Christmas bar is an early gift to you
It’s a Christmas miracle — literally. Miracle, the holidaythemed pop-up bar that started out in New York City as Miracle on Ninth Street, is coming to Denver beginning Wednesday, Nov. 22.
At this bar — located inside Denver’s Wayward restaurant — you’ll soon be able to get festive cocktails like the “You’ll Shoot Your Rye Out” (pumpkin-spiced rye whiskey, marshmallow syrup and egg, for $12), “Snowball Old Fashioned” (gingerbread bourbon, wormwood bitters, lemon
zest, $12) and “Run Run Rudolph” (tequila, coffee liqueur, iced hot chocolate, Mexican spices, $12).
The Christmapolitan comes served as bright as St. Nick’s famous suit, dressed with a sprig of pine in a glass that, if you feel so inclined, you can take home. Signature glasses include stemware inscribed with “Miracle,” a highball glass with a dancing jolly man, and a mug of Santa’s pants, all available for purchase so you can take the Miracle experience home with you.
Bartenders can also serve simple drinks (like vodka soda) for the scrooges who attend, but since the festive drink menu is complicated, guests are encouraged to only order the drinks on the menu.
Wayward co-owner Chad Michael George had been approached by the NYC operators of Miracle in summer 2016 about a possible Denver franchise, but at the time he didn’t have the space. When he and his partners signed on to open up Wayward in the former Zengo restaurant in Riverfront Park, the huge spot left them plenty of room for important things like Christmas popup bars.
“It was on the agenda as soon as we took over the Zengo space,” George said. “We knew we were doing Miracle over here.”
This holiday season, there will be more than 50 Miracle pop-ups operating around the world, according to sevenfifty.com.
You can’t make a reser- vation to enter Wayward’s winter wonderland, and all visitors will need to check in with the restaurant hosts, who will guide your one-horse-open sleigh inside.
To get the space ready, the Wayward team called on friends, family and a few big-box retailers to help them out with décor.
“Let’s just say we used lots of Michael’s 50 percent off coupons,” George said.
Decorations include wreaths, stockings, trees, homemade pipe cleaner snowflakes, wrapping paper, gifts, reindeer, candy canes, snowmen, Hanukkah stars, 500 ornaments and pretty much every symbol associated with the holidays.
Food options are limited — Christmas cookies and spiced popcorn are pretty much it — but you can always head next door to Wayward for more substantial fare.
Miracle will be catnip for holiday parties, but George said he will only rent out the space twice a week at the most. After all, holiday-themed cocktails served out of mugs shaped like Santa’s lower half should be available to everyone.
Also, because it’s the holiday season and we can all stand to give a little more, Miracle will be collecting coats for Button and Zipper, a group that distributes coats and jackets to local homeless shelters and youth organizations.
We are so excited about Miracle the Christmas bar that we came up with a little ode to the concept. Stop us if you’ve heard this before ...
’Twas the space next to Wayward, and ‘twas nothing much,
To bring it to life, it needed the Christmas touch.
The ornaments were strung from the ceiling with care,
In hopes holiday revelers soon would be there.
The bottles were nestled all snug in their places,
Waiting to pour and bring smiles to your faces.
Festive tunes on the speakers; the Grinch on TV,
So you can settle in with some good company.
Out front reads the sign, a frosty red “Miracle.”
Inside the Old Fashioned’s ice is so spherical.
And straight to the bar you will run like a flash,
To order your cocktails and take out your cash.
Six Christmas cocktails they will pour from a tap,
Plus a few others, ‘cuz they love us like that.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a plate of sweet cookies, some shaped like reindeer.
With snowmen and stockings and Hanukkah décor,
There’s something for everyone; who could want more?
More rapid than eagles, the drinkers they came,
To the ‘tender they ordered, and called them by name!
One How the Gimlet Stole Christmas, made with fine gin!
Now You’ll Shoot Your Rye Out, next Christmapolitan!
To the top of the glass (which they sell, by the way).
Now drink it down, drink it down, drink it, I say!
Your eyes how they’ll twinkle! Your laughter how merry!
Your cheeks will be rosy, from fun (and the sherry).
And because it is the season for sharing,
Donate a coat at the door cause you’re caring.
But how great is this? A Christmas bar at long last.
To bring us all hope and help forget the year past.
Exclaim snowflakes and wreaths and the trees all alight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!”