We may be just shy of Thanksgiving, but the folks at the Miracle on Seventh Street pop-up are already in the Christmas spirit: The annual festive bar takeover is set to open on Nov. 23, this year with a panda theme.
D.C.’s most famous mammal makes appearances in the bar’s decor, cocktails, and drinkware. “They go together like Christmas and pandas” is not a saying, so what’s with the theme? “Pandas and Christmas both warm my heart, and putting them together in a bundle of holiday joy was irresistible,” said Adriana Salame-Aspiazu, manager of special projects at the PUB, in a statement.
It’s also a good excuse to name a cocktail the Santa Bei Bei: a concoction of tequila, lime, and vanilla agave soda. There will also be giant sculptures of pandas a-playing in the snow that are totally ready for Instagramming.
Speaking of Instagram, the bar’s tradition of hosting a giant made-for-posing-inside-of installation (last Christmas it was a life-sized sleigh, the Game of Thrones bar had an iron throne) gets an upgrade: a giant New Year’s Eve ball with room inside. Yes, it will be on all your friends’ Christmas cards.

In addition to the new theme, plenty of this fourth-annual Christmas bar remains similar to previous iterations. There’s the Snow Angels, Ice Skating, Cookie Dough, And Snuggles cocktail, made with butter-washed vodka, Frangelico, coffee liqueur, and cream. D.C. artist Andrew Funk also returns to create original Hanukkah-themed wall art.
It’s not all pandas, all the time: One new drink (there are 11 drinks and two shots in all priced from $9-$14; see a full menu here) is the Welcome To The Party, Pal cocktail, made with bourbon, vermouth, allspice and amaro, and inspired by Die Hard. Better hope 20th Century Fox isn’t feeling litigious.
Miracle on Seventh Street is located at 1839 Seventh Street. NW. Open Nov. 23-Dec. 31. Sundays-Thursdays 5 p.m.-12:30 a.m., Fridays-Saturdays 5 p.m.-1:30 a.m. The bar also hosts a New Year’s Eve party, tickets $20.
Lori McCue