Where to drink

Where to drink in Fort Worth right now: 7 festive bars for holiday cocktails

‘Tis the season for holiday cheer – which often comes in the form of a great cocktail. And the more merriment, the better, it seems, as more bars are getting serious with their seasonal offerings. In addition to wintery-themed drinks, some feature floor-to-ceiling holiday décor, festive glassware, and one venue even installs colorfully lit, igloo-shaped bubbles available by reservation. There’s no such thing as “over-the-top” for these Fort Worth bars - some brand new, some old favorites - all worth a stop this month for making spirits bright.

The Down ‘n Out
Despite its name, there’s nothing down and dreary about this brand new bar at 150 W. Rosedale St., currently home to a nationwide Christmas-themed pop-up called Sippin’ Santa. From the same folks who launched the New York City-based Miracle pop-up (more on that below), this tiki-themed version goes tropical with island-inspired cocktails, glassware, and décor. Throw on a Hawaiian shirt and try the Tequila Yule Tide, which is shaken with lime and maple-cranberry syrup and served in the most adorable Santa “merman” mug. Or bring a friend and share Rudolph’s Rum Rhapsody, a large format drink made with two kinds of rum, fruit juices, ginger, and aromatic bitters served in a vessel that features Santa sitting in a hot tub with Rudolph. (Insert eyebrow raise.) Even better, all said glassware is for sale.

Birdie’s Social Club
Open since August, this open-air, multi-space bar and venue sits in the former Lola’s spot between 5th and 6th streets. It boasts multiple patios, indoor and outdoor bars, and right now, all the Christmas spirit one can responsibly handle. Think twinkling lights, hanging tinsel, blow-up Santas, spiked hot chocolate with marshmallows fire-torched to order, a Christmas paper-wrapped bar, and photo ops aplenty. Grab a seat by the video-projected crackling fireplace on loop and sip a Son of a Nutcracker, just one of several holiday cocktails on the menu right now. It's a spin on the classic Old Fashioned made with pecan-brown sugar bourbon and smoked cinnamon. The Gingersnapped, made with pecan-brown sugar bourbon and cinnamon and ginger-spiced cream, is also fun.

Nickel City
This South Main Street bar is no stranger producing holiday magic. Nickel City is home once again this year to Miracle, the nationwide Christmas-themed pop-up bar currently activated in more than 100 cities. Originating in New York City, Miracle takes bar-goers to a wonderland of holiday merriment. At Nickel City, it’s raining Christmas cheer with colorfully wrapped presents and string lights hanging from the ceiling. Intricate glassware sets the tone for the season, serving festive cocktails like the Christmaspolitan, Snowball Old-Fashioned, and the hilarious new Grandma Got Run Over By A T-Rex, which comes in a T-Rex-shaped mug. The pop-up will run through December 31. Fun fact for parents: kids can visit between the hours of 12-7 pm daily.

Blackland Distillery
This sophisticated Fort Worth distillery is known for its elevated approach to spirits and cocktails and for its intimate setting geared toward grown-ups. Its seasonal selections this month are no different. Visit now for Pecan Eggnog made from scratch and spiked with Blackland Texas Pecan Brown Sugar Bourbon and Blackland Rye Whiskey. There’s also a potent mulled cider made with Blackland 100 Proof Rye, cloves, orange slices, and maple syrup. Or go more minty with Alexander’s Sister, featuring Blackland’s popular gin along with crème de menthe and cream. The booth seating, horseshoe-shaped bar, dim lighting, and crystal chandeliers lend to the modernly merry vibes.

Bacchus
The glitzy restaurant at Grapevine's Hotel Vin downtown is home to a real winter wonderland with the installation of igloo-shaped dining bubbles along the restaurant’s WineYard lawn. Available by reservation only, these cozy nooks for noshing come with heaters, faux fur-covered seating, festive fondue, and lights that change colors with the tap of a remote. (Select green if you need your server to check in.) The winter wonderland theme continues with Bacchus’ Christmas cocktail menu. Don’t miss the White Christmas Margarita rimmed with coconut flakes and made with coconut milk and Cointreau, or the popular S’mores Martini garnished with a crushed graham cracker rim and toasted marshmallow. Other wintery selections include the Campfire Smoked Old Fashioned; Après Toddy with reposado tequila, honey, and lemon; and the Winter Berry Gin & Tonic with berries and smoked rosemary. Make time to mosey around the hotel to take in the gleaming Christmas decorations or sit by the lobby fireplace.

