Tucked into a narrow storefront at 7 Main Street in downtown Penn Yan, 18th Amendment Kitchen & Cocktail Bar is the kind of place that makes you feel like you've stumbled onto something the locals have been keeping to themselves. The dining room is intimate — small enough that you can hear the shakers working behind the bar — and the vibe leans date-night rather than group-dinner. Rose and Chet run the show here, and the menu changes constantly based on what's hyper-local and in season, sourced from nearby farms, markets, and their own garden. This is not a place that prints a laminated menu and calls it done.

The cocktails are the main event, and for good reason — the bar won Gold for Best Bartender and Silver for Best Specialty Cocktails at the FLX Finest awards. Everything is built with house-made syrups and fresh-pressed juices, and the drinks lean creative without being gimmicky. The food follows the same philosophy: seasonal ingredients treated simply but with technique. Expect nightly specials that rotate with whatever the kitchen gets its hands on that week. It is worth noting that as a genuinely small operation, they depend heavily on reservations to stay open on any given night — if bookings are light, they may close, so call ahead. They also take a winter break (typically late January through early February), so plan accordingly.

This is not the place for a casual drop-in or a big party — tables seat four max, and larger groups need to call. But if you want a well-crafted cocktail and a thoughtful dinner in a room that feels personal rather than performative, 18th Amendment is Penn Yan's best argument that the Finger Lakes food scene extends well beyond the lake-view tasting rooms.