I know, it sounds gross. It may even sound crazy. But it’s incredibly delicious.
I’m talking about a Pickle wine slushy.
Harvey’s Garden has a bar at the Empire Room this year, bringing all the normal Harvey’s Garden vibes with them. And out on the patio, they’ve got a secret wine slushy bar where you can get one of the more ridiculous drinks I’ve tried at the New York State Fair.
But before we get to that, can we talk about the Empire Room for a second? Because it has air-conditioning.
It is, in fact, the only air-conditioned bar at the entire Fair. And honestly, after spending the last two days walking around The Fair, having a place where you can sit down, cool off and have a drink is incredible.
If you don’t know where the Empire Room is, it’s located between the Wegmans Art Center and the Horticulture Building. It’s a pretty big bar, and they’ve got three different setups going.
Inside, you can get cocktails and use their interactive self-pour beer wall. Outside, there’s a quick-service beer and cocktail can bar. And then there’s the patio. That’s where you’ll find the secret wine slushy bar.
Betty Blueberry vs. Peter Pickle
There’s a fun election happening at the wine slushy bar between Betty Blueberry and Peter Pickle.
They’ve got a Blueberry-flavored wine slushy and a Pickle-flavored wine slushy, and every drink you order counts as a vote for your favorite.
I love pickle everything, so obviously I went with Peter Pickle.
And I’m telling you, it works.
It’s sour. It’s tart. It’s sweet. It’s refreshing. And it’s a lot of fun.
It’s a great way to cool down and activate your taste buds while getting a little bit of a buzz on.
I’ve been at The Fair for two days now, and I’ve spent a lot of that time hanging out at the Empire Room. It’s just a nice, relaxing place to be during the Fair.
I’ve had a couple of pickle wine slushies, a few Labatt Blue Lights, and I even tried their Orange Dreamsicle cocktail — freshly squeezed orange juice with vanilla vodka and French Vanilla syrup.
It tastes like an Orange Creamsicle.
Personally, I stopped in for a few drinks before heading over to grab a one-dollar baked potato at the Horticulture Building, which feels like a pretty solid State Fair afternoon to me.
Anyway, if you’re coming to the Fair and looking for something fun to drink — or you just desperately need 20 minutes of air-conditioning — stop by Harvey’s Garden at the Empire Room.
And try the Pickle wine slushy before you tell me it sounds gross.
