Say cheers to holiday cheer!
Now that the turkeys are long gone and Santa’s reindeer are galloping on the horizon, city bars and restaurants are decking their halls for fun holiday pop-ups. These limited-run events, featuring flashy decorations, seasonal sips and filling bites, center around the holiday season but have various themes. They range from an immersive Tiki scene to a rose-filled room where red-colored cocktails come topped with petals.
If you want to put some jingle in your bells, read on for a list of boîtes where you can have a not-so-silent night.
Pink Holiday Playground at Magic Hour
Inspired in part by the bright colors of Times Square, the first-ever Pink Holiday Playground at the Moxy Times Square’s roof-level Magic Hour bar is decked out with 12,000 pink lights, giving the space a cute glow. “We wanted to be chic and sexy … and make people know that a rooftop is a winter destination,” says beverage director Nikki McCutcheon, 28, of the enclosed lounge. Beyond the lights, signature food and beverage options bear the same tone. The pink-colored $26 Snow Globe cocktail, served in a spherical vessel, comes with cherry noir vodka and elderflower liqueur. The $100 “Pink Dough Pie” (shareable for 12) is a boozy riff on an apple cider doughnut with a maple bourbon glaze, and topped with pink sprinkles and pink chocolate balls. The hotel has a separate second-floor pop-up that serves a $16 pink hot chocolate with vanilla vodka and edible pink glitter.
Roof open through January and second floor open until Jan. 1, 485 Seventh Ave.; Moxy-Hotels.Marriott.com
Naughty or Nice at the Skinny
Happy holidays, or crappy holidays? The Skinny, a Lower East Side bar and lounge, has a tongue-in-cheek approach to ringing in the season — with decorations including a faux fireplace surrounded by empty beer cans and beaten-up wrapped presents. A grumpy Santa may yell at you, and you might also see a burlesque dancer performing a risqué routine. “We wanted to push on the chaotic nature of Christmas,” says owner Jim Carrano, 48, of the “Naughty or Nice” theme. “You get drunken behavior; you get raunchy and inappropriate at times.” That said, the Horny Stag ($13), includes Baileys, whipped cream, coffee grinds and an upside-down mini bottle of Jägermeister that empties into the drink. The $13 Grinding up Against the Ginger Man, a frozen beverage with ginger and cinnamon flavors, comes topped with a ginger cookie. “We want the experience of the bar to be the main attraction,” says Carrano.
Through Jan. 14, 174 Orchard St.; TheSkinny-NYC.com
Sippin’ Santa at Boilermaker
Have yourself a Tiki little Christmas. At Boilermaker in the East Village, holiday cheer comes served by bartenders wearing Hawaiian shirts showing Santa on a surfboard. “We wanted something … extra fun, and Tiki is definitely that,” says owner Greg Boehm, 50, who started this pop-up in 2015 and has since expanded it to 27 other bars nationwide. The atmosphere also includes hibiscus flowers hanging from Christmas lights, as well as Hawaiian Christmas music. As for drinks, Sippin’ Santa partnered with Jeff “Beachbum” Berry for the cocktail menu, including the $14 Kris Kringle Colada — a frozen drink with dark Jamaican rum, amaro and allspice in a ceramic coconut. For a gingerbread flavor, try the $15 Sippin’ Santa, with aged Demerara rum, amaro and gingerbread mix in a glass shaped like Santa holding a surfboard. “What we want people to get out of this is not just a good time, but an overwhelmingly great time,” says Boehm.
Until Dec. 31, 13 First Ave.; BoilermakerNYC.com
The Winter Rose Garden at Dream Downtown
Head to the lobby bar inside the Dream Downtown hotel, where you’ll find a scarlet space adorned with more than 15,000 silk roses. Welcome to the first Winter Rose Garden, a pop-up that also features red-toned furniture, candles and rose patterns across the floor. “We wanted to create a space where people walk in and [it’s] a jaw-dropping experience,” says Yvonne Najor, 33, director of marketing for TAO Group at Dream Hotels, who collaborated with Design House Décor’s Laila Ahmed for the installation. The rose theme even blends into the signature drinks. The $18 primrose cider, a sparkling pink drink with rosé and Barking Irons Applejack, comes with a rose ice cube. The $18 Dream in Roses, whose red tone matches the surroundings, has notes of Campari, prosecco and lavender, and is topped with a rose petal. It’s up for the holiday season, but it doesn’t scream the holidays, and that’s the point. “We wanted … something that’s good for date nights, after-work drinks [and] a night on the town,” says Najor. And it doesn’t hurt that the color scheme matches Santa’s suit.
Open until March, 355 W. 16th St.; DreamHotels.com
Sleyenda at Leyenda
At Leyenda, the Latin-inflected Boerum Hill restaurant, visitors can now check out its Sleyenda pop-up. The punny name, a nod to Santa’s sleigh and Beyoncé’s “slay” mantra, celebrates the holidays and “badass women,” as Leyenda is female-owned and operated. The result? “It’s like Lady Gaga and Beyoncé had a high-school prom explosion during Christmas,” says co-owner Ivy Mix, 34. “It’s glitter everywhere.” The decorations inside are over-the-top; this year, they include a new human-size snow globe on the patio, with space for 10 that’s available for private dinners and parties. “It’s incredibly quaint,” says Mix. Head there to sip the signature cocktails. The Coquito Ho Ho Ho, including egg, coconut liqueur tequila and sherry, costs $13. And it’s not all Christmas: The $13 Mensch Quencher has Campari, Lillet and Manischewitz.
Until Dec. 30, 221 Smith St., Boerum Hill; LeyendaBK.com
Grinchy Tavern at East Village Tavern
“I said to myself what a wonderful world … it was at least until I hurled,” reads a clever window painting at the East Village Tavern. It may seem like just a simple rhyme, but it’s a peek at the Dr. Seuss-inspired pop-up through the glass. Here, its first Grinchy Tavern is open for the holiday season, featuring Whoville-inspired decorations from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” “I’ve always been inspired by Dr. Seuss,” says co-owner Christine Tripi, 47. “I love the rhymes, and I love the whimsy, and that’s why I wanted to do this.” As inspired by the book, the bar has large Christmas lights and a tree with a crooked top, just like that of character Cindy Lou Who. Local artist Kristen Andreya even made a Whoville-inspired illustrated backdrop for the 1,200-square-foot space. As for drinks, there are seven specialties for the pop-up, the most Grinchy being the $13 Grinchhopper, with creme de cacao, green creme de menthe and heavy cream.
Until Jan. 1, 158 Avenue C; 646-649-3000
Clicquot Chalet at Mr. Purple
You can call this a real Champagne supernova in the sky. This season, Mr. Purple — a rooftop bar and restaurant atop the Hotel Indigo Lower East Side — is home to Clicquot Chalet until February. The snowglobe-like structure, aptly decked out with Veuve Clicquot-branded pillows, decorative glasses and signs, also has a chic ski chalet look with fur throws and a chandelier made of antlers. Not surprisingly, visitors can sip Veuve by the glass ($24) or by the bottle (from $150), but there are some signature cocktails to check out. Of particular note, the $16 LES Toddy, mixed with hot apple cider and spiced rum. There’s room for 25 to 50 people, with reservations encouraged via the website.
Until February, 180 Orchard St.; MrPurpleNYC.com