My New Orleans bar-restaurant, Latitude 29, opened in November 2014 with a roar, however by December we felt a creeping maiaise: The Crescent Metropolis might be damp and gloomy within the winter, and everybody’s determined for a little bit of cheer. So when Cocktail Kingdom CEO Greg Boehm requested Latitude 29 to take part in a tropical test-drive of his “Miracle” follow-up, “Sippin’ Santa’s Surf Shack,” which was solely being featured in two different bars, all I requested was “The place do I signal?”
Over the subsequent 9 years, the pop-up had a reputation change and a progress spurt: There at the moment are 55 bars throughout the U.S. and Canada collaborating in “Beachbum Berry Presents Sippin’ Santa,” rebranded by Greg after I took over the cocktail program, creating new drinks with my bar workforce yearly just like the Jingle Hen, Sugar Plum Mai Tai, and a Christmas stocking filled with North Pole meets South Seas mashups. The truth is, solely one of many first season’s cocktails, the Sippin’ Santa, has but to get replaced by one thing new (see sidebar).
In addition to this ever-evolving drink menu, Cocktail Kingdom provides companion bars unique Tiki mugs and glassware each for service and retail merch, over-the-top transportive decor, coordinated social media, and nationwide print and TV publicity. The upshot? Latitude 29’s clients now begin asking about “Sippin’ Santa” in June, they usually don’t cease till the pop-up begins simply after Thanksgiving. Speak about a Christmas miracle!
— Jeff “Beachbum” Berry
