PHOENIX — Revelers looking for a way to celebrate the holidays in a festive way -- or in need of a much-needed break from tackling this year's shopping list -- can grab a drink at one of three Christmas-themed bars in the Valley.
Each one is decked out in Christmas lights, tinsel, stockings, ugly sweaters, and everything in between. Take a look below.
"SIPPIN' SANTA" AT BITTER & TWISTED
Unpack the Hawaiian shirts and shades because Bitter and Twisted, an award-winning cocktail bar in downtown Phoenix, has transformed itself into a tiki-inspired getaway for the holidays. Tables have been wrapped in decorative wrapping paper, lights are strung around the bar, and a flamingo wearing a Santa hat has found its perch on a ledge.
Of course, there are Christmas-themed cocktails on the menu. A few samples are:
Kris Kringle Colada ($13): dark Jamaican rum, Cynar, Allspice, lime juice, pineapple juice, and cream of coconut.
Christmas Eve of Destruction ($13): dark overproof rum, herbal liqueur, nutmeg syrup, lime juice, and Angostura bitters.
Jingle Bowl ($35, serves 2-4): Jamaican & Demerara rums, Apple Brandy, Amaro, lemon juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, maple & cinnamon syrups, and Angostura bitters.
It is part of Sippin Santa, a tiki-themed Christmas pop-up, that partners with different bars around the country. The concept was founded in 2018 to complement Miracle, another Christmas-themed cocktail concept, that will actually making another appearance in Phoenix (more on that below).
The Sippin Santa menu will be available at Bitter & Twisted until Dec. 28, 2019. Reservations are recommended.
IF YOU GO:
Bitter & Twisted
1 W. Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ 85003
"MIRACLE" AT BLUE HOUND
For the second year, Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails in downtown Phoenix has been decorated with 20,000 twinkling Christmas lights, silver and green tinsel, stockings, and other festive decorations for the holidays. Temporarily known as "Miracle at Blue Hound," the bar is whipping up some Christmas-themed drinks and cocktails served in festive glassware. It is located beneath the Palomar Hotel at CityScape Phoenix.
Here is a taste of the drink menu:
Bad Santa ($14): rum, Batavia Arrack, black chai tea, date-infused oat milk, and vanilla syrup.
Gingerbread Flip (16): rye whiskey, gingerbread syrup, tiki bitters, whole egg, and ginger snap cookie crumbs.
Christmas Carol Barrel ($16): Blanco tequila, coffee liqueur, cocoa-nib infused orange and cognac liqueur, iced hot chocolate, and Mexican spices
They have also added five dishes to the menu, including Holiday Fries, which are sweet potatoes topped with spices and white barbecue sauce.
The pop-up will be open until Dec. 25, 2019.
IF YOU GO:
"Miracle" at Blue Hound
2 E. Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ 85004
COACH HOUSE
It would be a major miss to not include Coach House, self-billed as the oldest tavern in Old Town Scottsdale, in a roundup of Christmas-themed bars in the Valley. During the holidays, the no-frills neighborhood bar near Goldwater Blvd. and Indian School Road explodes with holiday cheer. Hundreds -- if not thousands -- of lights are strewn across the bar's ceiling, walls, front sign, and patio columns. In between those lights are rows of tinsel, ornaments, and stockings.
In a video posted on the bar's Facebook page in February, owner Jim Brower said: "...middle or early 80s, we decided to stay up all night after the bar closed and we’d play Christmas carols and we’d do some decorating. The next year, we added to it. Then there was no stopping it. If you believe that too much is just right, then we’ve accomplished that."
IF YOU GO:
Coach House
7011 E. Indian School Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
