It’s a Christmas miracle! Dillinger’s is taking holiday spirits to a whole new level

At Dillinger’s Cocktails and Kitchen, wrapped presents and twinkling lights hang overhead. Christmas carols are playing. The bartenders are dressed in holiday style — and so are the barstools, wearing the chair version of Santa hats.

And the Prohibition-themed bar in downtown Olympia isn’t just in the holiday spirit: It’s also serving holiday spirits.

It’s Miracle at Dillinger’s, a pop-up Christmas bar, and it’s happening now through Dec. 24.

The bar-for-the-month is serving up drinks made with such ingredients as sweet potato rum, eggnog and gingerbread syrup.

“The special ingredients are all very nostalgic,” said Donnie Drake, Dillinger’s manager. “They’re classic holiday flavors.”

At first, some customers were startled by the post-Thanksgiving transformation of the dark and sophisticated bar into a winter wonderland. (For those not in the holiday spirit, the Rum Room is free of seasonal decor and serving the full regular cocktail menu.)

For the past week or so, though, most of the bar’s visitors have been getting merry like Christmas. Tuesday, several customers were dressed in holiday sweaters as showy as the ones behind the bar.

“People have been really excited,” Drake said, adding that the new vibe has brought in crowds, including new customers.

Miracles are happening at bars across the country and even around the world, but Dillinger’s is the only Washington location south of Seattle.

The pop-up bars, now in their fifth year, were conceived by New York City bar owner Greg Boehm — and by his mom, who suggested the idea but never expected him to make it a reality.

“She got super nervous when I said I was actually going to do it,” Boehm said in a November interview with Eater.com. “She’s like: ‘But you never listen to me. What if nobody shows up?’ ”

In this case, mother knew best. More Miracles have popped up each year, with bars from Bellingham to New Zealand paying to host their own versions. Boehm provides recipes, playlists and decorating tips, and sells participating bars mugs, glasses and other props. The bars take it from there.

“Coming out for cocktails isn’t everybody’s game, but this is a very social thing,” Drake said. “We’re seeing lots of families and lots of friends visiting home.”

They’re sipping such concoctions as the Christmapolitan, made with spiced cranberry sauce and rosemary, and the Jingle Balls Nog, a housemade eggnog with cognac and sherry, served in holiday-appropriate glasses and mugs. (Vessels are for sale, too, with a portion of proceeds going to Pizza Klatch, a local nonprofit that hosts support groups for LGBTQ students, and the global Action Against Hunger.)

The most over the top treat is the Christmas Carol Barrel, which mixes aged rum, Aquavit and pumpkin pie filling and is served in a ceramic barrel painted with lyrics to “Deck the Halls.”

“It’s really rich and different,” Drake said.

He favors the Run Run Rudolph, a relatively restrained cocktail that includes mulled wine and Prosecco, and also recommends the Koala-La La La, La La La La, which includes eucalyptus simple syrup and is served in a glass whose stem is gripped by a koala in a Santa suit. (You can take the koala home if you want to.)

“Those are a lot closer to what we would normally make,” he said. “We tend to not have drinks that veer really sweet.”

The appeal of kitschy Christmas cheer is, it seems, undeniable — at least for those who don’t mind imbibing under Santa’s watchful eye.

At Dillinger’s, a suspiciously skinny figure of the jolly old elf stands near the door. This Claus variation apparently can twerk — or he could, at least, until he got knocked over during a party and temporarily lost his head.

Miracle at Dillinger’s

• What: Dillinger’s is the Olympia home to the national Christmas pop-up bar Miracle, which features kitschy holiday decorations and wildly inventive cocktails.
  
  
• When: Through Dec. 24 (when the bar closes at 8 p.m.). Reservations are encouraged.
  
  
• Where: Dillinger’s Cocktails and Kitchen, 406 Washington St. SE, Olympia
  
  
• More information: 360-515-0650, dillingerscocktailsandkitchen.com
  
  

Raise a glass to Rudolph

This story was originally published December 13, 2018 at 6:35 AM.