VINIFERA New York - Geneva Flagship

What a great spot. There's a winery upstairs, and if you want a more intimate feel, you can head into the speakeasy located through the bookshelf on the one wall and down the stairs. I recommend making a reservation since it is not a huge spot and does get crowded. We tried 3 cocktails, and all were delicious. We had an old old-fashioned with the cherry smoke, a mango creme sorbet cocktail, and a s'more martini. Staff is friendly, seats are comfortable, and you really get the feeling of a speakeasy. We didn't try the food, but I didn't see some people with a charcuterie that looked delicious.

The most incredible (and only) speakeasy in the Finger Lakes. After hours of driving, we knew we needed a cool spot to go to at night for some delicious wine. Of course, the Finger Lakes are KNOWN for wine so we're just thinking we're making reservations for a wine bar (with "speakeasy" vibes). Which that would've been totally cool with us. After continuous back and forth, changing our reservations 50 million times, adding and taking people out, we finally made it to Vinifera on a Friday night and were super apologetic since we had to make yet another change. The staff was absolutely incredible and accommodating, they made sure our party of 10 would be in the same room/table. The only "downfall" was that we'd have to share the room with another small party. Which was absolutely not a problem and we ended up being BFF'S with them by the end of the night. We met the owner Jim - the most incredible human - and he took us down to the speakeasy (which passes right through a super secretive door in the back of the main room upstairs). Side note - the main room upstairs is a vibe on it's own btw and we would've been absolutely fine and happy there. It's an actual wine store and you can purchase all kind of local wines. Be sure to ask and get all the recommendations you want. Not only did we get to enjoy an incredible time but we got a super cool VIP experience and learned the story and so much history about this place, the concept, the origin and what sparked the idea of creating it. That itself, was a treat. On to the actual speakeasy experience. When you go downstairs (through that fun super cool super secretive door) - you're instantly transported to another era, another time. It's dark, it's velvety, chandeliers, spiderwebs (the aesthetic kind, idk if there were actually any but it fit the vibe in my head), Leonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa, candles, curtains. There are two super cool rooms, one to the right (which is where our large party sat at) and one to the left - totally recommended for smaller groups, it's cozy, it's chill, you can interact and share with other guests too. Just by this, I'm wowed. As if this wasn't enough, the drinks were absolutely incredible. I ended up ordering some kind of a smoked drink and they happily substituted the regular old fashioned for mezcal. What a dream. Everyone was happy with their drink orders, some ordered some off the menu things and they happily made them - even though they technically only serve what's on the menu. Wine flights are also available if you're in the wine vibe. Bottom line: we loved this place SO much, we came back 2 night's later for our last night. We sat in the other room and absolutely loved and enjoyed it. I had a lavender drink and it was delish. This place is a GEM and you should absolutely check it out and support it if you're in the area. If you're not, well now you have a place I know you'll love to go to!