Christmas bar in London put to the test: Miracle at Henrietta

Social media is full of Christmas content. Particularly celebrated this year: London, once again. The city is turning into the Christmas destinationpar excellence. For visitors, this means on the one hand that there are lots of Christmas decorations, festive treats and events. But it also means one thing above all: waiting, waiting, waiting. The city is full, so if you want to get to the typical social media hotspots, you have to be patient or book well in advance. Like at the much-publicized Miracle at Henrietta in Covent Garden.

Christmas tradition from New York

In 2014, Greg Boehm brought a special “miracle” to New York City. The owner of premium bar accessories brand Cocktail Kingdom opened a Christmas pop-up bar for the first time. The original location of the Christmas craze: his bar Mace on 9th Street. Since then, a lot of water has flowed down the Hudson – and more and more branches of the Miracle have opened. For example in Connecticut, Detroit, Seattle and St. Louis. There are now more than 200 licensees around the globe, including a Christmas bar pop-up in London. More precisely: in the Henrietta Hotel, which belongs to the Experimental Group.

Miracle at Henrietta — © The Chill Report

Coming from Covent Garden, the bar is hard to miss. After all, there is a long queue outside the entrance every day. Because even those who haven’t made a reservation are hoping for a chance to enjoy one of the wondrous cocktails. And, of course, the perfect photo opportunity in the middle of a kitschy Christmas wonderland. Bookings started back in September this year and the Miracle at Henrietta is basically sold out. However, walk-ins with motivation to wait are also welcome and even encouraged to stop by.

What can the Miracle at Henrietta do?

We had already reserved our spot on September 16th, and on November 23rd the time had come. We arrived dressed in our best Ugly Christmas sweaters to match the theme. There is no waiting time for pre-bookings. Very pleasant! Once inside, the hoped-for dopamine rush overwhelms you. Christmas lights and decorations, far removed from any style, but all the more colorful and kitschy, await the guests. There is a fireplace with armchairs, which can be enjoyed as a photo spot throughout the day. And of course there are cocktails and a small bar menu.

Christmas bar in London — © The Chill Report

On the liquid side, you can fortify yourself with Christmapolitan, Snowball Old-Fashioned or Run Run Reindeer. Non-alcoholic options include the Snow Day Sipper and Silent Night. First things first: the presentation of the cocktails looks rather unkind, but the drinks are definitely good. The Snowball Old-Fashioned, for example, packs a real punch, but the promised gingerbread flavor remains in the background. Snow Day Sipper is basically hot chocolate. It also packs a punch, with sugar and sweetness that is hard to get rid of. However, Run Rund Reindeer, a reduction of mulled wine with Prosecco and lemon, was really good.

Is the Christmas bar in London worth a visit?

Small bar bites (really small) such as sliders are also on the menu, and cocktail glasses are also available for purchase. Drinks cost between 10 and 15 pounds, plus a service charge of 12.5 percent. The latter is automatically added to the bill, but can easily be removed if you ask for it. Incidentally, this applies to all discretionary service charges.

We usually leave the service charge on the bill, but don’t tip extra for it. The experience as a whole was great fun. The staff are super-motivated and still sing along to the seventh daily re-run of Last Christmas – and so do the guests. This creates a cheerful atmosphere reminiscent of a company Christmas party. Like us, most of the other guests were wearing Christmas sweaters and other festive outfits. A recommendation for anyone who likes that kind of thing. But we probably wouldn’t queue up for it.

Miracle at Henrietta
10 Henrietta St, London WC2E 8PS, UK

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