Want to get lit like a Christmas tree? The best holiday bars in NYC are here to help. After you tire of ice skating and shopping at the city’s holiday markets, pop into one of these watering holes that have undergone festive makeovers. These spots have decked their bars with boughs of holly, lights and more holiday kitsch as they tempt revelers to give in to their naughty side.
Want to know which ones to add to your to-do list? We have compiled a list of the best places around NYC to get your holiday cheer into gear this season. You don’t want to miss these places so you might need to opt for some holiday loans to be able to celebrate wholeheartedly.
Après Ski at Treadwell Park
Even if you weren’t hitting the slopes last year, you could still enjoy the ski lodge lifestyle with this pop-up. All three of Treadwell Park’s locations will become faux ski lodges, serving mulled hot cocktails like bourbon hot cider in vintage thermoses. There will also be a shotski available with mixed seasonal shots.
1125 First Ave., 510 West 42nd St and 301 South End Ave.
Grand Holiday Bazaar
Grand Holiday Bazaar is the only indoor and outdoor holiday market in NYC, will host nearly 200 independent vendors selling goods and giftables that can’t be found elsewhere. All of the vendors are small independent business owners and artisans, making each item one-of-a-kind or limited edition. And visitors can feel good knowing that 100% of the proceeds from booth rentals go to aide thousands of local public school children in the area.
100 W. 77th Street
Midwinter Night’s Dream at PHD Terrace
PHD Terrace at Dream Midtown’s enclosed rooftop bar will transform into a romantic winter garden inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream including scores of twinkle lights and lush installations of gold and white florals including a flower-filled walkway. Seasonal tastes will include an oversized Nutella stuffed cookie that serves 12, an ornament filled with Peppermint Mojito, and a glittering Goldtini.
210 West 55th Street
The Pink Holiday Pop-Up at Moxy Times Square
The second floor of the Moxy Times Square leans on a less traditional holiday color for its seasonal pop-up, pink. The space is done up with a futuristic holiday feel in shades of pink, including pink cocktails like the Pink Velvet Hot Chocolate.
Moxy Hotel Times Square 485 7th Avenue
Ophelia
The greenhouse terrace bar Ophelia at the top of the Beekman Tower transforms its 360-degree Manhattan views into a glittering snow globe again this holiday season with gleaming strands of snowflakes and lights strung from the ceiling and wintery touches like garlands and sheepskin seat covers. Wintery cocktails like the Rising Star with cognac, rum, cinnamon.
Beekman Tower, 3 Mitchell Place
Haven Ski Chalet
During the holidays Haven Rooftop above The Sanctuary Hotel transforms into Haven Ski Chalet, a winter utopia. Holiday decor features white lights, and even a faux snow machine that gives all the joy of snow but none of the frost. Enjoy seasonal drinks like including the Toasted Almond, Peppermint Cream, Ginger Toddy and Shot Skis served by waitresses dressed as ski bunnies.
132 W 47th St
Bank of America Winter Village
The free Bryant Park skating rink comes with a few other perks, including rink-side bar and food hall The Lodge by Urbanspace, which includes about twelve eateries. There’s a cocktail bar and a beer hall, and this year, a Bollinger Champagne bar, serving up a little of France in the middle of New York with the house’s special cuvée, its non-vintage Bollinger Rosé, and prestige cuvée Bollinger R.D. 2004.
1080 6th Avenue
Rolf’s
German restaurant Rolf’s is a staple on everyone’s must-visit bar hop for the holidays and with good reason. The insanely ornate decor barely leaves space for visitors with each nook and cranny covered with lights, garland, and droves of festive tchotchkes. Be warned that while this holiday destination is worth the trip, it gets aggressively packed. We recommend just doing it for the gram by ordering up a mulled wine, egg nog or boot of beer.
281 Third Avenue
Birreria
Nestled on the rooftop of Eataly’s Flatiron outpost, this glass-enclosed beer garden and restaurant is a beautiful spot to take in some New York snow scenes. Though they served a full menu, drop-in for seasonal drinks including specialty winter cocktails and two different types of vin brulé, the Italian version of mulled wine—one made with traditional red wine and another with effervescent Moscato d’Asti.
