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Top 10 quirky pop-up bars

Nudists, zombies, Game of Thrones’ Seven Kingdoms and Stranger Things have all featured as unusual themes for some of these bizarre bars. We round up the 10 most weird and wonderful pop-ups to open in the last 12 months.

A bar inspired by Stranger Things opened its doors in Chicago this month

The UK has already established itself at the forefront of the pop-up movement, but London in particular is making strong headway with the burgeoning trend.

From a bar inspired by the lands of Westeros in the hit US show Game of Thrones, and a naked rooftop haven encouraging Brits to go ‘clothes free’ to a pop-up claiming to have everything needed to handle a hangover in Amsterdam, pop-up bars are adopting all manners of unusual identities.

Meanwhile across the pond a Will Ferrell bar inspired by his character in Anchorman opened its doors in Los Angeles, and a drinking den featuring the demonic beings in Stranger Things arrived in Chicago.

Click through the following pages to see which bizarre bar pop-ups made our list.

If you think we have missed any out, let us know by leaving a comment below.

Stay Classy, Los Angeles

Stay Classy – named after the catchphrase of Will Ferrell’s character Ron Burgundy in Anchorman – popped up inside Los Angeles’ TCL Chinese Theatre in December last year. Decorated with paraphernalia from Ferrell’s films including Anchorman, Elf and Stepbrothers, the bar also boasts a drinks menu with cocktails including the Mugatu Mule, Milk Was a Bad Choice, and the Smelly Pirate Hooker. The pop-up follows the original New York venue, which opened in New York’s Lower East Side in 2015.

Alcotraz, London

Located at 212 Brick Lane, Alcotraz is inspired by America’s most infamous prison based on an island off the coast of San Francisco that operated from 1934-1963. Launching on 28 September for three months, Alcotraz aims to “replicate the eerie atmosphere and mystery associated with prison life”, serving an array of cocktails using spirits that have been “smuggled in”.

Blood & Wine, Edinburgh

Blood & Wine, the Game of Thrones-inspired pop-up, returned to Edinburgh’s Daylight Robbery bar on Dublin Street this summer. Decorated with props provided by a swords retailer, the tavern offer wines, ales and spirits found in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice series, which inspired the critically-acclaimed show. Making its debut this January, fans of the Seven Kingdoms have until 1 September to visit the cosy tavern.

Naked Sun Terrace, London

Last summer, London’s ‘first’ naked rooftop bar opened to coincide with the forecast of a mid-August heatwave. The rooftop haven, with views overlooking Parliament Square in Westminster, encouraged Brits to go ‘clothes-free’ 60ft up from the ground. The naked haunt offered an open-air bar, relaxing sunbathing areas and even the chance for a quick work-out with a bounce on a trampoline or a round of swing-ball.

The Upside Down, Chicago

As the second season of hit Netflix series Stranger Things fast approaches, a new pop-up bar inspired by the demonic beings from other dimensions has arrived in Chicago. The Upside Down features seven cocktails and slushies such as the the gin-based Mouthbreather and the Tequila-based She’s Our Friend and She’s Crazy. The venue features the blinking Christmas lights that allowed communication to the Upside Down, as well as a heavy dose of New Wave synth and more 80s tunes.

BallieBallerson, London

Set over two floors in Dalston, Ballieballerson is a pop-up bar offering bottomless Prosecco, Tequila punch, and hide and seek in an adult ball pit pen. The venue, which opened last December, provided an hour of bottomless drinks and games in the pit followed by an hour of unlimited spaghetti meatballs and alcohol in the upstairs bar. Both locations in London and New York are currently closed, with plans for a new venue in the pipeline.

ABQ, various locations

So good news for fans of the hit US television series Breaking Bad, you can now relive the glory days of Walter White with a molecular drinking experience inspired by the critically acclaimed show. The bar, called ABQ, has returned to London on a more permanent basis, with previous pop-ups also taking place in New York and Paris. Based in an RV truck, the bar allows 28 ‘cooks’ in at one time to make cocktails from a ‘manual’, while wearing a Walter White meth-making suit.

Survive, Edinburgh

Inspired by US horror television series The Walking Dead is Survive, the latest pop-up from the brains behind Blood & Wine. Located below the Six Degrees North Bar, the drinks list features beers, wines, cocktails and boilermakers inspired by major moments from the zombie apocalyptic series. The bar features barbed wire decorations, drinks served in tin cans, and ghastly zombie paraphernalia.

Hangover Bar, Amsterdam

The world’s “first” hangover bar, where revellers are breathalysed on entry to prove they’ve been drinking, opened in Amsterdam last year. The pop-up claimed to have everything needed to handle a hangover from massages to a bed with a flat screen television. The garage-turned-bar houses cosy beds to lounge in, healthy juices and smoothies provided by Innocent, and a specially created anti-hangover menu by Foodora on offer.

The Bletchley, London

Unveiled in March this year by the brains behind the Breaking Bad bar ABQ is The Bletchley – inspired by the code-breaking operations that went on at Bletchley Park. Fans of the Imitation Game can visit the venue where WW2 Enigma machines and protocols and Sherlock’s deduction principles are used by mixologists to create personalised cocktail recipes. Bartenders will then work out your ideal drink based on your personality, tastes and desires.

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