16 Nov 27th-Dec 3rD, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Cheers to the Season Get in the holiday spirit at these Phoenix pop-up bars. BY SARA CROCKER T he official start of the holiday season engenders plenty of debate. For some, it’s right after Halloween, while others won’t kick off Christmas until after the wishbone breaks at the Thanksgiving dinner table. If you like spirits with your holiday, then the season officially starts when Valley cocktail bars start to resemble winter wonderlands. To transport drinkers, local bars have hauled out the holly, strung twinkling lights and hung stockings with care. The spaces aren’t the only festive element. Bartenders also pack seasonal drinks with flavors of warm gingerbread, tart cran- berry and rich chocolate. Visit these 10 Valley bars for a sip of holiday cheer that will raise the spirits of any Scrooge. 50 Shades Presents 50ville 7419 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale 50 Shades of Rose, a vibrant bar, restaurant and dance club in Old Town, reinvents itself for each holiday season. This year, 50 Shades will take guests to its version of Whoville, the fictional town from Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” Sip a Grinch-green cocktail and score specials, including $1 smash burgers on Thursdays and a $35 date night on Mistletoe Mondays, which includes one appetizer, two entrees and a dessert. You’ll be surrounded by Seuss-inspired decor that will make the heart of the biggest Grinch grow three sizes. Visit 50ville through Jan. 4; walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are encouraged on weekends. Blitzen’s Bar at Oasis Bar 4949 E. Lincoln Drive, Scottsdale If you’re in search of cocktails that “sleigh,” head to Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia. The resort’s Oasis Bar trans- forms into Blitzen’s, a tinsel-trimmed, glit- tering, reindeer-inspired bar, through Jan. 11. The bar serves festive snacks and a holiday cocktail menu created by Julie Reiner, a mixologist, bar owner and author who you may also recognize as one of the judges from the Netflix cocktail compe- tition, “Drink Masters.” Reiner’s curated sips include The Blitzen, a Woodford Reserve Rye tipple infused with ginger and apple spice and served in a Christmas ornament, which then gets poured into a rocks glass over ice. Or, opt for the Oye to the World, a spicy margarita made with mezcal, tequila, lime, hot honey and apricot. Christmas in New York at 36Below 3620 E. Indian School Road Descend the steps in the center of Arcadia’s Sip Coffee & Beer, and you’ll be transported to New York at Christmastime. 36Below is a whimsical, intimate, subterranean garden bar whose theme rotates throughout the year. Guests will have views of festive New York scenes, such as people ice skating beside the massive tree at Rockefeller Center. Those images are projected from screens strategically placed throughout the space to mimic the windows of a greenhouse. Get in the spirit with five themed cock- tails (of which three can be made into zero-proof sips). Try the carajillo- inspired Nutcracker, made with tequila, coffee liqueur, Amaro Montenegro, blue- berry cordial and Mexican mole. The drink is topped with a salted maple pistachio cream. Pair your sip with a seasonal snack, including 36Below’s White Christmas Crab Dip or the Holiday Stack, a smoked double-decker reuben. Reservations are needed for this 90-minute bar experience, which runs until Jan. 4. Feliz Navidad Cantina at Salt + Lime 9397 E. Shea Blvd., #115, Scottsdale The Feliz Navidad Cantina returns to Salt + Lime Modern Mexican Grill on Nov. 28. The Scottsdale dining room and bar has so many ribbons, ornaments, snowflakes and lights hanging from the ceiling that you may have to duck. Toast the season with holiday food and drinks. This year’s menu hasn’t dropped yet, but last year featured ginger-spiked margaritas and chocolate martinis, along with plates of Christmas enchi- ladas topped with New Mexico red sauce and poblano cream sauce. The cantina offers a 90-minute experience that runs through January. Reservations are required, but walk-ins may join the cantina’s waitlist. To book your spot, call 480-661-5463 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Get Merry Holiday Experience at Little Rituals 132 S. Central Ave., Fourth Floor There are plenty of reasons to visit Little Rituals. The fourth-floor bar at the Resident Inn by Marriott Phoenix Downtown was named the best hotel bar in the nation at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards in July. In addition to accolades, the elegant space boasts an impressive view of downtown. When the holidays roll around, the bar leans into the cheeky nostalgia of movies like “A Christmas Story,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” for its Get Merry holiday experience. The bar serves seasonal bites and 14 special cocktails inspired by global holiday dishes. Among them is a milk punch infused with the flavors of a spiced carrot cake and a latke- inspired Gibson served with a house-made potato chip topped with onion creme fraiche. Reservations are strongly encouraged for this holiday takeover, which runs through Dec. 29. Gingerbread Dreams at Trophy Room 2 N. Central Ave., #101 Trophy Room, a cocktail bar hidden inside downtown’s Wren & Wolf, has become a “candy-coated wonderland” for Christmas. This gingerbread house-themed holiday bar will feature cocktails inspired by quint- essential Christmas treats until Dec. 31. Visits to Trophy Room run for 90 minutes and reservations are required. It should also be noted that cellphones and cameras are not allowed in the bar, making it best for customers who are prepared to disconnect during their visit. Holiday-themed bars like Blitzen’s feature a host of seasonal cocktails. (Omni Hotels & Resorts) >> p 17 Trophy Room’s holiday cocktails are inspired by the sweet gingerbread dreams. (Eat Drink Creative Agency) ▼ Food & Drink
