Christmas Cocktails in New York City

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There is no better time to drink egg nog, mulled wine, and boozy hot chocolate! I get sucked into anything seasonal, including cocktails, which is why my friends and I went to some pop-up Christmas bars for punny cocktails and festive decorations. I am by no means an alcoholic, I just like to try out drinks : )

1. Miracle on Ninth Street

For 11 out of 12 months of the year, it is called Mace Bar, but from Black Friday to Christmas Eve, it is known as Miracle on Ninth Street. These are known as pop-up Christmas bars in New York City.

This bar is decked out in Christmas – from tinsels to garlands, from Christmas lights to Santa bartenders.

The Santa heads kind of scared me at first haha.

Now onto the good stuff! Miracle on Ninth Street features many festive cocktails (each $15), including Christmopolitan, The Grinch, and Bad Santa.

We tried two festive cocktails – Jingle Balls Nog and Christmopolitan. The drinks came in cute Christmassy cups! Jingle Balls Nog (hay and brown butter fat-washed cognac, amontillado sherry, almond milk, cream, eggs, nutmeg, cloves) tasted like alcoholic egg nog. Chrismopolitan (chicha morada-infused vodka, elderflower liqueur, whey, cranberry juice, lime juice, coconut water, spices) tasted like festive juice and you could barely taste the alcohol, definitely liked this one more. We also ordered some Christmas cookies and they were delicious!

We ended the night (before pizza and dessert) with the Sweet Baby Jesus shot, which is gingerbread-infused rye whiskey. I usually hate the taste of whiskey, but this actually tasted really good!

If you are near Union Square in Manhattan, definitely check them out!

2. Sippin’ Santa’s Surf Shack

I found out about this bar from an ad at Miracle on Ninth Street. Similarly, it is known as Boilermaker for 11 out of 12 months of the year, but is known as Sippin’ Santa’s Surf Shack from Black Friday to Christmas Eve.

Sippin’ Santa’s Surf Shack has a Hawaiian theme, but I felt like some decorations looked cheap (still very festive). The bartenders wore Hawaiian shirts haha.

They even had Santa hats on all the chairs, which I thought was a nice touch.

Aaaannddd the menu. It is in the same format as Miracle on Ninth Street, which makes me think that they are sister stores. Sippin’ Santa’s Surf Shack’s menu features festive cocktails (each $14) and boilermakers, which are beer cocktails. The food menu here definitely has more options, but my friend and I ordered the Reindeer Bites and were not impressed at all.

We ordered Don & Victor and I Saw Mommy. The drinks are served in festive drinkware. Don & Victor (rhum agricole, dark jamaican rum, amaro, sweet vermouth, campari, D&V batter, nutmeg) was a very strong drink, but if you like strong drinks and festive spices, you will love it. I Saw Mommy (vodka, branca menta, Hershey’s chocolate, grapefruit juice) had a very interesting taste because of the chocolate and grapefruit mixed together, but it was a refreshing drink for sure.

Overall, I liked Miracle on Ninth Street a lot more than Sippin’ Santa’s Surf Shack, but if you’re in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, definitely check them out!

3. Judge Roy Bean Public House

Last weekend my friend and I were walking around Midtown and passed by Judge Roy Bean Public House, so we went in to get a chocolate beer and some boozy hot chocolate.

They were only $10 each, which is a pretty good price for New York City, and both were so delicious! The layer of toasted marshmallow and the creamy boozy hot chocolate mixed so well together and it warmed me up from walking outside in the cold. You can’t go wrong with hot chocolate during winter, why not kick it up a notch and try some adult hot chocolate?

I hope you try out some Christmas cocktails in your city, and if you’re in NYC for the holidays, definitely check out these places! Thanks for stopping by (and drink safely) : )