🎄1-week warning! Whatcha drinking?
BUT FIRST: Top 3 places to go if you’d rather just dine out on Christmas. (Make your res now!)
❄️Jump scare
Anyone else been startled by the seasonal sounds of crashing icicles? That’s right — this winter’s first Saratoga snow melt is underway. Tomorrow will see a potential high of 54 — and rain. So expect a considerably changed landscape by Saturday morning.
🍷 Congrats, Keuka Spring!
As we reported first, Keuka Spring Vineyards’ new tasting room on Spring Street is officially open — as of today! Congrats to Autumn and team from all of us Dispatchers. You have until 8 p.m. to claim Day 1 bragging rights, winos.
15 Spring Street
🎄Top 3: Where to dine on Christmas day, by vibe
Spending Christmas Day in Saratoga Springs and planning to dine out? A few local restaurants will be open, though hours are adjusted—so reservations are strongly recommended.
Morrissey’s Lounge & Bistro, located inside the gorgeous Adelphi Hotel, will be open and serving a special prix fixe Christmas menu. The setting is classic and festive, and the restaurant is open to all guests.
The Regent Restaurant & Bar at the stunning new Hotel Brookmere will also be open on Christmas Day, offering a comfortable, approachable dining experience just minutes from the heart of downtown.
For a more casual option, T.G. Clancy’s Tavern & Bar will welcome guests with familiar pub fare in a lively, laid-back atmosphere.
All three restaurants will be operating with holiday hours. If you’re planning to dine out on Christmas Day, make your reservation now and plan ahead.
🍻Get out the Grinch with these pre-Xmas tipples
If the holidays threaten to provide more hives than happy in your three-sizes-too-small heart, you’re not alone.
Despite what the songs proclaim — “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” — the holidays can also feel like a pressure cooker. About 9 in 10 adults (89%) report that missing loved ones and anticipating family conflicts cause stress during the holidays.
Which is where the Grinch-quashing pre-gaming comes amid widespread festooning, wrapping, food preparing and human wrangling in the lead-up to the big day. We tapped local drinks pros for their holiday pre-gaming tips.
Kristy McCormack, events manager at Thirsty Owl Saratoga, says their Dry Riesling, with its bright fruit aromas and notes of orchard fruit and citrus, is intended to be paired with mild cheeses such as fresh goat or Havarti. Not a bad idea, and great for the appetizer run of the show, but I also find it pairs well with the perennial project of hastily wrapping stocking stuffers in a sea of chaos while barricaded in a room to prevent curious onlookers.
Rich Wilson — director of food, beverage and taproom operations at Common Roots Brewing Company — opts for the German-style Helles Lager with charcuterie spreads, or the casual raw seafood tower. The easy-drinking, crisp beer is indeed delicious when sipped with Prosciutto, bresaola or tuna, but we also love reliving our college years by sipping it in the shower, approximately 30 minutes before the guests are scheduled to arrive.
Rachel McDermott, founder of the field-to-glass Dancing Grain Farm Brewery, recommends pairing their Crop Circles Barnside Breeze with ginger-sesame meatballs. Can’t disagree that the homegrown hazy-juicy IPA, packed with notes of mango and citrus zest, pairs well with meatballs, but I tend to pair it with the emergency mopping session (donning wet hair + a robe) I love to kick off 10 minutes before guests are due to arrive.
Need some help with dinner pairings? Stay tuned!
🏇NYRA adds racing days, but just this once
NYRA has released its 2026 schedule — and it has some surprises.
If you’ve been ignoring this news all day, thinking there’s no way NYRA would go too buck wild making changes for our third and final time hosting the Triple Crown’s Belmont Stakes…this list is for you.
Record-breaking number of Saratoga racing days: 51
Third and final “Belatoga” Belmont Stakes: Saturday, June 6
Opening Day of the regular season: July 3
Number of days in the regular season because of the early start: 46 (usually 40)
Number of dark days per week July 3-July 26: 3 (Mon-Weds.)
(Very) tentative opening date of the newly renovated Belmont Park: September 18, 2026
💃In brief
Family feud
The three Fitch brothers behind Saratoga City Tavern are still at it.
Jason and Adam have filed a countersuit against Patrick, seeking $2 million in damages, writes the Albany Business Review. They also want his claims against them (and Jason’s wife, Marisa) dismissed, says the outlet.
Caught a break
“Regeneron’s $2 billion plan for its Saratoga County facility got a big boost last week,” writes — yup — the Albany Business Review. No kidding. The Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency approved a nearly $47 million package of tax breaks, reports the outlet, in light of the biotech company’s plan to take over the massive former Quad printing plant.
😉Everybody’s talking about it
Why had more than 1600 of you guys read the Dispatch yesterday before one Dispatcher finally told me of a major (to me) typo? It’s 2025 — we can fix things like that! (Only small typos, and it changes online only, not the email.) I know some of you looooove to look for things like that. Simply reply to this email to reach me!
To complement your daily Dispatch in the afternoons, why not sign up for a daily dose of news in the morning, aggregate style? Might we suggest:
Have a good one, Saratoga!
— Abby Tegnelia
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