As 2014 begins to unfold, there’s a bunch of new opportunities for enjoying a drink coming into focus on our horizon. From new bars and restaurants to revamped old favorites and a handful of new product rollouts, here’s a rundown of the 12 things we’re most excited about.

Paris Bistro: Chef Al Paris and brothers Benjamin and Robert Bynum are following up on their Chestnut Hill BYOB Heirloom Fine American Cookery with this long-overdue update to the restaurant space on the ground floor of the Chestnut Hill Hotel at 8229 Germantown Ave., which was last inhabited by the Melting Pot. The bistro will be ready to open in any minute. Later this year, a jazz club will open at the building’s basement floor. 

Unnamed Fishtown Tiki Bar: PYT and Emmanuelle mastermind Tommy Up is launching his next project a few blocks up from his NoLibs stronghold with a tiki bar in nearby Fishtown. The details remain few and far between, but count on it being one of the many attractions that will draw the drinkwardly mobile to Frankford Ave. in the months ahead.

Sancho Pistola’s: Speaking of Frankford Ave. in Fishtown, it looks like Jose Pistola’s owners Joe Gunn and Casey Parker area also setting their sights on the rapidly blowing-up neighborhood for their next effort. They’re moving into the recently vacated Bubba’s Texas Barbecue space with Sancho Pistola’s, and if they get it their way, it will be open — with 10 taps and Mexican food — before February. 

La Colombe: La Colombe founder Todd Carmichael is also expanding along Fishtown’s Frankford Ave. corridor this year. In April, the Dangerous Grounds star will open a flagship cafe on the bustling strip. In addition to brewing coffee, it will double as a distillery.

Manatawny Still Works: Fishtown isn’t the only place you’ll find a craft distillery upstart this year. Out in the Philly suburb of Pottstown, Manatawny Still Works, the very first distillery that neck of the woods has seen since the sixties, is readying its unaged Virgin Whiskey for a February debut.

Live Jazz at Underbar: Old City beer hall Bierstube is dialing back the German-Chinese hybrid concept that its basement bar was based on, and going with a more Vichy France-inspired vibe that will bring live jazz performances to the subterranean spot on Friday and Saturday nights.

Yards Rye: The good folks at Yards Brewing Company recently introduced their latest seasonal selection, Yards Rye. It’s a new IPA that’s brewed with a healthy addition of rye to the grain bill. It’s popping up on taps everywhere right now. 

Royal Izakaya and Triangle Tavern: Steve Simons and Dave Frank, who own the Khyber, Royal Tavern, and both Cantinas, say they will finally open their long-delayed izakaya concept in Queen Village. They also have plans to open an as yet to be announced project at the site of the shuttered Triangle Tavern near 10th and Reed streets in South Philly.

Victory Hop Ranch: The latest hop-forward double IPA from the brewery’s ongoing Ranch series hit shelves a few weeks ago, and will be around until the end of February.

Liquor Store Privatization: We’ll believe it when we’re actually standing in the checkout line of a privately owned liquor store. 

CoZara: Though not blowing up quite like Fishtown, things are heating up in University City. That’s where Chef Hiroyuki “Zama” Tanaka will debut CoZara, a more casual cousin to his Zama in Center City later this year. It will join Shake Shack, and a second location for Zavino at Drexel University’s Chestnut Square. 

Bardot: That’s the working title of P.O.P.E. owner Dennis Hewlett’s forthcoming NoLibs venture that will replace Wine-O. He’s staying tight-lipped about the details and opening date. Nonetheless, we're still excited. 

Photo: Bierstube