrance — and the beverage program matches that energy beat for beat.

Cocktails here are smart, adventurous, and globally inspired. The Mojo Dojo cocktail plays with heat, brightness, and spirit without losing its cool — perfect alongside the Agua Chiles, a dish that crackles with acidity and life. The contrast between the spicy, citrus-forward dish and the cocktail’s playful depth is one of the city’s best pairings.

For something richer, order the duck-fat fried chicken, and pair it with a skin-contact white wine— think texture, grip, and orchard fruit with just enough oxidative character to handle the savory punch of the dish.

The wine list doesn’t show off, but it does flex. Natural wines, orange wines, and off-beat European bottles sit next to sharp domestic picks. The beauty here is cohesion — nothing feels accidental. Each glass, like each dish, fits into a wider conversation about exploration, place, and palate.

The Rook is for people who want to taste something new and remember why they came.

In Closing

Ithaca’s drinking culture isn’t chasing the next big thing — it’s building something real. A little cerebral, a little indulgent, and always grounded in craft. Whether you’re sipping Grand Cru Champagne in a Collegetown lounge or unwrapping the layers of a honey-laced gin sour in a brick-and-iron hideaway, these five establishments are making sure the city drinks with purpose.

This is Ithaca’s era of intention — and it pours beautifully.

— Kevin San Jose

Wine & Spirits Editor, Explore Finger Lakes

Diploma WSET | Advanced Sommelier Candidate (CMS) | Certified Specialist of Wine & Spirits