It’s the last day of The Fair, and you’re wondering where to drink. Here are the places I loved most this year.
I spent a lot of time at the Empire Room. It’s not somewhere I’d normally go — years have passed at The Fair without me stepping inside — but this year Harvey’s Garden took it over, and it became my favorite spot.
Harvey’s Garden is my neighborhood hangout bar in Syracuse. I’m there for every Bills game during the season, and they throw some great events at their home bar, so I knew it’d be easy to hang out there during The Fair. This year was especially fun with their pickle wine slushy and their patio — a great place to get out of the heat, catch some AC or sit outside under the hanging flowers with a good drink.
Next up is Ashley Lynn. I usually go to their main wine trailer behind the Dairy Building, but they had four locations around The Fair this year. They also released a passport this year — $60 for five drinks. Some of their boozy milkshakes run $20 or more on their own, so getting five for $60 is a great deal. Their Frisky Whiskey is my favorite.
My third favorite stop is the Tully’s Drafthouse up by the front main gate — my second home away from home. I’ve been going there for years to get a beer. Back when I worked at Metro Mattress, we’d always end our nights with a drink or two there. These days, some mornings at The Fair start with a beer there, and I pretty much always grab one about an hour before I leave each day.
My fourth stop is Lock 1 Distilling. They always have fun frozen drinks at their stand by Peachy’s Donuts, and this year a Coca-Cola-flavored boozy slush was my favorite.
1911 brought back their Tipsy Cow, which they released a few years ago and I still love — frozen, chocolatey, sweet and delicious, with half an apple cider donut on top. A little pricey at $14, but worth it.
The Villa’s Pizza and Frite bar had frozen espresso martinis — a new addition to The Fair this year with some great frozen drinks. Their frozen espresso martini was the one I bought, but their frozen limoncello, which I only got a small sample of, was incredible.
There are plenty of places to drink around The Fair — whether you’re after a glass of wine, a cold beer, a frozen wine slushy, a frozen cocktail or a boozy milkshake. These are just a few of the spots I enjoyed this year.
