Omni Tempe at ASU
Audio By Carbonatix
Once upon a Christmas time, Miracle Bar was the only holiday pop-up in town. But those days are long gone. Phoenix is now home to dozens of different spots for seasonal spirits, over-the-top decor and a whole lot of holly jolly fun.
To transport drinkers this holiday season, local bars have decked the halls, strung twinkling lights and hung stockings with care. The spaces aren’t the only festive element. Bartenders are also packing seasonal drinks with flavors of warm gingerbread, tart cranberry and rich chocolate.
Visit these 20 Valley bars for a sip of holiday cheer that will raise the spirits of any Scrooge.
Jingle & Mingle at Neighborhood Services Bar + Restaurant
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7 E. University Drive, Tempe
The all-day restaurant at Omni Tempe at ASU invites guests to don their ugly sweaters and indulge in “Santa-approved” treats and sips during its Jingle & Mingle pop-up. Those include tipples inspired by eggnog and the Grinch that can be paired with a tree-shaped charcuterie board or chocolate ornaments you’re encouraged to break. Guests can spin the Omni’s holiday prize wheel; if you’re good, you may win a merry gift. Grab a cozy lounge seat next to a sparkling Christmas tree at this Tempe pop-up through Dec. 31.
Feliz Navidad Cantina at Salt + Lime
9397 E. Shea Blvd., #115, Scottsdale
The Feliz Navidad Cantina has returned to Salt + Lime Modern Mexican Grill. The Scottsdale dining room and bar has so many ribbons, ornaments, snowflakes and lights hanging from the ceiling that you may have to duck. Toast the season with holiday food and drinks. The cantina offers a 90-minute experience that runs through January. Reservations are required, but walk-ins may join the cantina’s waitlist. To book your spot, call 480-661-5463 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Fox Restaurant Concepts
Bar Blitzen at Culinary Dropout
149 S. Farmer Ave., #103, Tempe
383 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert
Culinary Dropout’s holiday pop-up, Bar Blitzen, is back at The Coop in Gilbert and Tempe. Decorated trees, fake snow and a space ensconced in twinkling lights will have you feeling merry. Queue up an order of Wagyu pigs in a blanket and a Christmas tree hung with four Espress-Ho Ho Ho-Tinis and we bet you’ll be downright mirthful. Your visit gives back to others; a $6 cover charge benefits the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley. Bar Blitzen runs through Jan. 3, and reservations can be made online.
The North Pole at Porters Western Saloon
3944 N. Brown Ave., Scottsdale
Old Town Scottsdale bars go all out for the holiday season. Porters Western Saloon adds sleighs full of mistletoe magic to this historic space, which was previously home to Scottsdale’s first post office and Porter’s Western Wear. There’s an inflatable Christmas candy cane arch in front of the pinto horse statue on the second-floor porch, the walls are decked with wrapped presents, elves and Santas and string lights and oversized ornaments hang from the ceiling. Choose from a menu of more than a dozen holiday-themed cocktails, spritzes and shots. This bar is walk-in only and the North Pole pop-up runs through the end of December.
A Griswold Family Christmas at The Living Room
2475 W. Queen Creek Road, #1, Chandler
Chandler wine bar and cafe, The Living Room, has been decorated with more than 5,000 twinkling lights for “over-the-top holiday chaos” inspired by the iconic holiday movie “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” Sip on Griswold-inspired cocktails, including a Tree Lot Paloma or Clark’s Nippy Egg Nog. Try not to crack up ordering Shitters Full Loaded Nachos or nibble on Eddie’s RV Roadside meatballs. The pop-up runs through Jan. 6.
Blue Blitzen at Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails
2 E. Jefferson St.
Have a blue Christmas, with on-theme colored lights and glassware, at downtown Phoenix’s Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails. The Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix restaurant’s team has crafted five specialty sips for the occasion, including Comet’s Rum Toddy, Prancer’s Sapphire Sour and the Blue Vixen Espresso. Grab a table near the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows so you can watch downtown shoppers rush home with their treasures, to quote another holiday tune. Keep the cozy vibes going by ordering steak sliders and house mac and cheese or a sticky date cake. Blue Blitzen continues at Blue Hound through Jan. 2.
