All Over Albany

A look around the new Albany Distilling bar and bottle shop

The Albany Distilling Company has a grand opening for its new bar and bottle shop on Livingston Ave this Friday. The building includes a bar area, a striking outdoor courtyard, and an upstairs room for private events.

The distillery has been working on renovating the building over the past year, an expansion beyond its nearby production space at Quackenbush Square.

Here's a look around the new space, along with a few bits about it....

Photos

There's a quick photo tour above in large format -- click or scroll all the way up.

The craft beverage boom

It's been six years since Albany Distilling was first licensed by the state. And in that time, there's been a boom around the state in the number of distilleries, breweries, and cideries -- many of them under the relatively new "farm" licenses the state now offers in which producers can follow a relaxed set of rules in exchange for using ingredients grown in New York State.

"There is truly a rising tide," Rick Sicari said at a ribbon cutting Wednesday. He's the co-owner of ADC with John Curtin. "And I know that saying gets used a lot, but it's something we completely stand behind. We wouldn't have made it to the point that we are if we weren't collaborating with our friends here who are doing very similar things."

That collaboration has included working with other local beverage producers such as Nine Pin Cider, Death Wish Coffee, and Indian Ladder Farms Cidery and Brewery. And it's on display in the products at the new bar.

"Yes, we're Albany Distilling. Of course we want you coming in here and drinking cocktails with spirits that we make," said Sicari. "But being able to put my friends' beers on tap, the wine in the glasses, the cider that comes from right down the street or over in Altamont. I think the experience that people can have is really just seeing what everyone's doing in this region."

ADC has already been using the building's courtyard for events as it worked through the renovation on the project, which got a boost from grants from Capitalize Albany and Empire State Development.

To go along with drinks, Sicari said they'll be offering some pre-made, heat-and-eat snacks from Slidin' Dirty and Forged in Hudson Falls. And he said food trucks will be making frequent appearances again this year.

Now that the whole space is open, the hours of operation will be Monday-Friday 4 pm to midnight, and Saturday noon to midnight.

There's a lot happening around this spot

We've mentioned this recently, but it's worth highlighting that there's a lot in the works for this section of Albany, which sits between Arbor Hill, downtown proper, and the Warehouse District:

+ Capital Repertory Theatre will be moving to the building next door to the Albany Distilling bar and bottle shop.

+ The redevelopment of the Ida Yarbrough Homes just across Pearl Street is in progress.

+ Around the block on Broadway, developer Patrick Chiou has renovated a row of vacant housing, and he's seeking funding to do something with the former Church of Holy Innocents. [TU]

+ On the block just to the south, between Pearl and Broadway, work has started for new construction at 760 Broadway that will include 88 residential units.

+ And just a few more blocks to the south the big Quackenbush Center mixed-use project is in the works

+ And planning is in progress for the Albany Skyway.

Earlier

+ Albany Distilling opening a new tasting room and retail shop in Albany