10th Rochester Cocktail Revival Festival kicks off Monday

Posted: Jun 2, 2023 / 04:07 PM EDT

Updated: Jun 2, 2023 / 04:45 PM EDT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Starting Monday, Rochester cocktail, hospitality, and food culture lover can rejoice: as the tenth annual Rochester Cocktail Revival begins for a weeklong festival.

The goal of the festival, which was started in 2014, is to celebrate cocktail innovation and culture in Rochester. Chuck Cerankosky, the director of RCR, (who also owns multiple restaurants in the area) says a group of bartenders, owners, and more, wanted to start the event to show off Rochester.

“Our city is cool, you should take a look at it, because we’re doing things that you don’t usually find in small cities like this,” Cerankosky said. “We’re doing just as well you might see in major markets, new York, LA, (and) London.”

The event is also a fundraiser for Cancer Support Community at Gilda’s Club; the event has raised nearly $150,000 since the Rochester Cocktail Revival began.

“It’s a great fit because the work that (they) do can benefit all, and the victims of cancer are among us regardless of any kind of background or anything,” he said. “It’s a universal villain, and we wanted to partner with an organization that does good for everybody.”

The weeklong festival features events each night, including an event on the promenade along the Genesee River. Events will also take place at nearly 30 venues and dozens of bartenders and mixologists from Rochester.

Cerankosky is expecting nearly 20,00 people to attend the weeklong festival.

Feature events of the 2023 Rochester Cocktail Revival include:

Mon., June 5
- Ten x Ten Art Exhibit, film prints shot by 10 local photographers and commissioned by RCR to celebrate a decade of craft in the Photo City.
Tues., June 6
- XO Garden Party at the George Eastman Museum featuring botanical cocktails, live music, lawn games, and custom poetry
Wed., June 7
- Sons of Mezcal: Screening Talkback, a breathtaking documentary following four generations of mezcaleros and edited by a Rochester native
Thurs., June 8
- Cocktails on the Promenade x CITY Magazine Launch, sip a cocktail along the Genesee and meet the creative forces behind the June issue of CITY
Fri., June 9
- Super Sounds with Extra Life, the champion musical event of RCR featuring Matt + Chris O’Brian & Friends
Fri., June 9
- Bacchanalia: An Immersive Theatre Experience feat, The Company Theatre, where a wild cocktail party and a night out at the theatre coincide
Sat., June 10
- The Spirit Tasting Spectacular at The Metropolitan, showcasing 40+ spirit brands including New York State Distillers
Sat., June 10
- The Heroes Ball x Antiheroes After Party, the annual Cancer Support Community fundraiser, followed by DJ-fueled dancing under the stars
Sun., June 11
- The Bar Room Battle Royale, the climactic festival finale where local bartenders go shaker-to-shaker to claim mixologist supremacy