Royale Kitchen + Cocktails
Frosty Flamingo
635 W. Glenrosa Ave., #101
Inspired by a Palm Springs-pink Christmas, the Flamingo Room patio at Royale Kitchen + Cocktails has transformed for the holidays. Pink Santa hats, a funky flocked tree, more than 3,000 sparkling lights and some festive inflatable flamingos are all part of the decor for the Frosty Flamingo holiday pop-up. Order featured cocktails at the bar, including a Ginger Jingle Mule with bourbon and gingerbread syrup or the cranberry SantaRita. Frosty Flamingo is open until Jan. 15 and is available for walk-ins or private parties.
Cocktails & Candy Canes
7001 N. Scottsdale Road, #184, Scottsdale
Pubblico Italian Eatery has debuted its inaugural holiday dining experience called Cocktails & Candy Canes. This winter wonderland runs through Jan. 4. The restaurant has decked out its dining room and patio with blinking lights, tinsel and snowflakes. Pubblico debuted a special cocktail menu that has playful sprinkle rims and candy cane garnishes. Sip on a sugar cookie martini, gingerbread old fashioned or candy cane espressotini. Reservations can be made on OpenTable. This holiday experience runs until Jan. 4.
50 Shades Presents 50ville
7419 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale
50 Shades of Rose, a vibrant bar, restaurant and dance club in Old Town, reinvents itself for each holiday season. This year, 50 Shades takes guests to its version of Whoville, the fictional town from Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” Sip a Grinch-green cocktail and score specials, including $1 smash burgers on Thursdays and a $35 date night on Mistletoe Mondays, which includes one appetizer, two entrees and a dessert. You’ll be surrounded by Seuss-inspired decor that will make the heart of the biggest Grinch grow three sizes. Visit 50ville through Jan. 4; walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are encouraged on weekends.
Omni Hotels & Resorts
Blitzen’s Bar at Oasis Bar
4949 E. Lincoln Drive, Scottsdale
If you’re in search of cocktails that “sleigh,” head to Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia. The resort’s Oasis Bar transforms into Blitzen’s, a tinsel-trimmed, glittering, reindeer-inspired bar, through Jan. 11. The bar serves festive snacks and a holiday cocktail menu created by Julie Reiner, a mixologist, bar owner and author who you may also recognize as one of the judges from the Netflix cocktail competition, “Drink Masters.” Reiner’s curated sips include The Blitzen, a Woodford Reserve Rye tipple infused with ginger and apple spice and served in a Christmas ornament, which then gets poured into a rocks glass over ice. Or, opt for the Oye to the World, a spicy margarita made with mezcal, tequila, lime, hot honey and apricot.
Christmas in New York at 36Below
3620 E. Indian School Road
Descend the steps in the center of Arcadia’s Sip Coffee & Beer, and you’ll be transported to New York at Christmastime. 36Below is a whimsical, intimate, subterranean garden bar whose theme rotates throughout the year. Guests will have views of festive New York scenes, such as people ice skating beside the massive tree at Rockefeller Center. Those images are projected from screens strategically placed throughout the space to mimic the windows of a greenhouse. Get in the spirit with five themed cocktails (of which three can be made into zero-proof sips). Try the carajillo-inspired Nutcracker, made with tequila, coffee liqueur, Amaro Montenegro, blueberry cordial and Mexican mole. The drink is topped with a salted maple pistachio cream. Pair your sip with a seasonal snack, including 36Below’s White Christmas Crab Dip or the Holiday Stack, a smoked double-decker reuben. Reservations are needed for this 90-minute bar experience, which runs until Jan. 4.
