PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A holiday pop-up bar known as Tinsel returns for an eighth year in Center City with all the sparkle and glitter of previous years, and a new theme centered on classic Christmas movies.
The onslaught of holiday kitsch starts on the sidewalk.
“We have a huge façade, neon lights, a giant 17-foot—we tried to do the Macy’s tree out front,” said manager Josh Leva.
“And then when you walk in, our theme this year is ‘Christmas comedies’ — so, ‘Home Alone,’ ‘Elf,’ ‘A Christmas Story,’ ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.’ We tried to get a lot of inspiration from all of those.”
The cozy space at 12th and Sansom streets is decked out with images representing these movies and more. Don’t forget “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” — and there’s a selfie staging area with Bumble the Abominable Snowman from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
“I feel like with this theme, it's nice and light-hearted,” said sculptor Jason Miller, who made the 8-foot-furry creature. “I think that everyone needs a little comedy right now, so why not numb up the comedy and have a laugh.”
The theme carries over into the pop-up’s whimsical specialty cocktails and souvenir cups, said Leva.
“We try to do 12 cocktails of Christmas. We have two shots and then 10 different cocktails. This is my third year making the drinks. I try to get inspiration from every movie that we have up.”
There's a drink that’s served upside-down to look like a snow globe. Others have names like Bah Humbug, Jingle Juice and Heat Miser — the latter inspired by the character of the same name from the 1974 Rankin/Bass stop-motion classic “The Year Without a Santa Claus.” And there’s a concoction that’s served in an edible candy cane shot glass.
And good news for anyone who has felt, maybe, a little cramped in the space the bar has occupied all these years: Tinsel has plans to expand into a second-floor space in a matter of days.
