Until a few years ago, no restaurant or bar in St. Louis had ever thought of hosting a holiday-themed pop-up bar. This year there are four, with more possibly on the way. The relatively new phenomenon has caught on like next-day delivery.
The concept began in New York’s East Village, when Greg Boehm took a hiatus from building a permanent bar to open Miracle, a 30-day holiday-themed pop-up featuring festive specialty cocktails. The idea took off from there, and Boehm franchised the concept. Picking up on the holiday scent, in 2016, the owners of Planter’s House opened Miracle, a kitschy tinsel-and-garland-covered sendup of the holiday.
Now called Miracle STL, the event sold out in subsequent years (and again this season), prompting a sister concept: Sippin’ Santa, the city’s first tiki-inspired holiday pop-up bar, which promptly sold out as well. (But both are accepting walk-ins).
Today, Molly’s in Soulard owner Luke Reynolds announced that on Black Friday, LIT: A Christmas Pop-Up Concept will be unveiled in the adjoining 808 Maison space, which closed in September. Expect decked-out decorations and a themed craft drink menu, “The 12 Drinks of LITmas,” including “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out,” “The Lit Reindeer,” and an option for a “Build Your Own Hot Chocolate” bar. The food offerings have yet to be announced.
Also new this year, Paddy O's will be transformed into Mistletoe, a winter wonderland on a larger scale, complete with decorated trees (including Cardinals- and Blues-themed trees), festive decorations, an Instagram-worthy photo booth, and outdoor fire pits with s'mores. “The main goal for our holiday space is to make people feel transported into an entirely new venue," one that can accommodate groups big and small, owner Drew Foley said in a release. All patrons must be 21+ and admittance is either free or by reservation (see below). In addition, parking is complimentary and guests can take a $5 trolley ride to Anheuser-Busch to catch the Brewery Lights.
On a somewhat related note, the 8th Annual 12 Bars of Charity returns December 21. The event (dubbed “the world’s most charitable bar crawl”) is a friendly competition between several local charities in which participants are encouraged to “pick a charity team to support, and round up your friends.” Last year, 12,000 people helped raise more than $150,000. More than two dozen local bars and restaurants are taking part this year.
Here’s all the holiday merriment, in a nutshell:
Miracle STL (inside Small Change, at 2800 Indiana) and Sippin’ Santa (3146 Locust): Reservations are sold out, but half of the seats are saved for walk-ins. November 22–December 28.
LIT (816 Geyer). Reserve space via Molly’s website. November 29 through mid-December, 6 p.m.–1:30 a.m. Thursdays–Saturdays and 5–10 p.m. Sundays.
Mistletoe at Paddy O's (618 S. 7th) Admittance is free but for a guaranteed spot, tickets must be reserved through the website. Tables will be reserved for only those who book online (a $50 table for two includes four drink tickets, two round trip trolley rides to Anheuser-Busch, a s'mores kit, and one hour at a private table). December 5 - January 5, 4 p.m. until midnight Thursday through Sunday. Trolley rides Friday through Sunday only.
12 Bars of Charity (different locations). Buy tickets through Eventbrite. December 21.
UPDATE, 9:10 PM, Tuesday, November 19: The Jingle Bar event which was slated to take place at the Mad Art Gallery has been cancelled. In an email, Mad Art owner Ron Buechele said he is partnering closely with Tock, the booking provider, to return reservation money and "plans to contact everyone directly within the next week. In the meantime, you can check our website or shoot us an email at info@madart.com for updates."
