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Nineteen Loews Hotels properties are serving up craft drinks from The Bellhop Bars like this one. (Loews Hotels & Co. photo)
Loews Hotels is getting nostalgic this holiday season, serving locally-inspired cocktails from The Bellhop Bar by Loews Hotels. The concept pays homage to “the golden age of the cocktail era” with its use of an oversized steamer trunk retrofitted as a bar and antique, apothecary-style bottles.
The Bellhop Bars are serving drinks in 19 properties now through mid-January 2019, Kathleen O’Connell, area director of public relations for Loews Chicago, O’Hare and Minneapolis, told Convene.
At downtown Chicago’s Loews Hotel, The Bellhop Bar serves the Co-HOP Honey Old Fashioned (left) and the Hangar 455. (Loews Hotels & Co. photo)
From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily, hotel guests can choose from pre-batched cocktails made with Angel’s Envy Bourbon or Hangar One Vodka. A red wine from The Count by Buena Vista Winery, which is the oldest winery in the U.S., and the sparkling wine Conundrum also are available.
The Bellhop Bar concept is a spinoff of the brand’s earlier success story, The Traveller Bar, which started in Chicago, O’Connell said. It ended its two-year run last January. Lesley Gehring, Loews Chicago Hotel’s director of outlets, said in a press release the new promotion continues the chain’s “nod to the adventures of travelers from eras ago,” when they packed big wardrobe trunks for extended journeys.
While the pop-up bars are only available for a limited time in the hotels’ lobbies, O’Connell said Loews is considering if the concept might work as an option for meetings or events.
“People love it,” O’Connell told Convene. “It is really fun.”
Each participating hotel created two locally-inspired, handcrafted cocktails that are unique to its destination. In downtown Chicago, The Bellhop Bar serves the Co-HOP Honey Old Fashioned, featuring Angel’s Envy Bourbon, honey simple syrup from Chicago Honey Co-Op (the hotel’s Flavor by Loews Hotels partner), Angostura bitters, and Orange Bitters. The Hangar 455 features a blend of Hangar One Vodka, Campari and sweet vermouth.
Here is a sampling of the specialty cocktails served at some of the chain’s other properties, according to their websites.
- Loews Minneapolis Hotel offers the Bygone Fashion, featuring Angel’s Envy Bourbon, Orchard Apricot, Demerara syrup, bitters, and flavors of orange and cherry; or the Mill City Martini, a blend of Hangar One Vodka, Plymouth Gin, St. Germain and Agalima Sour.
- At Loews San Francisco Hotel, guests choose from the Angel’s Old Fashioned, featuring Angel’s Envy Bourbon, Mr. Espresso orange-infused syrup and Angostura bitters in a glass rimmed with Mexican-spiced cocoa bitters; or the Herb Garden, a blend of thyme-infused Hangar One Vodka, thyme syrup and lemon juice.
- Loews Miami Beach Hotel serves the Old Fashioned con Mango, featuring Angel’s Envy Bourbon, mango-infused simple syrup, mango bitters and orange bitters; or the Miami Startini, a blend of Hangar One Vodka, St. Germain Liqueur, Cointreau, simple syrup, lemon juice and fresh star fruit juice.
- At Loews Hotel 1000 in Seattle, guests can order the Port Angeles, featuring Angel’s Envy Bourbon and flavors of orange and Florio Fernet; or the Golden Gardens, a blend of Hangar One Vodka, gin and Lillet Blanc.
- Loews Boston Hotel serves The Midnight Ride, featuring Angel’s Envy Bourbon and mole bitters; or The Mayflower, a blend of Hangar One Vodka, Luxardo, Creme de Violette, Yellow Chartreuse and lemon juice.
For more on The Bellhop Bar concept, visit the Loews Hotels website.
The Bellhop Bar at Loews Minneapolis Hotel serves the Bygone Fashion (from left) and Mill City Martini. (Loews Minneapolis Hotel photo)
The Bellhop Bar is housed in what looks like an oversized steamer trunk. (Loews Hotels & Co. photo)