By JACOB LIFTON
Ithaca may be known for its remarkable supply of creativity (I hear we have a higher number of amateur loom-weavers per capita than New York City), yet this fact is typically featured by way of the town’s eclectic eatery scene. Although Ithaca’s bubbling foodie backdrop can be a solid source of excitement for the dining section, lately I’ve been interested in something even bubblier: its cocktails.
To a certain point, cocktails are cocktails — almost every bar will be able to make a decent Gin and Tonic or a Manhattan, and most of them will make the groovy juice go down just as smooth. These “basic”cocktails are of little interest to me; instead of trying every Rob Roy or Vodka Collins in Ithaca, many of which would end up tasting pretty darn similar, for this feature I wanted to investigate the sorts of cocktails that the Ithacan bartenders are inventing and determine who is inventing the best.
Photo: Andy Johnson / Staff Photographer