The biggest shake-up to D.C.’s holiday bar scene occurred in August, when Archipelago, the U Street tiki bar that had played host to the beach-themed Sippin’ Santa’s Surf Shack pop-up since 2018, closed its doors. Sippin’ Santa didn’t stay homeless for long: Chef Darren Norris, whose Death Punch bar has hosted the over-the-top Miracle pop-up since 2020, agreed to turn his bourbon-centric Logan Circle bar Black Whiskey into an outpost of palm trees and rum-based cocktails.
Vibe: For 11 months of the year, Black Whiskey is a comfortable, lived-in neighborhood bar: exposed brick walls, some painted black; a pool table; beaten-up sofas you sink into. The additions for Sippin’ Santa give off a vibe that mixes Christmas and prom. The ceiling is covered with an ocean of red and green balloons, striped beach balls, and inflatable sharks and fish. Strings of colored lights hang overhead and wrap around glowing palm trees. It’s cheery without turning into a winter wonderland, which Norris says is intentional: “Sippin’ Santa is simpler” than Miracle, and “I wanted to keep the integrity of what Black Whiskey is, not have the total immersion” into the holidays. Still: There’s an option to drink cocktails out of glasses that resemble a shark wearing a Santa hat. What kind of Grinch says no to that?
Drinks: Sippin’ Santa, which takes over dozens of locations from Honolulu to Boston, is the brainchild of cocktail historian and author Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. The drinks are standard from location to location, and the recipes are as solid as the festive mugs. The signature Sippin’ Santa, with spicy aged Demerara rum, brings seasonal flavors with gingerbread, lemon and orange. Also returning is the Jingle Bird, which balances the bitterness of Campari with the sweetness of pineapple. New drinks worth your time and money include the Merry Spritzmas, a sparkler with Aperol, falernum and cardamom, plus a smooth finish courtesy of tawny port, and the Surf Nut, which was somewhat divisive: Made of rum, coconut water, cream of coconut, allspice and apricot brandy, it’s reminiscent of a piña colada crossed with an electrolyte drink. Recommended for groups: red-nosed-reindeer-shaped shot glasses filled with over-proof rum, macadamia and ginger liqueur. Cocktails cost $16, shooters are $8 and a tiki bowl for two is $30.
How to get in: Unlike Miracle, Black Whiskey doesn’t take reservations, which Norris says is a nod to the bar’s regulars. “Some people who come in, they don’t care” about the theme. “They’re just coming in to have a Miller Lite.” Since the bar opens at noon, however, revelers can beat the crowds by visiting midafternoon, or at least leaving work early to claim a seat before the happy-hour rush begins.
Insider tip: Reston’s Tiki Thai hosts the only other Sippin’ Santa in this region, and it takes reservations.
