ILLUSTRATION
RICKARD WESTIN
if ever there
was a time of year particularly suited to us BarChicks,
it’s now, as virtually every fun tradition to do with Christmas is
made better with a drink in hand. So, don your favourite LBD – or
whatever gear you fancy – as we go on a bar hop par excellence.
First stop, Austria. On 6 December, young men across the
land dress up as a hairy, devil-like creature called Krampus and
run amok in the streets, frightening naughty kids. It may sound
scary, but it’s all fuelled by a super-sweet liqueur called Krampus
schnapps, which is the traditional drink to offer the beast if he
knocks on your door. If you want to witness it, grab a seat at Villa
Crazy Daisy’s (
tel: +43 (0)6542 725260
)
terrace in Zell am See, near
Salzburg, a perfect vantage point to watch the craziness unfold.
Back in London, we’re all for making new traditions. The ever-
hip Queen of Hoxton (
queenofhoxton.com
),
in the city’s East End, is
attempting to introduce festivals to the winter – and we’re looking
forward to partying in a wigwam on the bar’s rooftop,
with hog roasts, hot, buttered rum and hot Hackney
locals. Nice one, WigWamBam.
Of course, one of our favourite annual
rituals has to do with mistletoe and if you’re
feeling romantic, we’d recommend heading
to Paris, where cocktail legend Tony
Conigliaro has opened the city’s coolest bar just in time for party
season. Bucking the current trend for dark and dirty speakeasies,
Bar Le Coq (
barlecoq.com
)
is all about 1970s glamour: the kind of
place Marianne Faithfull, Yves Saint Laurent and Bianca Jagger
would feel right at home.
Few things are more festive than Christmas lights and this
year they’re being taken to new heights in the Amsterdam Light
Festival, when buildings and sculptures will be lit up until 20
January. While there, detour to Vesper (
vesperbar.nl
)
to warm up
with some kick-ass cocktails. This shabby-chic boutique bar, in the
über-trendy Jordaan area, is a killer place to celebrate in laid-back
style. Be sure to ask for something with genever, a gin-like spirit
drunk in these parts at this time of year.
That said, our favourite tradition is in Berlin. On the 24th –
known as
Heiliger Abend
(
Christmas Eve) – after a nice family
dinner, we go clubbing. Suicide Circus (
suicide-berlin.
com
)
and Panorama Bar (
berghain.de
)
always have
smashing parties – you might even find Santa at
one of them after he’s done his rounds.
It just remains to wish you happy holidays
and see you New Year’s Day: Circo Loco in
Ibiza anyone?
barchick.com
Real festive spirits
B A R C H I C K
With everyone in party mode this month, our bar columnist lines up a
suitably seasonal crawl of the network’s best drinking traditions
We’re looking forward
to partying in a wigwam on
a London bar’s rooftop, with
hog roasts and hot locals
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V I E W P O I N T S
