Sip Easy: Wintertime at the Victoria Freehouse
Sip Easy covers the enchanting world of cocktails, beer, wine, and all things alcoholic.
The Victoria Freehouse is aglow with soft, twinkling white light — it’s wintertime, and this British-style bar won’t let you forget it.
Situated on the edge of the Delaware River, the Victoria Freehouse pours almost exclusively English brews. But this is no British pub — instead, it’s a freehouse, affording the liberty to serve beers from a multitude of breweries. This season, those beers have taken their cues from the flavors of winter: dark, malty beers fill the taps along with generous pours of warm, sweet mulled wine.
It’s just a stone’s throw from the bitter-cold water at Penn’s Landing, but after a few sips of their seasonal beers, it’s impossible to feel anything but warm inside the Victoria Freehouse. Sip slowly on the “Lump of Coal” stout, which comes from the South Stoke brewery Ridgeway Brewing Company, for a weighty dose of holiday cheer. For something slightly lighter, try the St. Peter’s Brewery Winter Ale: a rich, malty beer with a hint of toffee. Both brews pair perfectly with the bar’s handmade (and well-dressed) gingerbread men.
With a nod to the cozy British tradition, the Victoria Freehouse also pours warm glasses of mulled wine, blood red and deeply aromatic. Sip on the warm wine with the bar’s whiskey-cured salmon or their mouthwatering pork chops. Better yet: visit the Victoria Freehouse on Sundays in December for their weekly roast, featuring roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, braised mushroom and pearl onions.
For those who prefer spirits to wine and beer, the winter rosemary-pear cocktail is exceedingly good. The cocktail couples gin with pear puree, with a sprig of rosemary for garnish — a modern take on the partridge in a pear tree.
Try all of the bar’s English ales this Friday evening from 4pm – 7pm for the Victoria Freehouse’s Christmas Ale Spectacular Happy Hour.
The Victoria Freehouse sits opposite the Delaware River at 10 S. Front Street.
– Arielle Pardes