If you’re familiar with Tin Widow’s holiday cocktail pop-up Miracle, you might enjoy the concept’s tropical companion Sippin’ Santa, which is about to surf into Milwaukee for the first time.
PufferFish – a tiki-themed cocktail bar that opened in May on Hotel Metro’s rooftop – will be the first Sippin’ Santa bar in the city, while Tin Widow will host the kitschy and classic Miracle pop-up for the fourth year.
Both pop-ups kick off on Nov. 24, with Sippin’ Santa running until Dec. 30 and Miracle open through New Year’s Eve.
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“Sam and the team over at Tin (Widow) have created the holiday blueprint with Miracle on 2nd St.” said PufferFish owner JC Cunningham. “We are really excited to partner with them and turn our little rooftop escape into a winter wonderland.”
Both Miracle and Sippin’ Santa started in New York City – in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Sippin’ Santa was created to be a tropical companion to the traditional Hallmark-esque theming of Miracle. Milwaukee is one of the few markets that will host both pop-ups this year.
Both concepts have a strong emphasis on cocktails, with Miracle focused on craft drinks and Sippin’ Santa focused more on tiki-inspired cocktails.
The team at PufferFish is creating different holiday vibes in each of their four spaces at Hotel Metro while still keeping everything cohesive. One room will be decorated with a homey, feel-good, grandma’s-house-during-the-holidays feel, while another will be more Art Deco-inspired with lots of gold and red similar to the rest of the hotel.
“There’s this bar in Nashville I was very inspired by,” Cunningham said. “They put up holiday decorations one year and never took them down, so it’s this 1970s-type holiday decorations that feel really nostalgic.”
These classic holiday touches will be combined with the tiki theming of PufferFish’s typical aesthetic and the beachy Christmas energy of the Sippin’ Santa pop-up.
And although it’s the fourth year for Miracle at Tin Widow, the bar is still finding ways to keep it fresh. “Every year brings new excitement and new challenges,” said owner Sam Berman. “This year’s decorations are going to be completely off the charts, and we have a few tricks up our sleeves with how they’ll be displayed this season.”
PufferFish will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m.-1 a.m.
Tin Widow will be open Sunday through Thursday from 6 p.m.-2 a.m., and Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m.-2:30 a.m.
