Aldo’s Coffee in Greenport has applied for an expanded liquor license from the New York State Liquor Authority. Proprietor Aldo Maiorana says he would like to serve shots of liquor with his coffee.
“It’s customary in Europe, in France, to have a shot with a cup of coffee,” Maiorana explained. In France, café is often accompanied by a shot of brandy or cognac. “I already have a license to sell wine and beer. I’d like to be able to serve liquor as well.”
Maiorana, who was born in Sicily and spent the second half of his childhood in France — before he “became a vagabond,” he says — settled here in the 1970s. He began roasting his own beans out of dissatisfaction with the coffee he could buy in America at that time.
“Everything came in a one-pound tin can,” he said. So Maiorana bought a small coffee roaster, and Aldo’s Coffee was born. He has owned the Front Street coffee shop since 1987. It has thrived for decades, with Aldo arriving early in the morning to begin the daily roast, filling the maritime village’s salty air with a now-familiar, unmistakable aroma. He bakes his trademark artisanal biscotti and scones, fresh daily. Aldo’s is a favorite stop-off for locals and tourists alike.
While Aldo does not want to make any radical changes to his business, he does want it to continue to grow.
“For three years I’ve already had a wine and beer license, which I don’t use because I’m not in a place to sell food with it yet,” he said. “Beer, wine, these are things you drink with a meal. I can’t serve beer without a plate of food. The shot, it goes with a coffee in France.”
When asked if he plans to eventually start serving food and put his wine and beer license to use, Maiorana said “definitely.”
“It’s all in the works, I’m just not ready for that yet, so I’d like to be able to offer something simpler,” he said.
Though he hopes his business will continue to evolve and grow, he says it will stay true to its roots.
“What I’m asking for is simple. It’s not going to change much,” Maiorana said.
“This will never be a bar. That’s just not the business I’m in.”
