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Be Good…Sippin’ Santa will be Watching at The Citizen

miracle at The Citizen

Miracle, the beloved Christmas-themed pop-up bar launched in 2014 in New York City, will continue spreading holiday cheer around the globe in 2018. It will return to Niche Hospitality’s The Citizen on Commercial Street as the brand celebrates its five-year anniversary. This year, Miracle will launch in over 80 locations around the world with Sippin’ Santa expanding to multiple locations in partnership with notable tiki-connoisseur Jeff “Beachbum” Berry.

Launching the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 23rd, Miracle locations throughout the United States and beyond will offer seasonally-themed cocktails in a festive setting through New Year’s Eve, Monday December 31st, 2018. Miracle creator Greg Boehm and long-time manager Joann Spiegel are pleased to be able to continue expanding the concept to new cities across the U.S. and to locations in Europe, Asia and Central America.

“The growth of Miracle and the love that guests have for this concept has been completely amazing,” says manager Joann Spiegel. “Our partnership with Jeff ‘Beachbum Berry’ will be a fun and new way to elevate our Sippin’ Santa locations this year as the love of tiki continues to grow in the U.S. Our partners across the world continually overwhelm us with their creativity and festive good spirits, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for all of our locations in 2018.”

Spiegel, together with esteemed bartender Nico de Soto of Mace and Danico, have created the much buzzed about roster of Christmas concoctions served at all Miracle locations, from favorites such as the Snowball Old Fashioned (Gingerbread Bourbon, Wormwood Bitters, Lemon Zest) to newcomers including Christmas Carol Barrel (Aged Rum, Aquavit, Amaro, Pumpkin Pie, Demerara Syrup, Lime, Vanilla, Angostura Bitters) and the And A Partridge In A Pear Tree (Reposado Tequila, Pear Brandy, Mezcal, Spiced Demerara Syrup, Lime, Egg White, Club Soda, Angostura Bitters, Cinnamon). All cocktails will be served in Cocktail Kingdom®’s custom Miracle glassware, from mugs to coupes, highballs and rocks glasses. Many locations will have these items available for purchase with Miracle donating 10% of select glassware sales to Action Against Hunger – making the perfect gift that keeps on giving.

Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, described as one of Imbibe magazine’s “25 most influential Cocktail Personalities of the Past Century”, has created tiki holiday-themed cocktails, that will be center stage at all Sippin Santa locations. This year’s roster includes drinks like the Kris Kringle Colada (Dark Jamaican Rum, Cynar, Allspice, Lime & Pineapple Juice and Cream of Coconut) and Hawaiian Milk Punch (Bourbon, Cream, Chai Syrup, Sarsaparilla and Tobacco Bitters, Nutmeg). Sippin’ Santa will pop-up in none other than Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 in New Orleans, in addition to tiki locations in Chicago, Sacramento, Washington D.C., Detroit, Cleveland, Houston, Springfield, and at Boilermaker in New York City, the original outpost for the concept.

The concept for Miracle was born five years ago, when upon the advice of his mother, Greg Boehm decided to halt construction of what was to be his new East Village cocktail bar Mace to transform the unfinished space into a pop-up bar serving holiday-themed drinks among festive décor. As crowds swarmed the NYC location, Boehm’s friends throughout the bar industry asked how they could recreate the holiday magic in their own bars and expansion became inevitable. Over the past few years, Miracle has expanded from 4 locations to over 50 in 2017. In 2018, Miracle in conjunction with Sippin’ Santa will reach a total of over 70 locations internationally at some of the most highly revered cocktail establishments around the world.

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4 Great Places in Central Mass to Dine Outdoors

A group of diners enjoying the weather at Ceres Bistro in Worcester, MA

Central Massachusetts’ all too short outdoor dining season has begun…with many local eateries capitalizing on the good weather and offering dining al fresco!

Dining outdoors means different things to different restaurants. Some restaurants, like Volturno, Lock 50, La Scala, Vintage Grille and The Mill 185 have built large open-air patios outfitted to take advantage of the good weather months. Others like Nuovo, Meze, Brew City and Corner Grille set up tables on the sidewalks in front of their restaurants giving your meal a bit more of an urban feel. Mezcal in Worcester brings the outdoors inside by opening the floor-to-ceiling glass doors while their Leominster location offers patio dining under umbrellas. Looking for waterfront dining? Guiseppe’s in Northborough offers upscale dining on a deck overlooking Solomon Pond and Point Breeze on Lake Webster bring deck dining (and drinking) to a whole new level. Still others like Smokestack, The Citizen and VIA offer covered patios to extend the outdoor dining experience even when Mother Nature doesn’t fully cooperate.

So whether it’s a quiet spot to enjoy a romantic dinner, a sun-drenched patio to people watch or dinner on the deck lakeside with cocktails and friends, there is an al fresco spot to match any occasion and mood!

Here are a few of our favorite places to eat, drink and enjoy the good weather months while they last!

Ceres Bistro

One of Worcester’s most elegant outdoor dining experiences, Ceres Bistro offers full-menu dining in the garden patio surrounded by luxurious plantings, flowers and landscaping. Live jazz on Thursday evenings and drinks at the open-air bar are also popular in the warmer months!

Flying Rhino

For outdoor dining, Flying Rhino has it all. Tables with umbrellas on the sidewalk for that urban feel, a huge outdoor deck for a more casual, relaxed experience and one weekend every summer, they transform their parking lot into a full blown, stick your feet in the sand beach and cookout experience that will make you forget you are on Shrewsbury St. One of the more popular decks in Worcester so get here early if you want a table.

Zorba’s

At Zorba’s Worcester location, you can enjoy a full Greek dining experience under an enormous covered patio that runs the entire length of the front of the restaurant. A summer experience not to be missed is enjoying one of their famous sangrias and a selection of meze’s on this patio! And for when the weather isn’t perfect, Zorba’s patio is covered to make sure you can still enjoy the experience.

NU Café

Located right outside the front door, the big comfortable patio at NU Café features lots of tables with umbrellas to relax and enjoy coffee, fruit smoothies, breakfast and lunch. A great place anytime of the day, the patio at NU Café sits off the street, making it a quiet oasis from the hectic pace of the day.