Dust off the ugly Christmas sweaters, Santa Claus is coming back to town — and he’s bringing his “angry elf” along to help tend the bar.
For the second consecutive year, Ted and Jamie Kilgore and Ted Charak, the ownership team behind Planter’s House, will open a holiday-themed pop-up bar on Black Friday that will remain open through the duration of the happiest time of the year.
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Jamie, a self-proclaimed Christmas junkie, took the reigns of the sleigh last year.
“I wanted it to be Griswold family Christmas meets A Christmas Story,” she says. “It needed to be silly and over the top and just wonderful.”
And it was. In their inaugural season, she decked the halls of a vacant space on Chouteau (pictures above), hanging tinsel from anything that would stand still and garland from everything else. “After we opened, I had to more than double my staff because it was so much bigger than we anticipated,” she remembers. “It was such a fun thing to be a part of.”
Miracle on Chouteau, as it was christened in 2016, stemmed from a concept that originated in New York City, where a bar owner decided to heed the advice of his mother. Greg Boehm was building a bar in the East Village and paused construction to open a holiday-themed bar serving festive specialty cocktails. The idea took off, and bartenders from around the country called Boehm to get his advice on starting similar pop-ups.
Boehm and his bar manager, Joann Spiegel, partnered to franchise Miracle. In 2015, they had four locations and 17 in 2016. At last count, 55 locations have already signed on for 2017. By the time the bars launch on Black Friday, they anticipate more than 60 will be on board.
“Seeing the initial success of Miracle and the subsequent growth over the past several years has been an absolute thrill,” says Spiegel.
That growth has not only crisscrossed the country, but the globe, with locations in Paris, Athens and Hong Kong.
While Jamie cannot yet say where exactly Miracle StL will open this year (only that it will be smaller and more reservations-oriented), she promises that the bar will begin pouring yuletide spirits and serving light snacks the day after Thanksgiving, and it will continue through New Year’s Eve. The menu will feature Miracle franchise standards, including a few favorites from years past, such as the Snowball Old Fashioned and Jingle Ball Nog, as well as newcomers like How The Gimlet Stole Christmas. For those wishing to bathe in the glow of the twinkle lights but sip something a little less pine-scented, Jamie promises more basic offerings as well.
Regardless of what fills a patron’s glass, though, she hopes their cups runneth over with holiday cheer.
For the latest on Miracle StL’s location and hours, contact [email protected] to join the Planter’s House email list. All Miracle locations will sell specialty mugs, with 10 percent of proceeds going to Action Against Hunger. Separately, Miracle STL will be creating original holiday cocktails with Tom’s Town spirits and donating a portion of those proceeds to Santa’s Helpers.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated from a previous version.
