Jacob Alejandro Gets Bigger in Troy, NY, with Cocktails Coming

Jacob Alexander Co-Founder Alejandro Griffin-Diaz at the new cafe. All images courtesy of Jacob Alejandro.

Upstate New York coffee company Jacob Alejandro relocated and reopened its flagship cafe in Troy last month, expanding seating, upgrading equipment and preparing for an upscale expansion into cocktails.

In a 1,900-square-foot space just two blocks east of the original shop, Jacob Alejandro luxuriates with more of its signature deep-green accent walls, historic exposed brick and gold branding and fixtures.

A two-sided bar shaped like an equals sign includes a new under-counter Mavam espresso system on the coffee side and a custom station from Oslo-based Behind Bars on the cocktail side.

Married co-owners Alejandro Griffin-Diaz and Jacob Griffin-Diaz decided to import a Behind Bars station after admiring similar setups in cocktail bars in France and Romania.

That European influence also shows up in Jacob Alejandro’s multiroaster coffee program, which balances staples from Pennsylvania-based Passenger Coffee with offerings from Barcelona’s Nomad Coffee and Netherlands-based Dak Coffee.

The couple’s latest international trip included a stop in London, where Alejandro Griffin-Diaz was named one of two 2026 Coffee Masters champions at the London Coffee Festival with a drink called Golden Fantasy.

The winning drink, made with peanut butter-infused vodka, pecans and edible gold, is not yet on the cafe menu but may appear once the shop receives its liquor license, Jacob Griffin-Diaz told Daily Coffee News.

“Mixology and coffee walk hand in hand,” Jacob Griffin-Diaz told DCN. “It’s just another way for us to play with our creativity and do something more fun.”

The new cafe includes a basement prep kitchen and an expanded ground-floor kitchen, allowing Jacob Alejandro’s cooks and bakers to make more pastries and sweets while supporting a “low-key” breakfast and lunch menu. Entrees will follow to support the planned cocktail program and meet New York State Liquor Authority foodservice requirements.

“We’re going for more of a cocktail bar vibe, with the food that certainly meets the SLA guidelines, but also doesn’t overtake the cocktail bar aspect,” Jacob said. “The same with the coffee shop. We’re a coffee shop first, and the food, although we’re excited about it, is really just a complement to that overall coffee experience.”

Painted coffee tree branches, leaves and cherries decorate the tall front windows of the new Troy cafe, which opened May 21. The opening comes nearly six years after the couple opened the original shop, and about two and a half years after opening JA. Pequeño in Albany.

In November 2025, Jacob Alejandro expanded the Albany shop into the space next door, adding seating and building an additional bar area planned for JAJA Natural Wine Bar.

A similar natural wine program is planned for the new Troy shop. Jacob said the team also plans to rotate in more international roasters and launch a new edition of its JA Coffee Club, a loyalty-oriented 20-drink series of specialty beverages.

Club drinks, including member exclusives unavailable to the public, are offered for a few weeks at a time. Members who taste all 20 receive prizes such as merchandise and discounts. The club launched in 2023 as a one-year program but wrapped in March after the company’s openings, competitions and broader growth stretched the schedule.

A party for more than 100 finishers is planned for this summer in Albany, and the next round is slated to launch in the fall.

“The new iteration of the JA Coffee Club will be a little bit more elevated,” Jacob said. “Now that we’ve done it once, the second time is going to be a little more organized and it’s going to be more achievable for us.”

For now, Jacob Griffin-Diaz said the plan is to work through the new cafe’s opening kinks, sharpen systems and keep each new element dialed in.

“Alejandro always has a plan. He always has like 10 more projects he wants to work on,” Jacob said. “I always end up working very closely with him to actually make them come to fruition. I think we’re going to hold off on any big changes or expansions for the time being, but that won’t last forever. There will always be something else brewing.”

Comments? Questions? News to share? Contact DCN’s editors here. For all the latest coffee industry news, subscribe to the DCN newsletter.