200 Fifth Avenue
The Nomad Bar
This fall, NoMad NYC gets in the holiday spirit with the debut of their Holiday Spectacular cocktail pop-up at The NoMad Bar. Make It Nice bar director Leo Robitschek and his merry band of bartenders offer a custom menu of holiday-inspired drinks, with “Naughty” options such as a boozy Hot Chocolate spiked with green chartreuse and Fernet Branca; “Nice” beverages such as the Winter Wonderland milk punch with spices served in a decked out snow globe; and a new selection of The NoMad’s infamous cocktail explosions, including Santa’s Little Helpers with vodka, sherry, passionfruit, vanilla and lime.
10 W 28th St, New York, NY 10001
Arlo-Arctica
Arlo Hotels’s two NYC locations both transform their bar spaces into wintery wonderlands inspired by Sir Ernest Shackleton’s legendary 1907 expedition to The South Pole. At the Nomad location, guests enjoy ice sculptures, a fireplace, and camp-like furnishings on the BARlo terrace or one of two bubble-like heated “ice huts” on the rooftop for astounding Empire State Building views. In Soho, similar huts let guests curl up in the courtyard and watch the magic of real snow falling every hour on the hour. Both locations feature specialty cocktails made with Shackleton whisky, a bottling created to match the flavor profile from 11 bottles of privately-commissioned whisky recovered from Sir Shackleton’s ice-covered basecamp.
11 East 31 Street (Nomad) and 231 Hudson Street (Soho)
The Lodge at Gallow Green
Travel back in time on the roof of The McKitttrick Hotel as Gallow Green is transformed into The Lodge at Gallow Green. Inspired by Scottish bothies, this seasonal hideaway includes a mountaintop ski cabin nestled in a secluded forest of real pine trees. Once inside, visitors relax and enjoy a selection of potent cocktails and large format punches, as well as seasonal dinner fare. The bar welcomes revelers nightly for wintry drinks, including hot cocktails like the signature Sleep No More.
The McKittrick Hotel – 542 W 27th St, New York, NY
The Winter Rose Garden at The Dream Downtown
If all the snow and ice is getting you down, immerse yourself in a floral wonderland this season at this ruby red installation at The Lobby Bar at Dream Downtown. Transformed with 15,000 red roses, floral furniture, decor, candles, and more, the bar also sports some appropriately rosy libations, including a Primrose Cider with sparkling rosé, Barking Irons Applejack, cinnamon syrup, lemon Juice, and a rose ice cube.
355 W 16th Street
The Lodge at STK
With a view of the Hudson at the indoor-outdoor rooftop at STK, you can glamp outdoors in a canopy bed or head inside for a traditional cabin experience. Open Thursday to Saturday evenings with DJs and cocktails, including ginger toddies, tequila-laced hot chocolates with maple whipped cream, and a Naughty & Nice group punch bowl of vodka, apple cider, cinnamon ginger beer, and prosecco.
26 Little W. 12th St
The Standard’s Winter Garden
Grab a group of friends or someone special, and escape from the cold in one of the garland-lined outdoor yurts at the Standard Hotel in the East Village. Once inside, let the warmth envelop you like a shareable pot of hard cider or mulled wine
25 Cooper Sq
Miracle
The pop-up Christmas bar sensation (they’ll boast more than 100 worldwide locations this year!) that started at Nico de Soto’s East Village hub Mace will return to New York in November with two locations. Specialty cocktails will be on the menu like a Christmas-themed cosmopolitan and fun and festive shots, plus the venues will be covered in vintage-inspired holiday decorations and host fun events like a Miracle-wide ugly sweater party.