Curfew
This one takes a bit of navigating but is worth the extra effort. Located underground beneath The Tower downtown, Curfew greets guests with Zoltar the fortune reader, who’ll guide you downstairs beneath the big blow-up Santa Claus for a holiday experience decked out in disco balls. There are strings upon strings of holiday lights, hanging tinsel, paper-wrapped barstools, and Christmas movies projecting on repeat. Don’t miss the interactive Tableside S’mores Platter (complete with a personal flame); refreshing Hibiscus Mule with vodka, ginger, mint, and lime; or the rum-infused campfire cocktail garnished with a toasted marshmallow, called I Want S’more. Curfew also serves tasty stone-fired pizzas.

Miller Tavern at Texas Live!
Wrap it in Christmas paper and they will come. This Arlington sports bar inside the Texas Live! entertainment complex by the Globe Life Field is currently drenched in holiday spirit thanks to another Miracle pop-up. From the bar to the walls and even the ceiling, every inch of this establishment is either paper wrapped, adorned with stockings, dripping with Christmas lights, or sprayed with canned snow. Because it’s home to a Miracle pop-up, the Christmas cocktails will sound familiar: there’s the Christmaspolitan and Snowball Old Fashioned, but don’t miss the new Holiday Spiked Chai made with Jamaican rum; Santa’s Little Helper made with gin, eucalyptus, and spiced caraway syrup; and the Christmas Cricket made with tequila blanco, dark chocolate, cream, and minty liqueur. The Miller Tavern will also host lots of theme nights to add to the fun. Visit Mondays for movie night, Thursdays for karaoke, holiday movie trivia this Tuesday, and an ugly sweater party on Friday with DJ music. The kitchen is also open nightly for bar bites.

Miracle on 5th Street/Facebook

Get jolly with one of Miracle's Christmas-themed cocktails at pop-ups in Fort Worth and Arlington.

holidays cocktails where-drink

Chef News

Fort Worth's Will Rogers Memorial Center welcomes bright new chef

FortWorthtx.gov

Will Rogers Memorial Center

There's a new chef in town: Waylon Cornelius, named executive chef of catering and concessions for Craft Culinary Concepts, the food and beverage provider at Will Rogers Memorial Center.

Will Rogers Memorial Center is the 120-acre entertainment complex anchoring Fort Worth’s Cultural District, owned and operated by the City of Fort Worth. Cornelius will oversee menus for trade shows and other events at the center which bring in more than 2 million visitors a year.

Craft Culinary Concepts is headquartered in Glendale, Arizona, and manages food and beverage programs for entertainment, sports and cultural facilities.

Chef Waylon Corneliusfortworthtx.gov

According to a release, Cornelius joined the team this summer and is already shifting the expectations of guests from a typical “BBQ and beans” menu to a bill of fare satisfying every kind of palate.

“We always have fajitas ready to go, but we also make a beautiful Beef Wellington or baked salmon with a pink salt crust,” Cornelius says in a statement.

For consumer trade shows, Craft and its partners Caribou and Taco Heads offer more choices for the thousands of guests who attend events at WRMC annually.

“Some of our equestrian guests are away from home and here for several days, and they need more than popcorn and hot dogs,” Cornelius says. “Our concessions offer biscuits and gravy, burritos made in-house, strawberry salad, fruit and yogurt cups.”

A native of Mansfield, Cornelius grew up helping in a farm-to-table kitchen. He was raised on a farm with his mother, grandmother, and grandfather -- a Vietnam veteran who enjoyed vegetable gardens and raising hogs and chickens. He studied computer science after high school and holds an associate's degree in Cultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis from Tarrant County College.

He's a 2003 graduate of AIMS Academy of Culinary Arts in Dallas where he was mentored by a number of great chefs. While training as assistant executive sous chef at the AAA four-diamond Grand Hyatt DFW, he worked with Executive Chef Sutti Sripolpa, chef Eric Dreyer (who went on to be Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef), and Chef Jean-Claude Plihon, under whom he honed his French cooking skills.

As executive sous chef at the opening of Perry’s Steakhouse and Grille in Southlake, Cornelius gained expertise with volume. While at HG Sply Co., he learned about gluten-free items and other food allergies.

HG Sply is also where he crossed paths with Chef James R. Schell III, Craft’s general manager at WRMC, who recruited Cornelius to the complex.

"James said he needed someone who can hit moving targets, push the culinary team to be more avant-garde and use locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, so here I am," Cornelius says. "Culinary is a small world."

“I want people to say, ‘When we were in Fort Worth, you won’t believe what we got at Will Rogers!’” Schell says. “Even the celebrities who perform [in the auditorium] are surprised. When Chicago played here recently and we served dinner backstage, they said they felt treated like the Rolling Stones.”

chefs