In true holiday tradition, Christmas comes to Drink Company’s Pop Up Bar. Washington’s favorite holiday pop-up Miracle on 7th Street returned to Shaw on November 24th for its third and biggest year. With five winter scenes and cocktails like Elf’s Breakfast, Whobilation, and I Sleigh, All Day, the Drink Company team is ready to share its favorite holiday movies, music, and traditions with guests from D.C. and all over the country.
“I love Christmas. It’s more than just the presents, food and decorations for me. It’s about cheer,” says Drink Company President Derek Brown. “People just seem happier. Miracle is all about bringing some of that levity to life. It’s cloaked in great decorations and, of course, we make amazing drinks but the real reason Miracle is so popular (and why it’s my favorite)? It’s a grand conspiracy to have fun and everyone is in on it, from the bartenders to the guests.”
This year’s presentation of Miracle on 7th is the biggest one yet, with holiday elements distributed through five spaces by Drink Company’s Special Projects team of Matt Fox (Director) and Adriana Salame Aspiazu (Manager). Guests enter through a Christmas decor explosion, and can pose for photos in an antique sleigh from the 1800s. Childhood winter nostalgia is present throughout the bar with a working toy train, a Christmas tree, and a Gingerbread House that lets guests walk into a room full of sugary treats.
Harkening back to the original Miracle on 7th Hanukkah Hangout, this season’s celebration features Chinese Food and a Movie, a room dedicated to those who don’t necessarily celebrate Christmas. The room includes takeout containers, Chinese food menus, Drink Company fortune cookies, Chinese lanterns, and a giant Menorah.
“It’s all about the season and nostalgia, drawing from our friends, family and the food we love,” says Senior Bar Manager Paul Taylor. Classic holiday movies also serve as inspiration throughout the menu, and the story behind the Elf’s Breakfast is a perfect example. “As a child on Christmas morning, I’d eat a huge bowl of cereal to get the energy I needed to to unwrap all the presents. So, we created a cocktail that reminded us of that–with a little help from Elf, of course–using cinnamon toast crunch, maple syrup and spaghetti (the candy kind).” Snow Angels, Ice Skating, Cookie Dough evokes Christmas past with cookie dough infused vodka, coffee liqueur, frangelico, creme de cacao, milk, and cookie dough bites. This milk punch is affectionately known to our bartenders and guests as the “cookie dough cocktail.” But the kitsch factor doesn’t detract from quality. “All of our cocktails are meant to be fun, and are sure to please even the biggest Grinch, but we also believe in making them excellent.”
Miracle on 7th Street opened on 11/24 and ends on 12/31. It is located at 1843 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20002.
Photos by Farrah Skeiky
