Cocktails

Maccabee Bar lights up 2 locations for more than 8 nights

Boston’s original Hanukkah-themed pop-up bar returns the first week of December to spots in Somerville and Cambridge.

Cocktails from Maccabee Bar in Boston
Get in the Hanukkah spirit at Maccabee Bar. Photo by Carlie Febo

By Jacqueline Cain

1 minute to read

Boston’s original — and only — Hanukkah-themed pop-up bar returns this holiday season for an extended stay at two locations. Beginning the first week of December and running through Hanukkah, Backbar in Somerville and Noir Bar in Cambridge are transformed into Maccabee Bar.

Founding bartender Naomi Levy is creating new cocktails for the occasion, and will also bring back some favorites such as the Latke Sour, a shaken libation of apple brandy, potato, lemon, egg white, and bitters. Both locations will offer a menu of special Maccabee Bar food, including latkes and doughnuts by Lionheart Confections. 

For years around the holidays, the award-winning bartender shook up Christmassy cocktails on the job and reveled in decked-out dining rooms across the city. But Levy, an Eastern Standard alum who’s currently a cocktail consultant and the beverage director at Bow Market, never saw her Jewish identity reflected in the flavors and baubles. So in 2018, Levy gifted Greater Boston its first-ever Hanukkah-themed pop-up. 

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Whether or not you grew up celebrating the Festival of Lights, this Hanukkah wonderland will welcome and delight all. Expect special decor, beautifully balanced cocktails and spirit-free drinks, and noshes fit for the season.

Noir Bar, located at the Charles Hotel at 1 Bennett St. in Harvard Square, is running Maccabee Bar from Monday, Dec. 5 through Friday, Dec. 30 from 4-11:30 p.m. Noir is closed on Sundays (including December 25), but will be open on December 24.

Backbar, located at 7 Sanborn Court in Union Square, is running Maccabee Bar from Wednesday, Dec. 7 through Monday, Dec. 26. It will be closed December 12, 24, and 25.

Check each location for reservation information.

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