Holiday News

New York's Christmas Miracle pop-up bar puts Austin on its nice list

Christmas cocktails are coming to town.

Photo by Melissa Hom

A festive holiday tradition featuring cocktails returns: The famed Christmas-themed pop-up bar Miracle is coming back to town, with installations at 90 bars across the U.S., including Austin.

Miracle takes over existing bars and transforms them into a temporary Christmas-time bar with festive decor, serving holiday-themed drinks.

The idea for this annual takeover was conceived in 2014 by New Yorker Greg Boehm, who owns a bar supply company called Cocktail Kingdom.

In a statement, Boehm acknowledges that the mood in 2020 is different.

"It has undoubtedly been a tough year for everyone, and our industry has been hit hard, so some holiday cheer is in order," Boehm says. "We feel incredibly lucky to welcome back so many of our dedicated partner locations and even welcome new ones across the world, with the safety and enjoyment of our guests as our top priority."

Select locations will offer to-go cocktails, and outdoor seating areas will be set up where possible to practice social distancing.

Cocktails by Joann Spiegel employ holiday flavors and are served in playful mugs and glassware from Boehm's supply store, which they also sell. How convenient.

New cocktails for 2020 include:

Jolly Koala with Gin, Vermouth, and Pine-Cardamom-Sage Cordial
On Dasher, with Bourbon, Mezcal, Sweet Vermouth, Spiced Hibiscus, Burlesque Bitters, and Lemon
Fruitcake Flip, with Brandy, Jamaican Overproof Rum, Amaretto, Fruitcake, Cherry Bitters, and a Whole Egg

The pop-up begins on November 23 and runs to the end of 2020. It'll be located at the following bars in Texas:

Austin: Miracle on 5th Street (at The Eleanor by The Roosevelt Room)
Dallas: Miracle at 2010B Greenville Ave.
Fort Worth: Miracle on South Main
Houston: Miracle at Johnny’s (at Johnny’s Gold Brick)
Waco: Miracle on Austin Ave (at Dichotomy Coffee & Spirits)

There's also a companion tiki-themed pop-up called Sippin Santa, which will take place in a mere 25 cities across the U.S., including Austin and Dallas. (It has previously hit Houston, but not this year.)

Sippin' Santa partners with tiki cocktail expert Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, owner of Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29 in New Orleans, which is home to his own Sippin' Santa location annually.

In Austin, it'll be Sippin' Santa at Nickel City.

holidays cocktails

Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.