By Jill Nagy
Work is ongoing to transform the former Bruegger’s Bagels shop at 453 Broadway into a Cooperstown Distillery tavern, bar, tasting room, and retail outlet.
The original distillery in Cooperstown will continue to produce vodka, gin, bourbon, rye whiskey and rum.
Owner Gene Mara visualizes several deliveries a week from the distillery to the Saratoga tavern. All the liquors are produced from grains grown at Inverness Farms, a small farm in Canajoharie.
The Saratoga tavern will be the second satellite serving Cooperstown Distillery products. The first one is in downtown Cooperstown. The original distillery has been in business for seven and a half years.
A small wooden bar, constructed in Morocco and purchased from a local attorney, is waiting to be installed as the tasting bar, Mara said.
The shop will also serve New York state craft beverages, mainly beer and cider, in addition to its own products. Plans also include a limited menu of bar food, said Mara.
During the pandemic shutdown, Cooperstown Distillery has been producing hand sanitizer, he said. He has donated several hundred bottles of Cooper’s Clean hand sanitizer to Saratoga Springs and the company plans to donate more. The company has received enough wholesale orders to keep all of its employees working during the shutdown.
Mara expects is could take up to three months to complete the renovation. He said the interior was not in good shape, so it will be a fairly major renovation.
Currently, the company has 13 employees, Mara said. He expects to add at least 10 or 12 more when the Saratoga tavern opens.
For additional information,visit cooperstowndistillery.com or call (607) 282-4246.