To salute the golden age of the cocktail, Loews Hotels in May launched a cross-country traveling bar. Constructed from an old elevator car, the Traveller Bar features a zinc-topped counter and just four bar seats to invoke a 1930s speakeasy environment.
The bar offers a menu of 32 cocktails traditionally handcrafted by expert mixologists. It includes classics such as the Daiquiri, the Fedora and the Whisky Cocktail.
What’s more, a back metal mesh wall is lined with shelves of not only bottles, but also an impressive library of nearly 50 vintage cocktail books. These include a first-edition of the oldest cocktail recipe book ever written, Jerry Thomas’ The Bar-Tender’s Guide, which sells for about $8,000 in today’s market.
The Traveller Bar, which began its journey this spring in Chicago, is visiting each of Loews Hotels’ 24 properties, hitting 19 cities in 13 states. It left the Chicago area June 18 for the West Coast and was scheduled to be in Seattle until July 28, followed by Santa Monica, CA, from Aug. 3 through Sept. 2.
The Traveller will then hit Hollywood from Sept. 5 through Oct. 4; San Francisco from Oct. 7 through Nov. 6 and San Diego from Nov. 10 through Dec. 9. During its second year, The Traveller will stop in Tucson, New Orleans, Atlanta, Washington, Annapolis, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Montreal, Minneapolis, Miami and St. Petersburg, FL.
Here’s the recipe for the bar’s Gin Fix.
Gin Fix
2 oz. Botanist gin
¾ oz. Fresh lemon juice
¾ oz. Simple syrup
3 Raspberries
Shake all ingredients vigorously with ice. Strain into a rocks glass and pack with crushed ice.
