Ivy and Coney's Hanukkah Bar Started as a Joke. Now It's a tradition.

"The first year that the Shaw bar Ivy and Coney launched its Hanukkah pop-up, it was really meant to be a joke. "We were ribbing our buddies at Drink Company, who had a wildly successful Christmas pop-up bar three blocks from us," says Ivy and Coney co-owner Josh Saltzman. In that early iteration, Saltzman taught his business partner, Chris Powers, how to make his grandma's latke recipe, and they decorated just a small area."

"A favorite tradition is the "shotnorah," a 16-foot-wide menorah with shot glasses affixed to the top. Keeping with the seasonal spirit of community, eight people can simultaneously take a shot of Manischewitz (proceeds go to Bread for the City) or Fireball (it is a candleholder, after all). Following a few years of wear and tear-"It's succumbed to the limits of drunk twentysomethings manhandling it"-the bar is unveiling a new golden candelabrum this year."

Ivy and Coney created Chai-vy and Cohen-y as a Hanukkah pop-up that grew from a small joke into Washington's only dedicated Hanukkah bar. The pop-up now takes over the entire bar and extends beyond the original eight nights to span December. The latke recipe comes from the co-owner's grandmother, and candles are lit with small gifts distributed throughout the Festival of Lights. A signature attraction is the 16-foot "shotnorah" with shot glasses for communal toasts, with proceeds benefiting Bread for the City. The bar replaces its worn menorah with a new golden candelabrum and marks Christmas Day with takeout and classic holiday films.

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