505 E 12th St and 649 E 9th St.
Sippin’ Santa at Boilermaker
Picture Santa riding a wave, with a Hawaiian shirt, lei and tiki drink in hand to the soundtrack of the Beach Boys and Elvis, that is Sippin’ Santa’s Surf Shack. Boilermaker will morph into for the holiday season. Themed holiday craft cocktails like the Son of a Nutcracker, Little Rummer Boy and Toboggan Nog and boilermakers (aka a shot and a beer pairing) make this spot a must for drinkers.
13 First Avenue
Clicquot Chalet at Mr. Purple
What could be more elegant than sipping Veuve Clicquot in an exclusive ski lodge, while also taking in the Manhattan skyline as you do it? That’s exactly the experience that the famed champagne house and Lower East Side staple Mr. Purple are aiming for with their winter collaboration, which transforms Mr. Purple into a festive après ski-themed experience.
Hotel Indigo Lower East Side, 180 Orchard Street
Donner and Blitzen’s Reindeer Lounge
You know Dasher and Dancer And Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid And Donner and Blitzen. Donner & Blitzen’s Reindeer Lounge is as Bell Book & Candle this year and will be serving up lots of holiday cheer with a festive setting of Christmas trees, lights, wreaths and poinsettias along with cocktails that are sure to warm you up.
141 W. 10th Street
Winter Chalet at Industry Kitchen
Industry Kitchen at South Street Seaport transforms into a waterside holiday chalet with lights, giant nutcrackers, decorated wreaths and garlands, and plenty of Christmas-y tastes like the Frozen Peppermint Slide shareable cocktail made with Baileys, candy canes, peppermint bark and pretzel rods or the Spiked Hot Chocolate with Nutella and dark chocolate.
70 South Street
Winterland at Pier 17
The winterized version of the Rooftop bar at Pier 17, will include the one and only NYC rooftop ice rink with dramatic backdrops of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Hudson. There will be skating, curling, and broomball lessons. While you’re there, check out the new rooftop bar R17 for cocktails like the Red Winter (Maker’s Mark, apple cider, allspice, and amaro).
89 South St.
Snowday in Brooklyn
Sunday in Brooklyn transforms into a snowy ski chalet, complete with holiday decor and festive menus. The full complement of cocktails on offer included both a Naughty list (with options like the Ugly Sweater Weather made with Old Tom Gin, Amaro Montenegro, St. Agrestis Amaro, and Amontillado sherry) and a Nice one (including Champagne Problems, a spritz with cranberry, Bergamot Rosolio, bitters, and bubbly) as well as warm cocktails and mocktails for those getting a jump on dry January.
348 Wythe Avenue or 68 South 2nd Street
Clinton Hall’s North Williamsburg Pole
In the Pod BK Hotel, the courtyard of this beer hall is transformed for Xmas in Brooklyn, with an LED Christmas tree, beer can ornaments, and candy cane shot-skis, which come with an opportunity to win a vacation adventure. Santa will also make random appearances, so be ready to defend yourself if you’ve been more naughty than nice.
Pod BK Hotel, 247 Metropolitan Ave.
Sleyenda at Leyenda
‘Tis the season of giving, and James Beard Award-winning cocktail bar Leyenda is helping you do just that. With every cocktail purchased at their annual Christmas-themed pop-up Sleyenda, the bar will donate one dollar to women’s charities. Supporting ladies who sley while preparing for the most wonderful time of the year with award-winning cocktails? Yeah, that’s a no-brainer.
221 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY
Bad Santa Pop-Up at Grand Republic
The holiday pop-up at Grand Republic Cocktail bar is inspired by the Billy Bob Thornton movie, Bad Santa. Sometimes your idea of a holiday good time is a tree decorated with beer cans and a mezcal, pineapple, and coconut cocktail called the Christmas Viagra Colada (which pairs with the condoms, also on the tree).
19 Greenpoint Ave.
The Ho Ho Holiday Lounge at The Springs
This pop-up lounge is sure to get you in the holiday spirit with colorful decorations, cozy fireplaces, festive cocktails + slushies. Combining holiday cheer with booze and cocktails like mulled wine, a white chocolate peppermint bark slushy, and the “Nog-Gonna Make It to Work Tomorrow.”
224 Franklin St
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