Can’t wait for the “Stranger Things” season two premiere in October? Emporium Arcade Bar has reimagined its old Surf Bar pop-up space to house a “Stranger Things”-themed bar, appropriately titled “The Upside Down” (2367 N. Milwaukee Ave.). It opens at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18.
The entrance of the bar is an eerie walk through overgrown plants and past chain-link fences mimicking the entrance to Hawkins National Laboratory. Just inside, you’ll have to look up to see a kitchen table bolted to the ceiling with Eleven’s favorite food—Eggo waffles. That’s in addition to the mural outside of the bar with Eleven and her beloved breakfast meal.
Once you fully enter the bar, you’ll be transported to Will Byers’ living room—where his mother, Joyce, created the notorious Christmas light alphabet.
What would a well-crafted pop-up bar be without creative cocktails? The cocktails available are as follows:
Eleven’s Eggos: slushie drink with Angel’s Envy bourbon, lemon, orange, cranberry, maple syrup and garnished with a waffle
Snack pack: mezcal, passion fruit, lemon, chocolate syrup and creme de cacao
Coffee and contemplation: scotch, coffee liqueur, lemon and coffee bitters
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Demogorgon: slushie drink with overproof rum, blood orange, lime and allspice dram
She’s our friend and she’s crazy: reposado tequila, amaretto, lemon and strawberry
Mouthbreather: gin, caramelized pineapple, lime, Ancho Reyes and Hellfire Shrub bitters
“You shouldn’t like things because people tell you you’re supposed to,” but we’re pretty sure “Stranger Things” fans will love this.
The Upside Down pop-up is open 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday through Friday, noon to 3 a.m. on Saturday and noon to 2 a.m. on Sunday through the fourth week in September.
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