We don’t know about you, but this holiday season, we are exclusively bellying up to holiday bars. We want it all — the lights, the trees, the ornaments the size of our heads — and based on the packed crowds we’ve seen around town this month, you want it too. The folks at Hotel Emeline, which is currently home to a festive winter courtyard, and at The Ryder, home of Little Pine (the holiday version of its bar and restaurant, Little Palm), have extended the decked-out dates, with both holiday iterations running through mid-January. What is it about festive holiday bars that inspires such cheer? In 2019, Eater Atlanta editor Beth McKibben theorized people just want to escape, if only for a spiked eggnog or two. “I do think these bars spark nostalgia in people and give them a little bit of comfort,” she wrote. So, whether you’re seeking comfort, cheer or just a really good Irish coffee, we’ve got a few holiday bar suggestions for you.
Hotel Emeline’s Courtyard
Hotel Emeline’s courtyard features a tree-lined yurt village this season. General manager of food and beverage at Emeline, Adam Jimenez, said: “From our festive decorations to The Den’s cheeky holiday cocktails to the winter courtyard’s tree-lined yurts — these activations were designed to evoke the holiday spirit and encourage conviviality. Our Winter Courtyard was inspired by our desire to transform the space into an entirely new holiday destination for our guests to discover.” You and your pals can rent a yurt through Resy. The “festive fondue experience” is $50 per guest and comes with guaranteed cozy vibes. If you’d rather skip the yurt experience, feel free to sit by the outdoor fire and order shareable plates and festive drinks from the Frannie & The Fox menu. Don’t sleep on “today’s mozzarella,” which is, in fact, made in-house daily.
Little Pine at Little Palm
Head to The Ryder hotel’s Little Palm bar and restaurant for its holiday iteration, Little Pine, which hopes to recreate an “authentic apres ski experience without leaving Charleston.” Guests can rent out gondolas, hang by the pool or just belly up to the bar for seasonal sips. Gondola reservations, which can be made at Resy.com or through the resy app, are available for 90-minute time slots for up to four guests.
Prohibition’s Sippin’ Santa
Prohibition recreates itself as Christmas bar Sippin’ Santa this season, decked out in self-proclaimed “over-the-top Christmas” decor. The “tropical companion” to Handcraft Kitchen & Bar’s Miracle Bar, Sippin’ Santa is also an international pop-up franchise. Find the full drink menu online. All the festive cocktails are served in special mugs and glassware — here’s lookin’ at you surfin’ Santa — and drinks include tiki classics as well as new cocktails crafted just for this year.
Blind Tiger
Surround yourself with more ornaments than Santa has at the North Pole at the festively outfitted Blind Tiger bar. Sip on a seasonal cocktail — here’s lookin’ at you gingerbread espresso martini — and stay a while. Snap a few pics. Your Instagram feed will thank you.
The Den
If you prefer sipping your holiday drinks exclusively indoors, just pop over to The Den, located in Hotel Emeline’s restaurant, Frannie & The Fox. The martini bar has a special holiday menu, of course, but if you want to stick to its traditional offerings, we don’t blame you. Nothing says celebration like full martini service and a side of caviar, no? If you do choose a drink from bar manager Amanda Phelps’ ’90s-inspired holiday list, might we suggest the Sex on the Slopes, made with Absolut, cardamom and ginger-infused giffard peach, chambord, cranberry, orange juice and lime.
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