It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and the holidays in New York City, and there are plenty of holiday themed bars across the city to enjoy the festive season and an eggnog or two in! Here is a guide to just a few of them.
Miracle on 9th and Miracle on Union at Cabinet and Thief (649 E 9th Street, New York and 595 Union Ave, Brooklyn)
Nothing says Christmas and the holiday season more than drinking cocktails from a mug shaped like Santa Claus’s trousers. Miracle on 9th is celebrating its 10th anniversary as a pop-up bar this year and is open in New York City at Cabinet Mezcal Bar in Manhattan and Miracle on Union at Thief in Brooklyn. Both places are decked out with immersive Christmas decor, and the drinks make this holiday pop-up bar worth it. You can get your drinks served in holiday novelty cups like a T-Rex in a Santa hat, which you can buy and are a perfect holiday gift! It’s kitschy and fun and is a great place to kick off a holiday-themed bar crawl. Try the Run Run Reindeer cocktail or the Koala LaLaLa cocktail.
Mariah Carey’s Black Irish Holiday Bar (1227 Broadway, New York)
If you are not sick of hearing “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” then this pop-up bar is for you. It has everything: Mariah Carey songs, Mariah Carey-themed cocktails, and photo booths where you can get photos with a cardboard cutout of Mariah Carey. You can even write a Christmas letter to the Queen of Christmas herself. Try their Make My Wish Come True Martini or the Queen of Christmas Cocoa.
Rolf’s (281 3rd Ave, New York)
Rolf’s is a Christmas wonderland, the most festive restaurant and bar in New York City (all year round). As soon as you open the doors, you are greeted with an onslaught of holiday atmosphere, and wherever you turn, there are Christmas decorations, dolls, trees, ribbons, icicles, and lights. Filled with over 200,000 lights, Rolf’s is a great place to eat German cuisine and feel the holiday spirit. Try the Christmas Smoothie Cocktail, Rolf’s Holiday Martini, and mulled wine.
Frosty’s NYC Christmas Bar (220 W 44th St, New York)
Frosty’s is anything but frosty. It is the most over-the-top Christmas bar in New York City. Over three floors are decked with Christmas cheer and festivities, including a bar, restaurant, and speakeasy. There are themed drinks, photo ops in Santa’s sleigh, phone booths, giant chairs, presents hanging from the ceiling, and decorations everywhere. It is a holiday oasis. Try the Egg My Noggins Cocktail or Naughty Frosty.
Oscar Wilde (45 W 27th St, New York)
What was once the Prohibition Enforcement Headquarters is now an eclectic Victorian bar dedicacted to the life of playwright Oscar Wilde, and it goes hard when it comes to holiday decor. New York’s longest bar goes all out year-round for holidays (including Halloween), and Christmas is no exception. A menagerie of giant candy canes, Christmas trees, wreaths, life-size stuffed polar bears, lights, garlands, reindeer, and Christmas decorations adorn Oscar Wilde during the festive season. It is decadent, flamboyant, and charming as hell. As Oscar Wilde said, “Pleasure without Champagne is purely artificial.” Try the Mama Claus is Coming to Town Cocktail or Jingle Ball Rock Cocktail.
Pete’s Tavern (129 E 18th St, New York)
Pete’s Tavern claims to be NYC’s oldest continuously operating restaurant and bar, and this year it turns 160! It was once a grocery and grog store that served sandwiches and well, grog, and it is one of the best places to experience the magic of the holidays. The red Christmas lights and a giant inflatable Frosty on the roof are hallmarks of Pete’s Tavern’s Christmas spirit. This is a local bar that feels like a community and family. It is even said that American writer O. Henry wrote the short story “The Gift of the Magi” in Pete’s Tavern, which tells the tale of a couple who sell their most prized possessions to buy each other gifts for Christmas. A must for any holiday bar crawl. Try O. Henry’s Negroni or Ski House Cocktail.
Do you have a favorite bar that we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments!
AWNY | Australian Women in New York 