There are only three Miracle pop-up bars in Colorado, and one of them this year is at Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar in Colorado Springs. What is a Miracle Bar? Imagine if Clark Griswold’s Christmas Vacation home decorations blew up all over a bar and you’ll start to get the idea. The Miracle pop-up concept is an over-the-top explosion of Christmas kitsch — and the perfect place to grab some friends, put on your ugly sweaters and clink extravagant cocktails out of Santa pants or unicorn or T-rex or demon-horned Krampus mugs. Add Jax’s fresh seafood, charitable giving and extended hours and it’s an excellent recipe for festive fun.
The Miracle pop-up concept began in New York City in 2014 when Greg Boehm paused construction on his East Village cocktail bar called Mace to fill it with Christmas decorations and serve holiday-themed drinks. Obviously, it was a hit. The concept began spreading the following year, and today it has a global reach.
Miracle at Jax opened Nov. 18 and runs through Jan. 5 in Colorado Springs. The restaurant is filled with festive décor that includes garland, gift wrap, giant nutcrackers, Santa hats on fish and lots and lots of twinkle lights. And you don’ want to miss the neon “Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal” photo wall with a cheeky Santa backdrop.
Of course, that’s all the gift wrap for those cocktails. If you’ve been to a Miracle pop-up bar before, you’ll recognize classics that include the Christmapolitan, Christmas Carol Barrel, Snowball Old-Fashioned, Yippie Ki Yay Mother F****r!, Jingle Balls Nog, Nice Shot and Naughty Shot. But there are new drinks on the Miracle menu too, including the Santa Little Helper, Christmas Cricket, Holiday Spiked Chai and Grandma Got Run Over by a T-Rex.
Are they over the top? Absolutely. But they’re legit cocktails that will evoke holiday cheer and nostalgia. Of those we’ve sampled, the Jingle Balls Nog is a well done nod to the classic holiday beverage. The Christmapolitan is another standout, adding mulled spice notes to this riff on a Cosmo. Served in a snowflake-etched coupe with a rosemary garnish, it also looks like the sophisticated sibling among all the other gaudy glassware. But those crazy mugs are a big part of the fun, and the Yippee Ki Yay Mother F****r! delivers a big rum-based blast of tropical holiday sweetness in a Santa pants mug, garnished with mint and a tiki umbrella.
If you love the mugs, you can buy them to take home. Alongside all the drinks, Jax is serving its entire regular menu, including fresh raw bar platters on ice and seasonal specialties.
The Miracle pop-up bar at Jax features extended hours, with daily happy hour at 2-5 p.m., dinner running nightly 4-10 p.m. and extended bar hours until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
Jax 30th Anniversary
Along with the holidays, Jax and its parent Big Red F Restaurants are celebrating their 30th anniversary. The original Jax opened in Boulder in 1994. Now there are five locations along the Front Range, including LoDo Denver, Glendale, Fort Collins and Colorado Springs. Big Red F also owns The Post Chicken & Beer, Centro Mexican Kitchen, West End Tavern and Velvet Elk Lounge.
“Restaurants are a tough go. Even in the best of times, they are a high-risk, high-energy effort,” says Dave Query, founder and chef of Jax Fish House and Big Red F. “And with the pandemic, the economy and rising costs and wages, these aren’t the best of times. But I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. It has been my greatest honor to work with so many incredible staff members and serve the world’s best guests over the last 30 years at Jax.”
To celebrate, Jax has teamed up with the Post Brewing Co. to create a limited-time beer exclusively served at Jax. Jax Sidecar Burnt Orange Ale is flavored with pureed caramelized oranges for a citrusy yet soft ale perfect for pairing with Jax signature oysters and seafood. Best of all, the beer is only $3 a pint during Jax happy hour.
Over its three decades, Big Red F has helped to raise and donate more than $1 million to a variety of nonprofit and aid organizations.
In the spirit of holiday giving, Jax will hold its 12 Days of Giving on Dec. 1-12. Each day, a portion of proceeds from a cocktail will be donated to local nonprofits. Those include the Kenna Foundation, Rocky Mountain Field Institute and Second Wind Fund. At the end of this year’s season, Miracle Bar will donate 10% of all proceeds from sales of Santa Pants, Christmas Carol Barrel and Santa Heads glassware to the Seva Foundation, a global nonprofit eye care organization.
Get more details about the Miracle pop-up bar at Jax at jaxfishhouse.com.
