Kindred: Come for the wine, stay for the craft cocktails 🥃🍸️

Happy Monday! Today, we’re taking you to Saratoga where the splendid Kindred wine bar has just unveiled its craft cocktail menu and fall dishes.

📬️ Reader mail: After reading our profile of Honest Weight Food Co-op, Nancy Cavillones wrote in with some pro tips of her own.

“I’ve been going to the co-op since I was a kid (at their original location, and their 2nd original location). When I lived in CT, I would drive up sometimes specifically to go to the co-op because they really do have the best bulk section around!”

Here’s just a sample of what Nancy picks up from the bulk bins:

• Spices — the whole section. This is great for when you’re being adventurous with a new recipe but don’t want to shell out for a big bottle of a spice you might never use again OR a spice you don’t use often and would get stale before you finish the bottle.

• Flour — So many different kinds of flours, but I usually get all purpose flour for less per pound than at the regular supermarket.

• Rice — Same deal as flour!

• Beans— Not only do you save money by starting with dried beans to begin with, you’re saving money buying them in bulk.

• Laundry detergent — Instead of buying giant plastic jugs or using pods, I fill up a jar and add it to my machine’s auto-dispensing drawer.

• Nuts —Nuts are expensive, especially things like pine nuts or macadamias. If you only need a little bit for a recipe, this is a big cost-saver. Same for things like maple syrup and honey.

Thanks for these awesome tips, Nancy! 🙌 

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Saratoga’s Kindred: Come for the wine, stay for the craft cocktails

This dispatch comes from Natalie Moore, editor of Saratoga Living and Saratoga Living After Hours, where this story first appeared. Subscribe now to stay on top of all things Saratoga!

If you haven’t visited Kindred in Saratoga in awhile or still haven’t made it to 84 Henry Street, now is a great time. (Btw, Kindred is one of the TU’s 75 Essential Restaurants of the Capital Region.)

Opened in mid-2023, the beautiful wine bar just launched an all-new kick-ass craft cocktail menu—and a fall dinner menu to match.

On a recent rainy night, my boyfriend Pete and I got (very) comfortable at the bar, and began ordering basically everything on the cocktail menu.

First up was the Empire State of Mind, an apple-centric whiskey drink made with elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, and honey syrup, and a Midnight Campfire, a literal s’more in a cup that came with a graham cracker dust rim and toasted marshmallow garnish. 

Before we even put in food, we’d downed our drinks and ordered a second round: the Eternal Sunset, a reposado tequila/OJ/banana liqueur concoction faintly reminiscent of Banana Runts (I like Banana Runts), and the Shuck and Burn, made with corn mezcal, lime, agave, molé bitters, and queso fresco cilantro foam. 

I asked about the fact that Kindred opened as a wine bar, but now seems to be equally known for its cocktails. 

“Cocktails are just really popular in Saratoga right now,” said Zach Wolfgramm, Kindred’s bar manager, who moved to the area from Salt Lake City. “Even if you go to other wine bars, like Familiar Creature, they’re still banging cocktails out.” 

That goes for mocktails, too: Kindred’s new menu has an NA Negroni, Old Fashioned, Amaro Spritz, and a pineapple/orgeat/all spice/coco bitters drink called the Forbidden Fruit. “They’re very popular,” Zach said.

We ordered an appetizer—the house-made focaccia served with black garlic mushroom butter, EVOO, and balsamic—and a waiter overheard us. “I’d cancel that and get the burrata toast,” he said.

“I’m technically vegan,” I said, though that hadn’t stopped me from devouring my Midnight Campfire garnish—the first marshmallow I’ve had in four years.

Pete wound up taking one of the servers’ entrée recommendations: the Moroccan half chicken, which came with sweet potato purée and herb salad. I got the wood-fired maitake mushroom (also known as hen-of-the-woods), which was more mushroom than I’ve ever eaten in one serving.

And for dessert? The Jack-o-hattan cocktail to share. That one’s made with a mix of serrano, cinnamon, black pepper, and Montenegro that’s soaked for a week until it becomes what Zach calls a sort of “bougie Fireball,” plus toasted pecan bourbon (Zach toasts the pecans in Kindred’s wood-fired oven and then soaks them in the bourbon) and a homemade pumpkin cordial (that recipe, Zach said, is a house secret). The end result is the only Manhattan I’ve ever enjoyed.

“There’s a lot of love that goes into that drink,” Zach said. “It looks sweet and hard to crush, but I feel like I could drink a few of them.”

Me too, Zach. Me too.

The deets: Kindred, 84 Henry St, Saratoga Springs. Hours: Tues-Thurs, 4p-midnight; Fri-Sat, 4p-1a; closed Sun-Mon. Pro tip: Kindred’s fabulous happy hour (Tues-Fri) features $9 classic cocktails, $7 wines by the glass, and appetizers for under $10.

