After more than a decade anchored to Christmas, Miracle Cocktails Inc. is entering a second season entirely: the company debuts The Haunting this October, its first Halloween-themed pop-up bar concept, available to licensed bars worldwide from October 1 through October 31.

The move extends the same playbook that made Miracle one of the most recognized holiday bar concepts in the industry — licensed menus, immersive décor, and exclusive collectible drinkware — into what is shaping up to be a major untapped opportunity in seasonal hospitality programming. The flagship location opens at The Cabinet Mezcal Bar in New York City on October 1.

Beyond Christmas

Since Greg Boehm launched Miracle in 2014, the company has licensed its Christmas cocktail concept to more than 300 bars worldwide. The Haunting represents the first deliberate effort to turn that seasonal licensing model into a year-round platform. "Miracle is no longer just a Christmas brand. It's a category," said Boehm, Founder and CEO of Miracle Cocktails Inc. "The Haunting will be a tradition, just like Miracle already is."

For bar operators, the concept offers a proven mechanism for driving incremental foot traffic during a period — October — when themed experiences already enjoy strong consumer demand. Participating locations receive a full seasonal cocktail menu, branded décor package, and access to exclusive collectible glassware and mugs available only at Haunting locations, a retention device the Miracle program has used successfully for years.

The Menu and Experience

The inaugural cocktail menu was developed by Joann Spiegel, Vice President of Miracle Cocktails Inc. Offerings include the Widow's Whisper, Scream-sicle, Poison Apple, Liquid Lobotomy, and Clown Pear-anoia, leaning into Halloween's mix of humor and unease. Spirit-free options are included, along with a seasonal shot served in an exclusive collectible Haunting shot glass guests keep as a souvenir — a direct carry-over of one of Miracle's most effective guest-retention tactics.

The décor concept draws on nostalgia: childhood haunted houses, vintage Halloween decorations, jack-o'-lanterns, and horror movie imagery. All collectible drinkware and barware for The Haunting is produced by Cocktail Kingdom, Miracle Cocktails' sister company and a leading barware manufacturer and distributor.

Operator Implications

For the bar and restaurant industry, The Haunting's arrival signals growing institutionalization of the seasonal pop-up model. What began as a Christmas novelty is now a scalable, multi-holiday licensing business, and bar operators looking to compete for October spend have a plug-and-play option with established brand recognition behind it.

The model also aligns with broader beverage industry trends around experiential hospitality — giving guests a reason to choose a specific venue over another during a crowded seasonal period. With more than 300 global Miracle partners already in the network, the distribution infrastructure to scale The Haunting quickly is already in place. Full location listings and participation details are available at www.thehauntingpopup.com.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.