Adjacent to the very pretty Philadelphia Flower Show next month, a neighborhood bar is hosting a pop-up floral shop-slash-cocktail bar. Speakeasy Franklin Mortgage is turning into Rittenhouse Flowers at 1715 Rittenhouse Square for a week, from Sunday, March 2 through Saturday, March 8.
During the flower shop residency, the bar will host notable New Orleans bartender Erika Flowers, who is the bar lead of chef Nina Compton’s Caribbean and Creole restaurant Compère Lapin and and was named one of Punch’s best new bartenders of 2023. Franklin Mortgage head bartender Nico Diaz had come up with the flower bar pop-up idea two years ago, and it finally came into existence this year. Diaz tells Eater that he tagged Flowers to develop the cocktails because they’re friends, plus it didn’t hurt that her name is very appropriate.
The menu will include cocktails inspired by and named after flowers, made with Heaven Hill (which has a rye whiskey inspired by the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood) spirits. There’s the Chamomile made with rye whiskey, mezcal, chamomile, hazelnuts, habanero pepper, honey, and cardamom; the Blue Lotus with gin, a blue lotus tea, butterfly pea flower, mint, and salted cucumbers (the punch is served in a bowl with a frozen flower accompanied with tea cups); and the Buttercup with a sweet corn, brown butter-washed whiskey, ginger, lemon, and Miller High Life. There will be nonalcoholic cocktails too.
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The front of Rittenhouse Flowers will have the floral shop decked out in flower installations. And then there’s a build-your-own-bouquet bar with flowers across the front of the building and throughout the interior space. The table centerpieces will be available for sale too. This is created and run by Philadelphia flower shop Creations by Coppola owner Marianna Coppola.
The flower shop portion will be open during the daytime and the bar will be open from 5 p.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, and until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Philly Flower Show takes place from Saturday, March 1 through Sunday, March 9.
