Two of Philly’s fancier holiday pop-up bars are coming to Live! Casino and the W Hotel
Lê of the Chinatown bar Hop Sing Laundromat has created cocktails for the bar at Live! Bartender Danny Childs, who forages botanicals for his drinks, is behind the pop-up at W Philadelphia.
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Holiday bars are popping up in the run-up to the Christmas season, with decked halls and plenty of ho-ho-ho spirit.
Two of the more upscale offerings that are on their way soon:
The Prime Rib Library Bar, inside Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia at Ninth Street and Packer Avenue in South Philadelphia, will be redecorated with a winter wonderland theme. It will launch this weekend with cocktails created by Lê of the destination Chinatown bar Hop Sing Laundromat.
It’s a reservations-only experience Wednesdays through Saturdays, Nov. 19 to Jan. 4, in the semiprivate bar, off the casino’s main lobby.
Chef Justin Nelson’s small-plate menu — including clams casino with jumbo lump crabmeat, beef short rib, maple bourbon-glazed pork belly, shrimp cocktail, and wild mushroom and goat cheese tart — will complement Lê's drink menu: Tijuana’s Margarita (blanco tequila, ruby grapefruit syrup, Aperol, and lime); G&G (gin, egg white, ginger syrup, lime, and lemon peel), Fiji Coco (vodka, coconut, lime, lemon peel, and coconut shavings), Kentucky Slugger (Basil Hayden, agave, lemon, orange peel), and Baccarat (Toki, Pimm’s, cucumber syrup, and mint).
» READ MORE: Bartender Toby Maloney is starting a residency at Hop Sing Laundromat
W Philadelphia (1439 Chestnut St.), meanwhile, has retained the cocktail services of Danny Childs, whose specialty is foraging botanical ingredients for his drinks. The Secret List, as this pop-up is dubbed, is inspired by the hotel’s Secret Garden.
The outdoor pop-up, warmed by heaters and offering views of City Hall, will be open from Dec. 2 to 4 and Dec. 9 to 11, starting at 4 p.m.
Childs came up with five seasonal takes on cocktail classics, a vegan nog, a warm mulled wine punch, and house-made botanical sodas for a sans-alcohol option.
Other local holiday pop-ups include Sofitel Hotel’s Art De Noelle and holiday tea service; U-Ville at Uptown Beer Garden; igloos at Figo and Juno; greenhouses at Harper’s Garden; and festive decor at Lola’s Garden, Tinsel, and Craftsman Row Saloon.