Joy to us, Calgary! It’s true: everyone’s favourite Christmas-themed celebration is back. Ricardo’s has gotten a merry makeover and they’re celebrating the holidays with Sippin’ Santa! And it sure feels like Christmas on a beach in there.

On the off chance that you aren’t familiar with it, Sippin’ Santa is a pop-up bar that serves up holiday cocktails with a tropical twist. Think OTT tiki concoctions spruced with festive colours and flavours and Christmasy drinkware. It’s totally the place to rock your ugly sweater.

Sippin' Santa

With our fave Christmas celebration in town, we obviously made our umpteenth visit to Ricardo’s. And boy, were we delighted.

Coming to the Sippin’ Santa cocktails, well we tried six out of the eight libations on the menu. Here’s what we thought!

First up was the Kris Kringle Colada which came in a coconut glass. It was a sweet and comforting reminder of warm, sunny days.

Sippin' Santa

Then there was the Holiday On Ice which was truly a holiday drink. Not just because of the themed glass it came in but also because of its coffee and cinnamon-spiced flavour. It tasted a bit like a Shaft but more holiday-y. Definitely worth a try.

Next up were the Top Shelf Elf shots. These arrived in cute, little reindeer shot glasses and were a lot of fun. If you’re hitting up the place with the after-office-drinks gang, these are gold.

Sippin' Santa

Then there were Yule Tide, the namesake Sippin’ Santa and Jingle Bird that were served in fun, Santa drinkware. The three were, without a doubt, table favourites and tasted divine. Fair warning though, Yule Tide was strong AF.

The drinks complimented Ricardo’s Caribbean, Cuban and South Pacific-inspired menu which, as per usual, was delicious.

Sippin' Santa

Basically, if you need a great spot to celebrate the holidays with some craveable indulgence and lip-smacking cocktails, Ricardo’s is the place to be.

The Sippin’ Santa pop-up will be on until Friday, December 23rd, 2022. Be sure to enjoy the festive cocktails to your heart’s content while the pop-up’s still in town.

Merry cocktailing, folks!