Feeling Lucky? You can roll for a drink at these Syracuse spots

As a foodie who also loves games, I love any chance I get to gamify my food or drink options. (And when I say I love games, I love games. Hubby and I own over 700 board games!) Plus, I tend to be rather indecisive, so if I can roll a die and have it make a decision for me, even better. It’s not surprising that the first place to introduce roll for a drink in Syracuse was an arcade bar. But recently a few other spots have joined the trend. So are you feeling lucky? Because you can roll for a shot, a beer, or a latte.

Roll for a shot at Three Lives

Of all the places where you can roll for a drink in Syracuse,  Three Lives Bar was the first to offer it. Which makes sense, since it is an arcade bar, featuring arcade machines and video games streaming on the tvs. Located downtown in Armory Square, it’s the ultimate bar for gamers, nerds, and anyone who loves a good drink. Owner Jon Page opened the bar in August 2020 and has only added more since then.

Roll for a shot is definitely the most popular aspect of the bar. Impressively, they have created 20 different, creative game-themed shots. These aren’t your typical shot of whiskey or vodka. Most have multiple ingredients, making them resemble miniature cocktails. Like the Cinnabar Island, made with Rumchata, cinnamon whiskey, and cinnamon whipped cream. Or the Black Widow, made with grenadine, vodka, and blue curacao. But be careful. Roll a nat 1 (the worst roll) and get a shot of pickle juice. Unless that’s your thing… Roll a nat 20? Then you got lucky! Double up on the shot of your choice.

Don’t like what you rolled? Three Lives lets you reroll for $1.

Roll for a latte at Pawsitivitea

I’ve always been a huge fan of the drinks at Pawsitivitea. Since opening in September 2020, owner Alisha has built a reputation on her delicious lattes, matchas, and teas. All of the syrups and sauces she uses in them are homemade and vegan-friendly. Alisha is also well integrated in the local gaming community, so when she started offering blind dates with a latte, it was perfectly fitting.

Unlike the other places where you can roll for a drink — where you simply roll one 20-sided die — Pawsitivitea has customers roll four separate dice and flip a coin. The 4-sided die chooses if your drink is hot or iced. Dairy is decided by the 6-sided die. That is also the one that Alisha lets customers change their result based on dietary needs. The 10-sided picks the drink base, with options including various types of tea, matcha, chai, and coffee. Flavor is dependent on the 20-sided die. Lastly, the coin flip determines whether or not the drink is topped with whipped cream.

A true artist of drink making, Alisha wants to ensure that her customers still like want they roll, and wouldn’t be comfortable serving a drink that was bad. She actually keeps a notebook of all the dice rolling results just to see what drinks have been made. Nonetheless, She attests that every drink made from rolling for a latte has been successful. Lots of happy customers!

Roll for a beer at Willow Rock

The roll-for-a-drink trend has made its way to the local breweries. It may or may not be because I used my influence as Willow Rock’s social media manager and love of games… But in March of this year both Willow Rock locations started doing “roll for a beer” as part of their seasonal bingo promo. With 15 taps in Cicero and over 20 in Syracuse, it was easy enough to pair the numbers to beers based on the taps. For Cicero, numbers 16 through 20 supplemented the taps with cans and bottles.

At just $5 to let the fate decide, it’s a great deal compared to the standard $6-$8 price for a pint of beer.

So what do you think? Are you willing to roll a die and let the fates decide what you’re going to drink? (And if you know of any other places in Syracuse that let you roll for a drink, let me know!)