In a corner of Rochester’s tech scene, an unusual project has been developing behind the scenes for more than a decade. Instead of screens and app codes, this one involves oak barrels, carefully measured spirits, and a group of friends bonded by their shared love of vice.
Ralph Dandrea and Sean Flaherty met in 1999 while working on the same project at a software company. Though their academic paths diverged (Dandrea studied law, Flaherty molecular genetics) both ultimately found their footing in software development. Today, Dandrea is the CEO and founder of ITX Corp, a Rochester-based global software company, while Flaherty serves as executive vice president of innovation.
But to some, they’re best known as the original Nefarious Brothers, creators of small batch barrel-aged craft cocktails. “We didn’t want our company name to become entangled with alcohol and vice,” Dandrea says.
That separation gave rise to the “Nefarious Brothers,” a name that began as a tongue-in-cheek label for the group of colleagues, clients, and friends who gathered to enjoy what Dandrea describes as “spicy” activities—evenings built around cocktails, camaraderie, and a willingness to push beyond the ordinary. “Sean and I are both a little hedonistic,” Dandrea says. “Squeezing the juice out of the orange of life.”
What started as a private joke evolved into a kind of hybrid between a secret society and a close-knit social club. Members are “inducted” and given their own nefarious monikers. Over time, the group has grown to include an estimated 40–50 people, men and women alike, with varying levels of involvement, from casual annual partygoers to avid co-conspirators.
At the center of the group’s identity are the cocktails created, mixed, aged, and bottled by Dandrea and Flaherty annually since 2014. While visiting Ireland that year, Dandrea encountered barrel-aged craft cocktails, a concept that hadn’t yet gained widespread traction in the United States. Inspired, he returned home determined to recreate the experience.
Joining forces with Flaherty, the pair began experimenting with mixing spirits, aging them in small barrels, and refining recipes inside their office walls. “It was of dubious legality,” Dandrea says with a laugh. “Now it’s become more acceptable.”
What began as experimentation quickly turned into tradition. The duo selected a handful of cocktails, aged and bottled them, and packaged the results as holiday gifts for select clients. “We gave those out with our Nefarious Brothers label, and people loved it,” Dandrea says. “They were asking us, ‘Where can I get this?’ We had to tell them it was a fake brand.”
It didn’t stay “fake” for long, at least not in spirit. Since 2014, the Nefarious Brothers have produced a new collection of cocktails each year, culminating in an annual party that has steadily grown in both size and reputation.
“It’s really about a bunch of people having a good time and having some good cocktails,” Flaherty says. “These are some of the best cocktails in the world, in my opinion.”
Their approach is deliberately distinctive. While many modern cocktails rely on mixers, juices, or simple syrups, the Nefarious Brothers adhere to a single, non-negotiable rule. “All ingredients must be nefarious,” Dandrea explains.
In practice, that means a focus on spirits, bitters, and aromatics, often drawing inspiration from Prohibition-era recipes of the 1920s and ’30s. Classics like the Old Fashioned are reimagined, while original creations highlight the nuances of specific ingredients.
One example is “The Mizunara,” a blend featuring Akashi Japanese whisky and mizunara oak liqueur, crafted to create a profile that “whispers rather than shouts.” The process itself is as meticulous as it is creative. Each year begins with research and brainstorming, followed by sourcing ingredients and a period of trial and error. Using smaller barrels to accelerate aging, the pair mixes, tastes, and adjusts until each recipe meets their standards. Final batches, destined for gifting and celebration, typically age for about eight weeks.
But for Flaherty and Dandrea, the cocktails are only part of the story. Each bottle is accompanied by a narrative, written by Flaherty, that explores the history of an ingredient, the cultural significance behind a flavor, or the evolution of a particular recipe. These stories are compiled into booklets included with the annual gift sets, turning each release into something closer to an experience than a product.
The packaging often includes an extra flourish. Past editions have featured accessories such as a folded leather cocktail kit or a wood-burning tool for smoking drinks. One year, they minted “Nefarious coins,” each redeemable for a favor from a fellow member. “It’s about storytelling,” Flaherty says. “It’s about creating something memorable.”
That ethos extends beyond the cocktails to the gatherings themselves. Nefarious outings might include nights on the town, sporting events, or international trips, like an especially memorable whirlwind four-day excursion to London in 2015. “We call it our two weeks in London, even though it was just four days, because we packed so much in,” Dandrea says.
Despite early ambitions to turn the concept into a full-fledged business, including a brief pop-up bar during the Rochester Jazz Festival, the founders ultimately chose to keep the Nefarious Brothers intentionally small and private. “We didn’t want this to start to feel like work, even though it is a lot of work,” Dandrea explains.
Instead, the focus remains on connection and high-quality cocktails that celebrate craft, pleasure, and community. “It’s about friendship,” he says. “It’s about connecting with people. Vice is meant to be shared.”
In a time when many feel pressure to monetize every hobby, the Nefarious Brothers offer something a little different: a reminder that a well-crafted drink, a good story, and the right group of people can turn an ordinary night into something extraordinary.
Try one of the original recipes created by the Nefarious Brothers:
The Cock and Bull
2.5 oz Jameson 12-year Reserve Irish Whiskey
3/4 oz Combier Elixir
0.5 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
A dash of Absinthe
You can shake it with ice if you must, but it’s better served by placing it into a freezer overnight, then pouring without ice. Either way, add two shakes of Fee Brothers orange bitters and two shakes of Fee Brothers black walnut bitters. Fee Brothers, a Rochester institution dating back to the Civil War era, adds a local touch.