San Antonio, TXHoliday Bars

The Esquire Tavern, a historic River Walk room and two-time James Beard semifinalist, turns its downstairs bar into a fully redecorated holiday pop-up each winter. Twinkle lights, kitschy trimmings and new glassware take over the space for the season. Order the Christmapolitan, the program's standing cocktail built on vodka, spiced cranberry and vermouth and served in a festive coupe, then carry a second round back upstairs to the tavern's regular bar.

Hugman's Oasis, a tiki bar on the River Walk, gives its tropical room a Christmas makeover each winter as part of a touring holiday-bar program. The bar's tiki glassware and mugs come out decked in holiday trim alongside the usual island decor. Order the program's rum-forward signature tiki drink, served in a Santa-shaped mug, for a warm-weather take on a Christmas cocktail.

Chicken N Pickle's San Antonio location overhauls its upper level into a full ski lodge each winter. Outdoor fire pits, rooftop views and wall-to-wall Christmas decorations replace the usual patio setup for the season, and the bar rotates in a set of seasonal cocktails alongside its regular drink list. Order one of the lodge's seasonal cocktails while taking in the rooftop view, whether or not you came to play a match downstairs.

Each winter El Colegio, the lobby bar of the Omni La Mansión del Río on the River Walk, becomes Blitzen's, a colorful Christmas pop-up with a specialty cocktail menu built by a guest mixologist known from New York's cocktail bars. Holiday props and decor fill the room for the run. Order from the seasonal cocktail list, then step out to the River Walk with it in hand. Once the pop-up ends, El Colegio goes back to being the hotel's everyday bar.