Make the holidays merry with festive events in MetroWest, Milford
Lillian Eden
Opening a new business often comes with plenty of ups and downs, but it’s hard to beat the down of restaurants closing the same week you’re set to open a tasting room for unique liquors.
That’s what happened to GlenPharmer Distillery President Patrick Downing and his wife, Beth, opening the first distillery in Franklin in 2020.
“Thankfully, we’ve had such a supportive local and regional community that has been there for us, and has been interested in what we’re doing,” Downing said. “We’re very lucky.”
GlenPharmer will soon hit a new milestone: its first holiday celebration, a concert and four-course dinner on Dec. 17.
It's one of several holiday and new year’s events coming up in MetroWest and the greater Milford area. Whether you’re looking for a special holiday dinner to mark the festive season or just want to be surrounded by other merry makers, these events are sure to keep you merry and bright.
GlenPharmer's Savor the Spirit Holiday Music event
Where: 860 West Central St., Franklin, in the Proof event space on the second floor
When: Dec. 17, starts at 5 p.m.
Website: https://www.opentable.com/r/glenpharmer-distillery-franklin
If you go: As it turns out, this event sold out close to press deadline. Downing said there are likely to be similar events soon, and this one may be annual.
Guests will be serenaded by Martin & Kelly, a musical duo, while enjoying passed appetizers, drinks and GlenPharmer’s signature cocktails in the industrial building’s second-floor event space, Proof, which can host everything from corporate retreats to weddings.
According to Downing, the event was inspired in part by the Holiday Pops dining experience, with festive music and great food to put even the grinchiest hearts in the holiday spirit, but in a more intimate setting.
The menu for this holiday celebration includes offerings for vegetarians and meat eaters alike, along with passed appetizers such as chicken and biscuit sliders, butternut squash arancini and short rib profiteroles.
For those who can't make the Savor the Spirit event, the culinary team, led by executive chef Eric Zediker, has other offerings available all week, 4-9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and expanded hours on Fridays and weekends for the tasting room and restaurant.
“The menu is filled with a lot of great things,” Downing said, and can be enjoyed with cocktails such as the Pear Blossom with vodka, eldercello liquor, fig jam and pear puree, or the Ghost of Winters Past with Glenpharmer’s spicy vodka, strawberry, Guava and date syrup.
One of its vodkas recently got a name change—the ghost pepper vodka is now called Bhut, pulled from another common name for ghost pepper, bhut jolokia, which is used to give the award-winning liquor its signature spicy burn. The new name matches well—it starts with a B—with GlenPharmer’s other popular vodkas; Bog, a dark burgundy-colored vodka infused with cranberries; and Bean, which is infused with espresso and vanilla.
GlenPharmer also offers its spin on tequila and rum. It also just released last month its first whiskey, a bourbon. Downing said most people are interested in whiskies when it comes to distilleries—but GlenPharmer wanted to distill its product from grain, a years-long process.
GlenPharmer is also scheduled to launch a vanilla-flavored brandy in 2023, but exactly when can’t be put on the calendar—as with whiskey, good things take time.
“We want to make sure it’s at the right flavor profile, so it’s a little bit more specific to the barrel itself and how it’s coming along,” Downing said.
Miracle on Central Street in Milford
Where: Central Tavern, 31 Central St., Milford
When: Now through Dec. 31
Website:https://www.miraclepopup.com/
If you go: A holiday pop-up bar will grace the Central Tavern in Milford through Dec. 31. The pop-up, officially called “Miracle in Central Street” will feature kitschy and festive décor as well as an expansive array of cocktails such as the “Christmapolitan,” with vodka, elderflower and an absinthe mist; the “Yippie Ki Yay Mother F-----" with rum, ube (a purple yam) and pineapple juice; as well as Christmas-themed mocktails. The pop-up will also selling merchandise, including a T. rex-shaped mug wearing a Santa hat and shot glasses.
New Year's Eve in Milford
Where: Central Tavern, 31 Central St., Milford
When: New Year's Eve, Dec. 31
Website:https://www.exploretock.com/centraltavern/event/365619/2022-nye-party-with-tetter-todders
If you go: This New Year's Eve party will be the last show ever(!) for the band Teter Todders. $40 tickets get you two drinks, a party favor bag, buffet-style food and snacks, TVs broadcasting the ball drop, a foam party, drag queen performances and a drum line.
A Victorian Christmas brunch in Marlborough
Where: Eastside Grille, Marlborough Country Club, 200 Concord Road, Marlborough
When: Saturday, Dec. 24
Website: https://marlboroughcc.com/
If you go: Enjoy warm bread pudding, an omelet station and other brunch goodies while being serenaded by Victorian carolers at the Marlborough Country Club the day before Christmas. Guests are encouraged to make reservations. Tickets are $26 for adults and $14.95 for children.
New Year's Eve dinner at a classic speakeasy
Where: Less Than Greater Than, 28 Main St., Hudson
When: 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. seating times
Website: https://www.lessthangreaterthan.com/
If you go: This Hudson spot, hidden behind the façade of a cobbler shop, will host a four-course dinner with cocktail pairings on New Year’s Eve. Less than Greater Than is known for its whipped ice cream cocktails that are made to order using the power of liquid nitrogen, and the dimly lit room is inspired by speakeasies of the past.
Rock in the new year with BBQ in Marlborough
Where: Dante’s, a venue within Firefly’s BBQ, 350 E. Main St., Marlborough
When: Saturday, Dec. 31, 6 p.m. to 2023
Website:https://www.fireflysbbq.com/dantes
If you go: For a night of fun and dancing, the XS Band will perform a little bit of everything from funk to hip hop. There will be a champagne toast and party favors. Tickets are $25.