Cocktail Bar
Unclaimed profileOcean Blue Restaurant & Oyster Bar
Utica, NY · $$
Inebrious
Beverage Program Score
The editorial take
A broad beverage program built around a deep spirits list and a long signature cocktail roster. Pours are tiered as house 1.5oz, premium 1oz, and ultra premium 0.5oz, with rare whiskeys and Louis XIII cognac at the top. Cocktails run $14–$24 and use premium bottled mixers rather than gun sodas. Wine covers sparkling through cabernet by glass and bottle, draft beer stays regional and imported, and zero-proof drinkers get three listed cocktails plus non-alcoholic beer.
- What should I order?
- Start with the Tokyo Drift, built on Hibiki Japanese whisky with lemon, orange, simple, and Regans' bitters at $24, or the Smoke Show with Ilegal mezcal reposado, roasted coconut, pandan, lime, and rosemary at $15. From the spirits list, The Yamazaki 12yr at $24 is the most accessible premium pour; Van Winkle Special Reserve 12yr at $98 sits at the allocated end.
- Who will enjoy this place?
- Drinkers who want a full spirits list with defined pour tiers, a long signature cocktail roster, and wine by both glass and bottle. Groups booking private dining get open-bar packages from beer and wine up through premium spirits. Non-drinkers have three zero-proof cocktails and two non-alcoholic beers to choose from.
- When should I go?
- Brunch brings Mimosas and Spritzes built on Aperol, Campari, or Hugo. Private dining and events can be arranged with beverage packages ranging from a one-hour beer and wine bar to a four-hour premium open bar.
- What should I expect to spend?
- Signature cocktails run $14–$24. Wine by the glass is $10–$20 and bottles $30–$350, with a $35 corkage fee per 750ml bottle. Draft beer is $5–$9 and bottled $5–$8. Spirits pours span $7–$160. Private dining open bar packages run $18–$76 per person.
- What makes the beverage program distinctive?
- Cocktails are mixed with premium bottled mixers rather than sodas from a gun, and the spirits list formalizes three pour sizes: house 1.5oz, premium 1oz, and ultra premium 0.5oz. That structure supports a range from a $13 Ilegal Reposado mezcal pour to Louis XIII cognac at $160 without flattening everything into one price band.
Beverage categories
We only score what a venue sets out to do. Categories a venue doesn't attempt are left unscored rather than penalized.
Cocktails
A long signature and seasonal roster with zero-proof options, brunch spritzes, and premium bottled mixers instead of gun sodas. Builds range across gin, mezcal, Japanese whisky, and bourbon, with prices from $14 to $24. Private dining packages add a specialty or two signature cocktails depending on tier.
Menu strengths
- — Cocktails are prepared with premium bottled mixers, never sodas from a gun.
- — The list spans signature and seasonal drinks plus zero-proof options and brunch Mimosas and Spritzes.
- — Private dining packages include one specialty cocktail at the classic tier and two signatures at the premium tier.
Standout selections
- — Tokyo Drift: Hibiki Japanese whisky, lemon, orange, simple, and Regans' bitters, $24.
- — Smoke Show: Ilegal mezcal reposado, roasted coconut juice, pandan, lime, and rosemary, $15.
- — The Ultimate Margarita: Clase Azul Reposado, Grand Marnier, lime, Regans' bitters, sugared rim, $24.
- — Purple Rain: Empress gin, Stoli Vanil, lavender, and lemon, $15.
Pricing: Signature cocktails $14–$24 on the 2026 menu
Wine
Two house wines anchor the beer-and-wine open bar package, and guest-provided bottles can be brought in for a $35 corkage fee.
Menu strengths
- — Wines are available by the glass and by the bottle across sparkling, white, red, and rosé.
- — Corkage is $35 per 750ml bottle for guest-provided wine.
- — The beer and wine open bar package includes a selection of two house wines.
Standout selections
- — Dom Perignon Brut '13, Épernay, France, $325.; Stag's Leap Artemis '20, Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon, $149.
- — Whispering Angel Rosé '24, Côtes de Provence, $17 glass / $65 bottle.
- — Dr. Konstantin Frank '21, Finger Lakes merlot, $16 glass / $55 bottle.
Pricing: Glass $10–$20; bottles $30–$350; corkage $35 per 750ml bottle
Beer
Draft and bottled beer covers regional craft, imported Belgian and Irish standards, and domestic light lagers, priced $5–$9 on draft and $5–$8 bottled. A non-alcoholic Beck's is listed alongside, and the beer and wine open bar package draws on both draft and bottled selections.
Menu strengths
- — Draft and bottled lists span local, imported, and domestic options.
- — Beck's NA gives a non-alcoholic bottled choice at $6.
- — The beer and wine open bar package includes both draft and bottled beers.
Standout selections
- — Fiddlehead IPA, Shelburne, VT, draft, $8.; Duvel Belgian 6.66 Blond Ale, Breendonk, Belgium, draft, $9.
- — Ommegang Witte, Cooperstown, NY, draft, $8.; Narragansett Lager, Rochester, NY, draft, $5.
Pricing: Draft $5–$9; bottled $5–$8; 2026 menu lists $4–$9
Nonalcoholic
Three zero-proof cocktails are listed on the 2026 menu — Melon Fig Mule, Lavender Lemonade Fizz, and Mock Thai — alongside two non-alcoholic beers and premium waters Acqua Panna and San Pellegrino. The zero-proof cocktails are built with the same layered approach as the rest of the list rather than poured as an afterthought.
Menu strengths
- — Three zero-proof cocktails are listed on the 2026 menu.
- — Beck's NA and Stella Artois 0.0% cover non-alcoholic beer at $6 and $7.
- — Acqua Panna and San Pellegrino premium waters are listed.
Standout selections
- — Melon Fig Mule: melon, fig, yuzu, lemon, and ginger beer.
- — Mock Thai: orgeat, lime, ginger beer, and mint.
- — Lavender Lemonade Fizz: lavender-honey, lemon, and club soda.
Pricing: Beck's NA $6; Stella Artois 0.0% $7
Spirits
A wide spirits list covering scotch, Japanese whisky, cognac, rum, whiskey, rye, Irish whiskey, tequila, gin, vodka, and mezcal, with pours from $7 to $160. Three pour tiers — house 1.5oz, premium 1oz, ultra premium 0.5oz — let drinkers choose between volume and rarity, and rare and allocated whiskeys sit at the top.
Menu strengths
- — Pours are structured as house 1.5oz, premium 1oz, and ultra premium 0.5oz.
- — The list spans scotch, Japanese whisky, cognac, rum, whiskey, rye, Irish whiskey, tequila, gin, vodka, and mezcal.
- — Rare and allocated whiskeys are listed, and private dining adds classic or premium spirits open bar tiers.
Standout selections
- — Van Winkle Special Reserve 12yr, premium pour, $98.
- — Old Rip Van Winkle 10yr, premium pour, $85.
- — George T. Stagg 15yr, premium pour, $65.; Louis XIII cognac, ultra premium pour, $160.
- — The Yamazaki 12yr Japanese whisky, premium pour, $24.
Pricing: Pours $7–$160; house 1.5oz, premium 1oz, ultra premium 0.5oz
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