The Alice Cocktail Experience brings Wonderland to Philly

Philadelphians don’t need to drop down a rabbit hole or through the looking glass to get themselves into a storybook.

With The Alice Cocktail Experience, visitors are welcomed into a world of curious characters (played by actors), twinkling lights and riddles with this spiked tea party extravaganza. The room itself (which calls the upstairs of Thanal Indian Tavern at 1939 Arch Street home) is decked out and even if you’re not a fan of tea—or spiked tea rather—it’s worth checking out for the atmosphere alone.

As soon as you walk upstairs and turn the corner, the scene is set and the experience kicks off while you enter into the room to explore everything it has to offer. It’s extremely detailed—from the floating chess board on the wall, to the dozens of pastries (sorry, they’re just for show), to the other Easter eggs that pay homage to ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

At this Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, patrons are put right into the action in immersive ways. A welcome shot and cupcakes are passed around for some sweet treats to start it all off, then to make your first drink, you must figure out a few different riddles.

Some mind puzzles come in when talking to the Cheshire Cat on the wall, and with another, you have to mingle with the actors (the White Rabbit, March Hare and Mad Hatter) on your own to figure out what you need next. Then, there are a few people who might get some extra presents during this round, and that comes in to play when the Queen of Hearts decides to make an appearance—we’ll keep it vague without giving too much away to avoid some spoilers.

Once you complete the puzzles and receive the ingredients, you can make your main cocktail.

The drink itself isn’t anything as elaborate as the room—but the interesting addition to this “tea” concoction is a spoon that holds dry ice, and when you mix your drink, it begins to smoke from the teapot. A third drink is then served, and with it also comes a competition.

Patrons get a dish with whipped cream in the shape of a rose and a small shot glass with grenadine in it, and they can decorate their plate for the Queen of Hearts to inspect, and eventually, award a winner. The activation might also hold some other games—such as a make-shift croquet round, and overall The Alice Cocktail Experience remains immersive and interactive throughout the 90-minute run.

After traveling around different stops in the US, the nomadic party experience is now parked in the City of Brotherly Love until May 21, and shows run Wednesday through Sunday with two sessions each night (5:30 and 7:30 p.m.). In total, visitors will get a welcome drink, two bespoke cocktails, some sweet treats, 10% off Thanal Indian Tavern and a unique evening overall.

The event is strictly +21. Under-21s can attend family-friendly sessions only (look online for specific dates.) Tickets ($47) can be found online. To find out more, visit bucketlisters.com