Get In the Holiday Spirit(s)

Finch & Fork’s Winter Chalet

They had me at caviar. 

Theming their special bar offerings around an après-ski Winter Chalet experience, Finch & Fork at the Kimpton Canary Hotel’s Cocktails & Bar Bites is a delightful mélange of cozy comforts and elegant treats. Case in point: the aforementioned caviar, served with crème fraîche, house kettle chips, and chicharrones (kind of like the high-low clothing trend, but with food), which paired beautifully with their Alpine Negroni, made with Hendrick’s gin, Punt e Mes sweet vermouth, Campari, Braulio amaro, and its very own little Christmas tree — a touch of Douglas fir.

I also really, really enjoyed the Dirty Chai, a lusciously aromatic concoction made with Tito’s vodka, Kahlúa, Oregon Chai (which is apparently the first chai brought to America), cold-brew coffee, and cinnamon. Tops on the menu of retro-inspired comfort food bites we tried was the grilled cheese and tomato velouté (a dipping sauce made from the same lush heirloom tomato soup on Finch & Fork’s year-round menu), made from grilled sourdough and a meltingly delicious combo of gruyère, aged cheddar, and muenster cheeses. The French onion soup winter flatbread also brought back nostalgic memories of my mom’s French onion soup, especially the sherry-braised onions on the flatbread, which paired exceptionally well with the Cider Toddy, made with Del Maguey Vida mezcal, Amontillado sherry, fresh apple cider, maple, and ginger. 

In addition to the special bar bites and cocktails — which also feature a Classic Toddy, Second Slope (with cardamom-infused Tanqueray), and Ponche Navideño (a traditional Mexican Christmas punch, this one has Planteray original dark and pineapple rum) — the Canary also has a Pop-Up Holiday Photo Station with Minted in the lobby. Minted, which makes personalized holiday photo cards, has set up a corner to look like a cozy cabin, and there’s a free photo kiosk for guests to capture holiday photos against a backdrop reminiscent of a cozy, wintery ski chalet. There’s no obligation to purchase anything, but you can get your photo instantly via email, and if you want to customize a holiday card from the company, there’s a special 20 percent discount. 

Crochet & Cocktails is another holiday offering taking place every Wednesday, 5-7 p.m., through December 18. Tickets are free (you buy the cocktails and beginner crochet kits are available to purchase, or you can bring your own project) but reservations are requested at bit.ly/4fGPRmp.

Winter Chalet is located at the Kimpton Canary Hotel, 31 West Carrillo Street. See finchandforkrestaurant.com.

Miracle at Pearl Social 

A silver, gold, and white shimmering explosion of seasonal revelry has cast its blindingly festive light on Pearl Social Cocktail Club with this year’s fourth annual Miracle Pop-Up Christmas Bar taking over the normally understatedly chic Funk Zone locale. The over-the-top kitschy fun experience is open through January 1.

A dazzlingly twinkling snow globe of holiday magic greets you this holiday season, as you walk through a patio of winter white trees. They’ve got every kind of silver, white, and gold holiday decoration you can imagine stuffed in here, including a special themed cocktail menu complete with kooky Christmas collectible ceramic cocktail vessels that don’t hew to the color scheme.

My first pick was the Yippie-Ki-Yay Mother F****r, a vacation-ready libation of Barbados rum, rhum agricole, Trinidad overproof rum, purple ube, coconut, and pineapple juice that might just be the answer to the age-old debate as to whether Die Hard is really, actually a Christmas movie. And you drink it from a mug shaped like Santa’s pants!

The red dinosaur-shaped mug — adorned with a Santa hat and color lights — holds another delicious rum drink, the Christmasaurus, made with pineapple rum, mezcal, Velvet Falernum, apricot liquor, lime, coconut milk, and cumin, coffee, and pineapple flavors. Additional cocktail confections, which each have their own creative, holiday-themed vessel to go with their clever names, are the Christmapolitan (vodka-based, incorporating spice cranberry and absinthe mist), Snowball Old-Fashioned (incorporating gingerbread into the traditional old-fashioned), and the Stocking Stuffer (with bourbon, sherry, amaro, cinnamon, bitters, chocolate, and marshmallow flavors).

There’s also the Crooked Antler; Santa Slide; Run, Run Reindeer; Koala LaLaLa; Rudolph’s Replacement; Jingle Bells Nog; and The Krampus, among others. In addition to the festive Holly Jolly Bites & Merry Delights appetizer menu with things like an Old-Fashioned Holiday Cheeseball & Crackers, Reindeer Chow (nut mix), and Christmas Deviled Eggs, sister restaurant Lucky Penny is in on the festivities, and you can order individual wood-fired pizzas straight to your table.

There’s a $10 reservation fee for Miracle (food and beverages are separate), which includes a light-up beanie, plus all proceeds go to benefit area nonprofit CALM.

Behold the magnificent Miracle at Pearl Social: silver, gold, and white decorations are everywhere you look | Photo: Leslie Dinaberg

In addition to appealing to our inner kids with excellent adult beverages, Miracle at Pearl Social has added daily family-friendly hours from 2-5 p.m. for the whole family to enjoy. Also on the family front is a series of special events, “Miracle Presents: Elfing Around,” which lets children tap into the wonders of sister spot Helena Avenue Bakery, where they can decorate a gingerbread house, dance with elves, listen to festive stories, and visit Miracle at Pearl Social. Elfing Around takes place December 7 and 8, 1-3 p.m. See pearlsocialsb.com/events for details and reservations.

Miracle at Pearl Social is located at 131 Anacapa Street, Suite B. See pearlsocialsb.com.