On the day after Thanksgiving, as revelers might begin decorating for the holidays, two cocktail bars will do the same — and also begin serving holiday spirits.
From Nov. 23 through Dec. 31, the bars Hide in Deep Ellum and Proper in Fort Worth will transform into winter wonderlands, complete with festive décor and Christmasy drinks like a Snowball Old Fashioned, which is spiked with butterscotch-infused rye whiskey.
The bars will temporarily be renamed Miracle at Hide and Miracle in Cowtown, so named for the first Miracle pop-up that launched in New York City in 2014 when creator Greg Boehm halted construction on his own bar, Mace, and transformed the space into a Christmas-themed pop-up.
Now in its fifth year, Miracle has expanded rapidly, and more than 90 bars across the globe are participating. Each launches the day after Thanksgiving, their halls decked with festive adornments and bars stocked with seasonally-themed cocktails. Cocktails are served in custom Cocktail Kingdom glassware, including Santa mugs. And, for an extra dose of feel-good, many locations (including Hide and Proper) make the glasses available for purchase, with 10 percent of proceeds benefiting Action Against Hunger, a humanitarian organization committed to ending world hunger.
All Miracle pop-ups adhere to a common theme, serve the same drinks and receive support materials like glassware. After those requirements, each venue is encouraged to create their own Miracle.
"That's what really excites me — our partners are some of the most creative people I know," says Miracle GM Joann Spiegel. "Their spins and additions to decor have me suffering from 'Miracle envy' each year."
At Hide, the bar will be decidedly retro, with a 7-foot tree hanging from the warehouse-height ceiling and festooned with silver tinsel. They plan to put lighted wreaths on the windows and hang multi-colored lights inside and outside the space. All seatbacks will be fitted with Santa hats, and Christmas presents will be hanging from the ceiling and placed throughout the bar.
"For me, and I know for lots of other people, Christmas is a very special time of year," says Hide proprietor Nick Backlund. "We wanted to give all of Dallas an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy the season in a new and different way. Miracle certainly allows us to do that."
For the second consecutive year, Fort Worth cocktail bar Proper will transform its cozy, neighborhood space with Christmas kitsch.
"One of the things I like best about Miracle is that I get to decorate to my heart's content," says Proper owner Lisa Little-Adams. "We try to fill every bit of space with Christmas cheer and give the customer something fun to look at while imbibing on some tasty cocktails."
Besides the Snowball Old Fashioned, cocktails will include punny numbers like the Christmapolitan (vodka, elderflower, dry vermouth, spiced cranberry sauce, rosemary, lime and absinthe mist) and the Koala-La La La, La La La La (gin, pine, dry vermouth, lime, eucalyptus syrup and orange bitters).
Hide is located at 2816 Elm St., Dallas. Proper is located at 409 W. Magnolia Ave., Fort Worth. The Miracle pop-up bars will be open from Nov. 23 through Dec. 31.