Where to find Miracle and Sippin’ Santa pop-up bars for kitschy Christmas fun

As the holiday season approaches, things are starting to look mighty festive inside California bars and restaurants. This is especially true at establishments hosting the Miracle and Sippin’ Santa pop-up experiences, which feature extravagant Christmas décor, specialty cocktails, and seriously adorable, kitschy barware.

Greg Boehm, a New York-based bar owner, came up with the Miracle concept in 2014 after his mother advised him to halt construction on his new East Village cocktail bar, Mace, and instead transform the space into a pop-up bar serving holiday-themed drinks. Now, bars and restaurants from Livermore to Long Beach to London have joined in the festive fun.

Miracle debuted in San Francisco in 2017 with the opening of a Miracle at PCH in Union Square by Pacific Cocktail Haven. From there, the concept spread to San Jose’s Paper Plane and MiniBoss, Oakland’s The Double Standard (Miracle on Telegraph), and Livermore’s Fat Pigeon. It’s all over the place.

Miracle was launched several years ago by The Ordinarie in Long Beach after owner Christy Caldwell met Boehm at a cocktail convention in New Orleans.

“When I returned from New Orleans, I told my wife (Jaime) that we had the opportunity to do this Christmas bar.” “She said, ‘Do it, I was born for this,'” he laughed. “People come in, and they’re just in awe. They walk in with big smiles on their faces, filled with joy and happiness.”

The decor varies from bar to bar, but it is always extravagant. The Ordinarie team typically spends four days putting up all of their lights, garlands, and decorations. The inventive cocktail menu, on the other hand, is the work of Miracle, which provides all of the recipes and specialty barware. The latter, which includes a dinosaur-themed Santarex mug, is so popular that some customers purchase mugs and glasses to take home with them.

Do you prefer more tropical drinks? Miracle collaborated with restaurateur, bar owner, and noted tiki historian Beachbum Berry on the Sippin’ Santa concept, which will debut this holiday season at 55 South in San Jose and Kona’s Street Market in San Francisco.

The tiki-style cocktails ($14-$30) are served in their own branded barware and include drinks like Sharkey’s First Christmas (vodka, aquavit, melon and walnut liqueurs, lime and pineapple juice) and the North Pole Bowl for two, made with Martinique and Jamaican rums, black tea, thrice-spiced honey, lime, and vanilla syrup.

Miracle pop-up locations and details can be found at www.miraclepopup.com, and Sippin’ Santa locations can be found at www.sippinsantapopup.com.