‘Tis the season for holiday pop ups and one of our faves has resurfaced, the Helliday Inn at the Skinny. Like last year when the bar partnered with the Syfy Channel to promote their show Happy with a  Jingle Hell’s pop up bar, this year has the same anti-holiday approach.

There are reindeer heads on the wall, a hangry Santa and doll heads hanging from the ceiling, but the ambiance is still festive due to the gazillion Christmas lights and themed cocktails. There’s also Santa’s Wheel of Misfortune where patrons can pay to probably ultimately lose.

Some of the featured frozen drinks we tried were the Flying Elf with Fernet Menta, Green Crème de Menthe and White Crème de Cacao, the Grinding Up Against the Gingerman, a mixture of Svedka Vailla Vodka, Hot Damn Schnapps, cream liqueur, ginger syrup and a gingerbread man cookie, and the Santa’s Sh*t Don’t Stink with Glendelaugh Irish Whiskey and Cream Liqueur.  We also “Saw Putin Kissing Santa Clause”, or tried the drink with that same name, a lethal combination of Svedka Raspberry Vodka, ginger beer, and cranberry juice.

New additions this year include Demone Seraophin, who will be on site Thursday through Saturday nights, to take bar-goers through inappropriate renditions of holiday favorite carols. He will encourage you to sing-a-long, since the new lyrics will be emblazoned across the digital screens during the activity. Other similarly inappropriate programming for the season include drag and burlesque shows, Krampus Karaoke, trivia, a tarot card reader dressed as Jacob Marley, Goodfellas Christmas’ 50s-70s music dress up on any given night and ‘Sleight and Lay’ speed dating.

As with all good things, bad things need to come to an end as well, so make sure to stop by to see the debauchery for yourself before January 31st – it’s one for the books!

– Stephanie Carino

Helliday Inn at The Skinny
174 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002