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It’s the most wonderful time of the year: A time when I think getting drunk off booze with egg and dairy is somehow a good choice.
Fortunately, this year’s Miracle holiday pop-up menu at Deadshot makes the inevitable heartburn very worth it.
The usually laid-back bar looks like Buddy the Elf got locked in with decorating supplies overnight. I mean, we are talking extra, with an hours-long Christmas playlist, fake snow, ugly sweaters and drinks served up in kitschy vintage glassware.
It’s all part of Miracle, a NYC-based holiday-themed pop-up cocktail bar franchise created by cocktail king Greg Boehm, which licenses its merry bacchanalia of recipes to just one bar in each city every year.
Owner Adam Robinson says he’s been on the waitlist for three years, after hearing from bartender friends in other cities that it’s been a great way to draw in new clientele and end the year with good sales numbers. When the previous host, the Bacchus Bar inside the Kimpton Hotel Vintage, closed, Robinson jumped at the chance to bust out the ‘nog.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas, but it seemed like a very smart business decision after a rough year and a half,” he says.
For what could easily just be a holiday gimmick, the drinks are pretty damn good. I was a fan of the Christmas carol barrel ($15): a lightly-chocolate flavored concoction made with tequila reposado, coffee liqueur, dry curacao, spiced chocolate and bitters, served in an intimidating barrel under a little paper umbrella.
Robinson busts out a blowtorch to hand toast the marshmallows that top the On Dasher ($15): a twist on nog with gin, beautifully balanced with the perfect amount of rich texture and warm spices (like black pepper and cardamom) working wonderfully with vanilla liqueur, cream and egg.
Deadshot’s current menu is a pop-up within the popup: Pulu by Sunrice is serving up tasty Filipino fusion from chefs TJ Cruz, Ken Tran, Roberto Almodovar, and Justin Dauz. Look for steak frites made with their adobo sauce (in place of beef stock) and a red-and-green plate of puffed beet rice chips topped with sinamak spice powder and accompanied by green smoked calamansi aioli for dipping.
The Miracle pop up will run through New Year’s Eve. They take reservations, which I’d recommend. Plus, a lot of the glassware is available for purchase—if you’re looking for some primo stocking stuffers.
GO: Miracle at Deadshot, 2133 SE 11th Ave., 503-875-0527, deadshotpdx.com, 4 pm-midnight Monday-Saturday.