Crafting Drinks is a series at NYUP.com / syracuse.com that highlights the creative craft beverage makers in the Finger Lakes region.

Wine aged in stone vessels. Local beer served in the classic British tradition. Liquor made from maple.

Over the past few months we’ve profiled some of the most innovative, creative and just plain “out there” craft beverage makers in the Finger Lakes.

In case you missed it, our Crafting Drinks series, with videos sponsored by the Southern Finger Lakes Beverage Trail, examined the stories and techniques of six producers — two wineries, two breweries and two distilleries. Here’s a closer look at each:

A visitor to Six Eighty Cellars on the west shore of Cayuga Lake is certain to notice something different. In addition to the standard oak barrels and steel tanks most wineries use for aging, this winery also stores much of its wine in stone or terra cotta vessels. Some are shaped like large eggs.

It’s an ancient technique that no other Finger Lakes winery is featuring so heavily.

“We want customers to be tasting wines they might not be tasting at other places in this area,” said Melissa Pittard, who owns Six Eighty Cellars with her husband, Dave.

The full story: Six Eighty Cellars takes a different approach to making wine

Bradley Gillett decided to open Seneca Lake Brewing to highlight British-style beer (cask ale). He also uses it to dispel the notion that the beer, served with a natural carbonation, is “warm and flat.”

“It’s a myth,” the native of southern England says. “It’s not warm. It’s not flat. It’s just not what most Americans are used to.”

The full story: A Finger Lakes brewery becomes a champion of British ‘cask ale’

Karl Neubauer and his wife Melissa opened Hollerhorn Distilling in 2018 in a picturesque spot set among the hills of the Naples Valley south of Canandaigua Lake. There they specialized in all sorts of things that made Hollerhorn stand out: Peated malt whiskey (think Scotch). Fruited brandies (think schnapps). And spirits distilled from the syrup of the abundant local maple trees.

“This area is super rich in fruit producers, grain growers really everything we need and in the case of the maple spirits, maple producers,” Karl Neubauer said. “Everything we need is right here within five miles of our distillery. We try to work with farms as close to Hollerhorn as we can.”

Note: Hollerhorn suffered a devastating fire on May 12 and is now closed. The Neubauers vow to rebuild, and so we are keeping our original story in this list.

The full story: Finger Lakes distillery takes creative approach to New York spirits

At Lucky Hare Brewing, they like to say they make “a beer for every palate.” That’s typically about 80 different beers a year. They like to collaborate on beers with their neighbors. And they’ve expanded beyond Hector with a big production brewery in Watkins Glen and a second taproom in Ithaca.

“I’m blown away by everything we have here in the Finger Lakes,” said Lucky Hare co-owner Ian Conboy. " ... And it’s getting better and better, which is really exciting for everybody. ... For us it’s exciting just to see that we’re a small part of all that.”

The full story: Lucky Hare Brewing makes ‘a beer for every palate’ in the Finger Lakes

Mushroom Spirits is more than just an attention-grabbing name for a distillery. In this case, there really is mushroom in that vodka.

It all started a decade ago when Joe and Wendy Rizzo started a mushroom farm in Ithaca. In 2020, they started infusing vodka with various mushrooms at their Mushroom Spirits Distillery just south if Seneca Falls.

“We weren’t really thinking about distilling when we started,” Joe Rizzo said. “It was the mushroom farm. That was the dream. It was going great. And we kind of just think about mushrooms all the time. ... Then it was like, ‘Let’s see what else we can do with the mushrooms.’ "

The full story: This Finger Lakes distiller adds mushrooms to its vodka

Damiani opened in 1996 with a then-unusual focus on growing red grapes and making red wines. As Damiani winemaker Katey Larwood notes, if you have red grapes, you can also make rosé.

“I think the Finger Lakes is poised to make all kinds of wines in all shapes and sizes,” Larwood said.

The full story: This Finger Lakes winery prefers shades of red and pink

Don Cazentre writes about craft beer, wine, spirits and beverages for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.

Katrina Tulloch shoots videos and writes life + culture stories for Syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Contact her: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 518-810-5022

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