AltBar, Rochester's first non-alcoholic bar and bottle shop, opens in North Winton Village
AltBar, Rochester's first non-alcoholic bar and bottle shop, opens in North Winton Village
Plus, Other Half opens its Canandaigua taproom inside the former Young Lion space.
Amid the Shania Twain-charged “90s Mom Cleaning Playlist,” Meg Hartman and I chatted about how she and her husband Bob got to this point. (Meg offered to turn off the playlist, but why would I want to deny myself the pleasure of Shania Twain?)
I can assure you that it’s not totally crazy. But instead, it’s a calculated risk for the Hartmans. After 2.5 years of successful (and exhausting) pop-up events and sales, the Hartmans officially (softly) open the brick-and-mortar location of AltBar, the region’s first non-alcoholic bar and bottle shop, today at 1947 E. Main St. in Rochester’s North Winton Village neighborhood. AltBar is open from noon to 8 p.m. both today and Saturday.
At first, AltBar will only be a bottle shop, offering an incredible array of NA cocktails, spirits, mixers, seltzers, beers, and so much more. There will be plenty of samples offered, especially as they try to educate consumers. Pending zoning approvals from the city of Rochester, the Hartmans are optimistic bar service will begin in August. (But we all know these things never work out as smoothly as intended. It’s surely a test of faith, patience, and determination. They’ve made it this far.)
Photo: The exterior of AltBar at 1947 E. Main St. in Rochester’s North Winton Village neighborhood. It’s the space on the left.
(We’ve moved on from Shania Twain to Cher’s iconic “Believe.” That’s always and forever a jam.)
So what led Meg, a college marketing professor, and Bob down this lightly traveled road? It started almost five years ago when Bob decided to give up alcohol. (Meg still imbibes, but not often.) That started the Hartmans down a path of discovery, one where they were looking for opportunities to remain social without the pressure of alcohol consumption and one where they looked for the best non-alcoholic drink options. (More on Meg’s favorites at AltBar below.)
“At the time, there was next to nothing,” Meg offered. After one-too-many bad mocktails from local bars and restaurants, Meg and Bob started thinking about how they could capture some of the same energy and spirit they were seeing the burgeoning NA scene across the country. They saw numerous communities with non-alcoholic bars and producers pushing forth more and more creative NA beverages.
“We kept saying, ‘Why is no one doing this?’ Finally, we were like, ‘We should just do this,’” Meg said. With both working full-time jobs, the pop-ups became exhausting. So they led them to think about what the future might look like. Would they just pack it up after a run of successful events or would they invest the time and money needed to open their own space?
We know what they decided. When Meg’s teaching contract runs out at the end of the month, she’ll devote her attention full time to AltBar.
When we talked earlier this week, the AltBar interior was still in various states of organization. Once complete, it promises to be a low-key, low-pressure, comfortable spot where people can have an intimate conversation. Meg said she thrifted a lot of the items featured in the space. There’s a brand new bar in the heart of the room, while many of the building’s historic flourishes are showcased.
(At this point in the conversation, Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” is now blasting during the 90s Mom Cleaning Playlist. And I’m certainly not mad about that.)
Meg said it took more than a year to find the right location. They knew they wanted to be in the city. Plus, they needed something affordable with a flexible landlord and hoped the location would be walkable. Thankfully, the Hartmans persevered and found that unicorn of a space. (And admittedly, the margins on these NA products are so low, that they needed a space that met all those criteria.)
Many spots around town feature really, really nice mocktails. (We’re partial to the ones at Radio Social and the Daily Refresher.) And you’ll find really good NA beers at places like AJ’s Beer Warehouse. (Though no one outside of Genny is making an NA beer. That’s due to various reasons such as the cost of specialized equipment and the intensive techniques needed to produce them. We do, however, really love Three Heads’ new hop water.) AltBar really fills a niche in this community, one that is growing considerably. It also makes a lot of sense when you consider how Gen Z is currently drinking less alcohol than any generation that preceded it.
“As a college professor, I’ve heard directly from them,” Meg said. “They’re like, ‘I don’t wanna mess with it. It’s not worth it. I see my parents get drunk and I don’t want that.’ That’s interesting to me. Also, a lot more people are now doing edibles or weed, instead of alcohol. It’s dangerous to mix the two. People like these (NA) options, because they’re still nice to drink.”
Meg said demand has increased worldwide for NA offerings.
“I think people are looking for spaces where they can go on first dates that are safe,” Meg said. “Multiple people have told me it will be a great first-date space. It’s also a spot where you can have a ‘cocktail’ at 3 in the afternoon. We just want to be another option, another welcoming place for the community.”
Meg’s favorites
Keeping in mind that the Hartmans have tasted every product they offer and fully endorse those drinks, here are Meg’s standouts:
Pathfinder: This is a new one for me. Pathfinder is a “fermented and distilled hemp-based liquid with the intense flavor and aromatic characteristics of a spirit, with none of the harmful effects of alcoholic beverages,” according to its website. Meg said it is “her obsession. It’s bitter, herbal, floral, an Amaro-ish substitute. It is one of the only NA spirits you can drink on its own.”
Oddbird canned wines: The two offerings available at AltBar, a rosé and a Blanc de Blanc, are “just really well made,” Meg said.
Two Frays Brewery: Meg and Bob scooped up beer directly from this Pittsburgh brewery and have raved about the NA offerings. I am particularly excited to try them. Meg is most fond of the You Do You: Mango Guava Wheat beer.
Other Half opens Canandaigua taproom
A few months after purchasing the space and equipment from the now shuttered Young Lion Brewing, Other Half’s second Ontario County taproom is now open.
The second-floor taproom of Other Half Lakeshore, 24 Lakeshore Drive in the Pinnacle North complex, the one offering the priceless view of Canandaigua Lake, will be open Thursdays through Sundays, at least for now. The first-floor taproom will re-open very, very soon. And more hours will be added in the future.
Other Half hopes to kickstart brewing operations at the former Young Lion location later this summer. (Young Lion features a bigger 35-barrel brewhouse with a number of 90-barrel fermenters, which will allow OH to shift most of its FLX production to the spot. Its current brewhouse in neighboring East Bloomfield is 10 barrels. Other Half still has ample cold storage and barrel-aging capabilities at a warehouse in Victor.)
OH plans to keep both of its Ontario County taprooms open as they offer vastly different experiences. The East Bloomfield taproom/brewery opened in April 2019. OH, which originated in Brooklyn, now has quite the footprint in upstate New York. It has a taproom in Buffalo that is currently being renovated in the Seneca One Tower.
