You can name them however you want, but we all know the holiday that holiday pop-up bars are celebrating is Christmas. They're decked out with kitschy, glitzy Christmas decor; they serve drinks with names like “Merry Spritzmas” and Christmas-coded flavors like gingerbread and peppermint. Despite the inclusive-sounding holiday moniker, there's nary a latke or menorah to be found, but tinsel and Santas abound. And that's fine—Hanukkah is a fairly minor Jewish holiday, and I'm happy to admire the red and green lights and sip an eggnog old-fashioned.
But this year, since the first night of Hanukkah falls on December 25, I wanted to incorporate some Hanukkah vibes into my holiday pop-up experience. With over a dozen holiday pop-up bars in the Twin Cities metro, there had to be several Hanukkah-themed drinks to choose from, right?
Ha, ha, ha. Poring over websites, scrolling through social media, and emailing various restaurants and distilleries in search of potential Hanukkah offerings was eerily similar to looking for Hanukkah stuff at my local Target. After walking past displays of Christmas candy, Christmas throw pillows, Christmas cards, Christmas toys, Christmas eyeshadow palettes, Christmas mugs, and a massive, dedicated section of even more Christmas stuff, I’m lucky if I can find a half-hearted Hanukkah end cap with some candles, a few gift bags, and, infamously in 2022, a perplexingly phallic menorah.
I eventually tracked down a grand total of two Hanukkah cocktails. Maybe this would be a quality-over-quantity situation? Let’s find out!
The Music Is Nice ($16) at The Naughty List Pop Up Bar, Umbra Minneapolis
“A unique cocktail that marries the bold flavors of mulled Manischewitz with the anise notes of Arak. Infused with Persian spices for a touch of warmth and aromatic depth and garnished with a rugelach.”
This cocktail doesn’t scream “Hanukkah,” but top marks for the clever nods to Jewish culture. Manischewitz is a sickly sweet kosher wine that’s a mainstay at U.S. Jewish holiday celebrations due to its ubiquity, budget-friendly price tag, and nostalgic appeal. The other ingredients draw inspiration from Jewish communities around the world: Arak is a Levantine Arabic liquor popular in Israel; Jews have lived in Persia (modern-day Iran) for nearly 3,000 years; and rugelach is a Polish-Jewish cookie. The cocktail name is a winking reference to the fact that many beloved Christmas songs were written by Jewish composers, including “White Christmas,” “Santa Baby,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
After I finished nerding out about my drink, I took a sip and was pleasantly surprised—Manischewitz has never tasted this good. The herbal, licorice notes of the arak cut the wine’s sweetness, and the clove-heavy spice blend makes this a wonderfully cozy drink. The tasty, generously sized rugelach garnish made the $16 price tag a little easier to stomach, and the drink was served pleasantly warmed.
As far as decor, I couldn’t spot any Hanukkah representation. Umbra takes a slightly more subtle approach than other local pop-ups, with wrapped presents stacked to the ceiling behind the bar, ribbons wrapped around the light fixtures, and some giant cut-outs of Buddy the Elf, Ralphie in his bunny suit, and Clark Griswold with a turkey. It’s festive, but not over the top.
The Naughty List Pop Up Bar runs through December 31 from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Seating is first-come, first-served.
Gin and Tonikkah ($12) at Jingle Giles, Earl Giles
“Gin, Tonic, Liquid Disco, Blue Liquid Disco, Hannukah Candy”
Your classic gin and tonic gets a Hanukkah makeover with blue glitter (a nice nod to the fact that Hanukkah is the festival of lights) and a garnish of tiny Star of David candies. The spelling of “Hannukah” on the menu looks a little wonky, but it’s not incorrect; since the Hebrew language includes sounds that don’t map neatly onto Latin characters, there are 20-plus acceptable ways to transliterate the holiday name into English.
Taste-wise, this is a straight down the middle gin and tonic. There’s nothing tremendously exciting going on, which is par for the course: Holiday drink menus skew toward sugary novelty drinks, so featuring a simple, refreshing sipper is a nice change of pace. My drink was served in a semi-translucent blue glass that made it impossible to see the sparkles or the drink’s blue hue, which somewhat distracted from the experience.
Jingle Giles doesn’t feature any overtly Hanukkah decor, but the white lights dangling from the ceiling and columns wrapped in blue lights feel Hanukkah-adjacent. I also want to give my server props for noticing that the woman in a Hanukkah sweatshirt placed an order via QR code for the pickle dip sans bacon topping and letting me know that the dip itself contained bacon fat. I don’t keep kosher so it wasn’t an issue, but the awareness of kosher/halal/vegetarian dietary restrictions was much appreciated.
Jingle Giles runs through December 31 starting at 3:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and starting at 11:00 a.m. Friday through Sunday. Reservations recommended for peak hours, with a waitlist available for walk-in seating.
To be honest, the dearth of Hanukkah cocktails initially made me feel a little bummed. Even if Hanukkah doesn’t have the religious heft for Jews that Christmas has for Christians, it’s still nice to feel included.
But post-Hanukkah cocktails, I’m in a much better mood, and not just because of the ABV content of my drinks. I appreciated the clever cocktail names and the genuine hospitality, plus the decor was fun, even if it was pretty much all Christmas-themed. Maybe next year they can add a menorah or two—I hear Target has some interesting ones.