Little Rituals
Get Merry Holiday Experience at Little Rituals
132 S. Central Ave., Fourth Floor
There are plenty of reasons to visit Little Rituals. The fourth-floor bar at the Resident Inn by Marriott Phoenix Downtown was named the best hotel bar in the nation at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards in July. In addition to accolades, the elegant space boasts an impressive view of downtown. When the holidays roll around, the bar leans into the cheeky nostalgia of movies like “A Christmas Story,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” for its Get Merry holiday experience. The bar serves seasonal bites and 14 special cocktails inspired by global holiday dishes. Among them is a milk punch infused with the flavors of a spiced carrot cake and a latke-inspired Gibson served with a house-made potato chip topped with onion creme fraiche. Reservations are strongly encouraged for this holiday takeover, which runs through Dec. 29.
Eat Drink Creative Agency
Gingerbread Dreams at Trophy Room
2 N. Central Ave., #101
Trophy Room, a cocktail bar hidden inside downtown’s Wren & Wolf, has become a “candy-coated wonderland” for Christmas. This gingerbread house-themed holiday bar will feature cocktails inspired by quintessential Christmas treats until Dec. 31. Visits to Trophy Room run for 90 minutes and reservations are required. It should also be noted that cellphones and cameras are not allowed in the bar, making it best for customers who are prepared to disconnect during their visit.
Melissa Hom
Miracle at Floor 13 and BLVD
15 E. Monroe St.
7324 E. Indian School Road, Scottsdale
Miracle is the originator of the holiday pop-up bar craze. New York bar owner Greg Boehm launched the first Miracle pop-up in 2014. Valley host bars Floor 13 Rooftop Bar and BLVD Kitchen & Bar will transform into winter wonderlands decorated with nostalgic tinsel, twinkling string lights and garland. Drinks are infused with holiday flavors and presented in unique custom glassware. The Miracle bar menu will include the return of fan-favorite sips, including the spiced cranberry sauce and rosemary-spiked Christmapolitan and Snowball Old Fashioned, which is finished with a snowball of ice. New sips include the Blitzen Barrel, a honey-sesame cocktail made with two kinds of sherry, scotch and mead. Get cozy in the ski lodge-themed Miracle at Floor 13 until Dec. 30. Visit BLVD’s Miracle bar through Dec. 24. Special entertainment includes a magician each Tuesday and live music on Fridays and Saturdays.
Sunny’s Lounge
Santa’s Love Shack at Sunny’s Lounge
2701 E. Indian School Road
Santa’s Love Shack at Sunny’s Lounge is a naughty holiday pop-up at the refined dive. Inside the tiny Phoenix bar, there’s plenty of traditional holiday lights and a Christmas tree, but you may also notice some elves around the bar in compromising positions. Sunny’s decadent holiday drink menu includes cocquito, frozen Irish coffee and Feliz! Feliz!, a chai-spiced tequila sipper served with a Biscoff cookie. With no reservations needed to visit Sunny’s, it’s a rare holiday bar that can accommodate procrastinators and the spontaneous alike. Visit Santa’s Love Shack through New Year’s Eve.
Bitter & Twisted
Sippin’ Santa at Bitter & Twisted
1 W. Jefferson Street
Sippin’ Santa is the tropical sibling of Miracle Bar, featuring tiki drinks and a Santa-on-vacation vibe. Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour is again hosting this vibrant pop-up. The bar’s team goes all out with inflatable holiday decor, lights and even a Santa hat and beard on the bikini-clad lead in its “Attack of the 50 Foot Woman” mural. Sippin’ Santa’s menu features new sips, including Coco Ho Ho, made with Jamaican rum, lime, coconut, pineapple, pandan syrup and banana liqueur. Returning drinks include the original Sippin’ Santa, a mix of aged Demerara rum, amaro, citrus and gingerbread mix. Sippin’ Santa pops up at Bitter & Twisted through Dec. 30, and reservations are suggested.
