Retail: On-Premise
MIRACLE RETURNS AMID PANDEMIC Christmas-themed pop-up bars forge on for seventh season.
Heading into its seventh year, the Christmasthemed pop-up bars Miracle and Beachbum Berry Presents: Sippin’ Santa are returning for another holiday season. More than 80 cocktail bars are set to participate as Miracle locations in November and December, with more than two dozen bars joining as Sippin’ Santa locations. In an email, Greg Boehm, owner and creator of Miracle, said that the decision to return came after careful consideration while staying on top of health updates and guidelines. “We felt that this year, more than ever, people needed to feel the hope and magic of Christmas,” says Boehm. “It has been a very tough year for everyone, and our industry has been hit especially hard, so some holiday cheer is definitely in order all around. Some of our partners have been with us for years and we felt we owed it to them, and to those joining us for the first time, to offer Miracle as a way to energize their bars and hopefully drive business after taking some tough losses during COVID. “We have been staying on top of all updates from local officials for capacity and health guidelines and working closely with all of our partners on how to execute in their own way,
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according to those restrictions, while still offering the best of what people love about Miracle. As usual, guests can expect unique and unusual cocktails that play on classic holiday flavors in playful mugs and glassware. However, the safety of guests will be more important than ever, and the pop-up concepts may look a bit different than in the past. All locations will follow direction from local officials for capacity and health guidelines. Select participating locations will offer to-go cocktails (where legally able to do so). “We have seen so many of our partners get extremely creative in keeping their businesses up and running,” says Boehm. “In all of our conversations we made sure to keep the dialogue open as to what they thought would be a workable Miracle set-up and have tried to remain as flexible as possible in our sign-up approach. “I am a bar owner myself and operate several Miracle and Sippin’ Santa locations, so really, I am in the same boat as our partners. It’s true—many of the locations will look and feel different, but with some offering to-go cocktails or expanding onto city streets or rooftops; some doing weekly Zoom cocktail classes or micro events, Miracle will live on.”
Joann Spiegel, the mastermind behind the brand’s cocktail repertoire, has created a roster of delightful, holiday-inclined libations with a few fan favorites from years past making a reappearance. New this year are the Jolly Koala with gin, vermouth and pine-cardamomsage cordial; the On Dasher, a concoction of bourbon, mezcal, sweet vermouth, spiced hibiscus, Burlesque Bitters, and lemon; and the Fruitcake Flip, made of brandy, Jamaican overproof rum, amaretto, fruitcake, cherry bitters, and a whole egg. Miracle cocktails back for the season include the Snowball OldFashioned, Christmapolitan and Yippie Ki Yay Mother F****r!. The concept for Miracle was born in 2014, when upon the advice of his mother, Boehm decided to halt construction of what was to be his new East Village cocktail bar Mace to transform the unfinished space into a winter wonderland serving holiday-themed drinks among festive décor. As crowds swarmed to what became Miracle on Ninth, Boehm’s friends throughout the bar industry began reaching out to him and Spiegel to see how they could recreate the holiday magic in their own bars. ■
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