Tacky decor and boozy festive cocktails? It’s a Christmas Miracle!
If festive films have taught me anything, it’s that Christmas is a time for miracles. A time when singing can power Santa’s sleigh, eight year-olds can outwit burglars, and unsupervised kids can mount a festive takeover of an airport (honestly a cracking film, and a lot less terrifying than it sounds). And handily, news of London’s own Christmas miracle has just reached us, as charming festive cocktail bar Miracle at Henrietta will return to the capital for a third year of cocktail-fuelled revelry on November 16.
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Miracle is big hit over in the US, but the London stop is once again the only place in the UK you’ll find it in 2020. And quite frankly, the rest of the UK are missing out big time. Being American in origin, you’d be right to assume that Miracle is bigger and less restrained than the usual English Christmas gathering – as with last year’s bar, they’ll bring gloriously kitschy decor to town. Aiming to transport you back to Christmases past, an army of throwback Christmas ornaments, colourful lights, and an oversized fireplace will transform the Henrietta Hotel (hence the name) into a ravishingly retro space.
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Eye-popping decor is hardly the only string to Miracle’s bow, however. Their wonderfully wacky Christmas concoctions are just as outlandish as the decor, all bearing whimsical names like Christmopolitan (vodka, elderflower, vermouth, and absinthe mist) and Jingle Balls Nog (cognac, sherry, cream, milk, and spices). Last year’s hits such as the Bad Santa – a hot toddy of cider, sherry, cinnamon, and popcorn & bacon butter – are back, along with new concoctions including the Fruitcake Flip (brandy, Jamaican overproof rum, Amaretto, fruitcake, cherry bitters, whole egg) and Jolly Koala (gin, vermouth, and pine-cardamom-sage cordial). Mulled wine is so last year, darling.
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All the drinks are served in gloriously tacky Christmas vessels – witness the SanTaRex, which is served in a dinosaur glass – so you’ll be full of festive cheer by the time you tumble back to reality. Snacks from Italian Supper Club, including farinata and parmesan, gnocco fritto, and Calabrian guanciale, will keep you satisfied between libations too. Our advice? Go forth and sleigh those cocktails!
Find it at 14-15 Henrietta Street, WC2E 8QH, from November 16 – December 23.
Also published on Medium.