Tinsel Christmas Pop-up Bar opens in Center City

Your holiday drinking escapades just got a whole lot merrier: Tinsel Christmas Pop-up Bar is coming to town!

Taking over the former Simpson’s Jewelry space (located at 116 S. 12th St.), the twinkling cocktail spectacle is the brainchild of Teddy Sourias, whose long list of achievements include BRU, U-Bahn, Cinder, Uptown Beer Garden and Finn McCool’s Ale House.

“We are excited to continue the expansion of Craft Concepts Group in Midtown Village,” says Sourias. “We purchased the 116 S. 12th Street building for future development and we wanted to keep the space activated. Our managers and teams from our other bars and restaurants came up with the idea to do something in the winter when we have downtime from Uptown Beer Garden.”

Tinsel Christmas Pop-up Bar features three rooms decked out in holiday flare, complete with Christmas decorations, holiday lights, a toy train and Christmas tree. There’s even a custom Krampus mural, designed by local artist Scott Johnston, for those jolly revelers who may have been more naughty than nice this year.

The space spans 1,100+ square feet and what was once a jewelry counter is now a 25-foot bar counter with 12 bar stools.

And what will you be eating and drinking?

There will be Christmas cocktails aplenty as well as specialty Christmas beer drafts, focusing on American and Belgian ales. Beginning selections include Troegs Mad Elf (spiced holiday ale, cherries, honey), Hardywood Bourbon Gingerbread Stout (boubon aged milk stout, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla) and Chimay Grande Reserve (Belgian strong, dark ale beer).

In terms of food, you can nosh on Christmas cookies (yay!), appetizers, sandwiches and other holiday specials.

“Tinsel lets us have some mid-winter fun outside of beer garden season and lets my team showcase their creative abilities in customized this unique jewelry store setting,” Sourias adds. “The space also gives us the opportunity to definitely expand out of our comfort zone and showcase our fun and super playful side.”

Tinsel will be open Tuesdays through Thursdays (5 p.m. to 10 p.m.), Fridays and Saturdays (2 p.m. to midnight) and Sundays (noon to 5 p.m.) through December 31.

There will be happy hour specials Tuesdays through Fridays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. with $5 drafts and a select Christmas cocktail.

For more information, visit: facebook.com/tinselphilly.