Mixology Report
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Winter / Spring 2017
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Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar
Just up the West Coast, the Fairmont San Francisco
Hotel has played host to U.S. presidents, world leaders
and entertainment stars for more than a century.
Located atop Nob Hill, this landmark hotel has
pampered its guests with luxurious accommodations,
awe-inspiring views, incomparable cuisine, and a
heritage of grand hospitality since 1907. In 1945, the
Fairmont opened its infamous Tonga Room &
Hurricane Bar, delighting guests with its tropical décor,
decadent libations and Asian cuisine. Having reigned
as a swanky outpost of South Seas high-style for much
of its storied history, Tonga Room more recently
gained a following as an icon of tiki’s pop culture
heyday of the 1940s and 1950s. A one million dollar
restoration rekindled the excitement of its unique and
time-honored décor to recapture the glory of one of the
nation’s first tiki palaces. Open Wednesday through
Sunday, Tonga Room features a top-40 band each
evening; a dance floor built from the remains of the
S.S. Forester
— a lumber schooner that once traveled
regularly between San Francisco and the South Sea
Islands; and periodic light tropical rainstorms,
complete with thunder and lightning.
The Rose Club
The Rose Club, located inside New York City’s iconic hotel, The Plaza, where
the infamous Persian Room once was, is a classic example of a great American
bar. Since opening its doors in 1907, The Plaza has remained one of
America’s most celebrated hotels. Hailed upon its completion as the greatest
hotel in the world, The Plaza was certainly the most luxurious, boasting 1,650
crystal chandeliers, gold-encrusted china, and a breathtaking glass-ceilinged
Palm Court. The Persian Room, its legendary nightclub, played host to the
likes of Bob Hope, Liza Minnelli, and jazz icons including Duke Ellington,
Miles Davis, and Billie Holiday. Today, the grandeur of the hotel is perfectly
preserved inside The Rose Club, which features dramatic fuchsia lighting,
dark mahogany wood walls, and gold-accented Louis XIV-style furniture. The
Rose Club menu features an array of signature and classic cocktails, wines,
champagnes, and a select epicurean menu including lighter gourmet fare.
Photo courtesy of The Plaza Hotel
Photo courtesy of Fairmont San Francisco
