Ready or not, the holidays are coming! Sonoma County has always had its own style when it comes to celebrating the most wonderful time of the year. As we count down to Christmas 2022, a spirited new place to sip on a drink can be added to the list of holiday activities.
The Lazeaway Club at Santa Rosa’s Flamingo Resort is putting on its holiday best this year as it transforms into Sippin’ Santa. Similar to the popular Miracle holiday cocktail pop-up at Brewsters Beer Garden in Petaluma, the spinoff combines Christmas and tiki (think Santa on a surfboard). Festivities kick off Nov. 25 at the poolside eatery and run through December.
“I want people who live here to come and enjoy this and not just think of the Flamingo as a summertime hangout,” says Apirada Nititham, Beverage Manager at Flamingo Resort. “We want it to be a destination. We want it to be a tradition.”
Nine tropical cocktails, served in kitschy, holiday-themed glasses and vessels, are on the menu. Guests can toast the season with drinks like the Kris Kringle Colada (dark Jamaican rum, Amara, allspice liqueur, lime, pineapple, cream of coconut), Yule Tide (tequila, Applejack, lime, maple-cranberry syrup) and Top Shelf Elf (house-spiced rum, falernum, cinnamon).
Just a month after revamping the Cal-Pacific eatery’s main menu, Chef Chris Ricketts has created a selection of bites to pair with the Sippin’ Santa tropical cocktails. Christmas Ham, a slow-cooked char siu pork belly with grilled pineapple, cherry and clove; Oh Christmas Tree, a pine seasoned fried chicken made with rosemary buttermilk; and Mele Kalikimaka, a Hawaiian sweet stuffing croquette, are a few of the dishes making their holiday debut.
A flurry of decorations are going up in the Santa Rosa restaurant and bar. Along with surfing Santas, ceramic coconuts and festive pink flamingos, poolside snow is on the forecast, thanks to a strategically placed snow machine.
The Sippin’ Santa cocktail menu is first-come, first-served at Lazeaway Club. Dinner reservations can be made online via OpenTable.
The Lazeaway Club is the only Sippin’ Santa location in Sonoma County. The tiki-themed drinks will not be available at neighboring Vintage Space, but the bar and music lounge is planning its own lineup of holiday events, including Christmas Spectacular, Brunch, in Drag on Sunday, Dec. 4.
Lazeaway Club at Flamingo Resort, 2777 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-545-8530, flamingoresort.com