More to explore: How Phila Street got its groove back

🚒 This is tragic: Five people—three children and two adults—were killed in a house fire at 23 Twiller Street in Albany’s Delaware Avenue neighborhood on Monday morning. Fire crews arrived to find the home fully engulfed. An adult and a child were trapped in the house and pronounced dead at the scene. Three other victims were transported to Albany Medical Center but succumbed to their injuries. The cause is still not yet known. [Times Union]

🍗 And the golden wing goes to Simone’s Kitchen, which took the People’s Choice Award at the sold-out Schenectady Wing Walk over the weekend with its Herby Lemon Pepper Parm Wing. See who else won… [Daily Gazette]

🍁 It’s not just you. The fall foliage is looking a bit muted this year. Two words: Drought stress. Dry conditions during the summer and early fall have contributed to an earlier-than-usual turning of the leaves, scientists say. [Spectrum News]

More to explore: Don’t miss your fall foliage bucket list!

🚵‍♀️ The Adirondack Rail Trail is now open for year-round use, after a $40 million renovation of the historic 34-mile corridor that winds its way from Lake Placid to Tupper Lake. The trail is fully opened for hikers, bikers, cross-country skiers and other outdoor enthusiasts. [News10]

If you’ve been dreaming of a darling homestead to call your own, this 1843 Greek Revival farmhouse on 6.5 acres might just be your thing. The natural wood floors and ceilings are charming and airy, and built-in sitting areas make the shared spaces even more inviting. The spacious kitchen features a working wood stove, and enough counter space to make any chef sing.

With four bedrooms—including a roomy attic suite with walk-in closets—two full baths, first-floor laundry, and two screened-in porches, there’s a sweet spot for everyone. Recent updates include a new roof (2024), fresh fencing, refinished bedrooms, and even plumbing in place for a third bath off the main suite. Step out onto one of two screened-in porches and take in views of the adorable playhouse, pond, barn, chicken coops, and greenhouse. The schools are solid, and Saratoga, Troy, Albany, and Bennington are all within a 20-30 min drive.

The deets: 4 bd, 2 ba, 2271 sf. Asking: $374,900. Days on market: 4. See the full listing here.

Our full weekend roundup publishes every Thursday. Be sure to check your inboxes!

EVENTS THIS WEEK

🎬️ The Renaissance Black Film Festival returns to Albany with a plethora of screenings, panel sessions, and parties.

✏️ Archtober is a month-long celebration of architecture and design Troy led locally by TAP Inc. and inspired by NYC’s own month-long architecture festival. Join us as we celebrate the collaboration, craft, and buildings that shape our daily lives. See the full calendar of events.

🪽Tonight, The Luna Series celebrates its second anniversary of providing intimate, candlelit, VH1 Storytellers-style performances with a showcase of local artists including Julia Alsarraf (who sings like an angel, ya’ll), TJ Foster, Ryan Leddick, Girl Love, Angelina Valente, and more.

🤣 Wednesday is the final night of the Capital Region’s Funniest Comic competition.

☁️ 🖌️ On Thursday, join a Cloud Gazing Puff and Paint at Context Collective or a check out the poetry reading at Paper Moon.

🐅 Also Thursday, drop into the Tang Museum and catch a panel discussion rooted in the archival exhibit, Up to Us: Black Dimensions in Art, 1975–Tomorrow.

🅾️ The O+ Festival in Kingston from Oct 10-12, headlined by Kool Keith and featuring many other performers, is about more than music. It lets performers “share art with the public in exchange for a wide variety of services donated by doctors, dentists, masseuses, and other complementary care providers.” Learn more.

🎨 Saturday is the annual Troy Open Studios. Spend the day connecting with artists in their workshops where the magic happens.

🍻 Hangar on the Hudson invites you to its Oktoberfest this Saturday, featuring live music, Germanic delights, and beer, of course!

🛼 The glorious Albany Allstars Roller Derby are back at the Armory this Saturday.

🚶🏻Stroll through history this Saturday, with Path Through History 2025: Albany County History Tour at the Ten Broeck Mansion.

💀 Get ready to shop ‘til you drop, this Saturday at the fabulous Vintage Roundup—it’s the last one for 2025! Also, browse the Albany Twilight Market at the wickedly beautiful Washington Park Lakehouse.

🏷️ Rather take a day trip on Saturday, but still want to find killer deals? Catch a fair wind to Beacon for the yearly Citywide Yard Sale, and be sure to get over to the Hudson River Sloop while you’re there!

🍁 Also Saturday, the Maple Ski Ridge in Schenectady is hosting its Annual Fall Festival.

⛴️ Celebrate the bicentennial of the Grand Erie Canal at the Clifton Park Canal Fest Parade on Saturday.

🥄 For just $2 a sample, you can taste your way around the world at the Saratoga International Flavorfeast!

🥣 Sunday is the Troy Chowderfest! With a slight chance of rain in the forecast, it should be an appropriately damp and gray day for some good chowdah.

ART ON VIEW

• Catch Compass Roses: Albany at Opalka Gallery before it closes on Saturday!

• Art at APL: Sight Specific, at the Pine Hills Branch of Albany Public Library. Curated by Opalka Gallery. Closes Nov. 8

• Liberation and For Life celebrates 50 years of Black Dimensions in Art, showcasing 90+ artists and 100+ works that will blow your mind | Albany Institute of History & Art

• Up to Us highlights BDA’s powerful legacy with archival materials spanning 1975 to the future | The Tang Museum

• Noel W Anderson: Black Excellence and Romare Bearden & Ralph Ellison: From the Archive | UAlbany Art Museum

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

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