The Enabler’s Rose Bowl Guide

By 8 a.m. Saturday, more than 700,000 people will flood the streets of Pasadena to watch the 122nd Rose Parade. Later, nearly 94,000 people will dash to the Rose Bowl to witness the Wisconsin Badgers and TCU Horned Frogs face off in the 97th “granddaddy of them all.�

The Enabler does not plan to participate in either of these crowded events. Instead, she will be quietly sipping a dry martini inside the toasty environs of the Tap Room at the Langham Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena (1), soaking in the chaos of the day from a gentle distance and mulling over ways to improve her life in the coming year. (Quality martinis would be a fine start.)

Because it is the official hotel of the Tournament of Roses, the Langham is the ideal place to feel a part of day’s extraordinary buzz without the hassle of trying to park in an area besieged by messy post- New Year’s Eve humanity.

Other Pasadena spots where interested parties can stay involved yet removed over the big weekend include Vertical Wine Bistro (2), which offers a Rose Parade wine flight; Mi Piace (3), with its tasty Italian food and generous happy hour deals; sports-loving T. Boyle’s Tavern (4); the margarita magic of Amigo’s (5) or El Portal (6); posh Elements Kitchen’s (7) cozy bar and menu of creative classics; the jazzy favorite Red White + Bluezz (8); the bubbly-sweet tumult of Pop Champagne & Dessert Bar (9); and the sticky, comforting divey-ness of the 35er (10). Some of the businesses may be closed Jan. 1, so visitors might want to phone in advance to check.

However, if you want to be more interactive with Rose Bowl participants you can always attend the Langham’s New Year’s Eve celebration, says Tap Room manager John Castino. The party includes a five-piece band, dancing, horns and hats. There, surrounded by dark-wood accents, stately chandeliers, and the hotel’s sprawling electric-green lawn, you’re bound to have multiple encounters with Badgers and Horned Frogs, because the hotel is sold out and largely populated by sports enthusiasts.

Having once lived with a football fan, the Enabler is at ease talking touchdowns (and was once cruelly made to memorize every NFL team and mascot before being allowed to partake in game-day drinking), but will likely forgo this activity in favor of the New Year’s Eve party at 1886 (11), the new bar inside the historic Raymond restaurant.

1886 refers to the year that the Raymond Hotel was originally built in then-pastoral Pasadena, with the restaurant now housed in what was once the caretaker’s cottage.

The one-month-old bar, which boasts a superb cocktail menu conceived by star mixologists Marcos Tello and Aidan Demarest of Tello Demarest Liquid Assets, is throwing a New Year’s Eve bash designed to take revelers back to the good old days of the hard-drinking, post-Prohibition Great Depression. To the Enabler’s mind that era is more romantic than today’s Great Recession if only because Apple Pucker schnapps had yet to be invented.

Although 1886’s general vibe — with its secretive backdoor entrance, pressed tin ceilings, antique fixtures, and rustic wooden tables, conjures images of rum-runners — the drinking experience itself is refined.

To begin, try a Honey-Nut Old Fashioned made with peanut-infused bourbon, honey and bitters. The nutty cocktail bites smooth and strong and leaves a healthy buzz in its wake. To fight the chill on a recent rainy Wednesday, the Enabler ordered a Hot Cider Toddy made of apple brandy, maple syrup and fresh apple cider. The concoction had the heft and gravity of a finely made drink.

And don’t forget the Rose Parade Punch made of gin, roses, cucumber and soda. It serves six and arrives in an authentic punch bowl.

“I think punch is the new drink of 2011 as it is already starting to replace bottle service,� Tello says. Amen, says the Enabler.

But if punch is not for you the Enabler recommends a new wine store and tasting room called Monopole Wine (12).

Congenial proprietors Hiro Tamaki and Peter Nelson don’t have plans to open on New Year’s Day, but they are offering a tasteful New Year’s Eve celebration with Champagne and snacks (reservations required); and will also keep regular hours during which oenophiles can participate in one of the shop’s signature blind tasting flights.

In this spirited team activity, Tamaki and Nelson pour three tastes from bottles concealed in white paper bags. As each taste is poured the men quiz you on what you are tasting. What are its key flavor profiles? How is its finish? What kind of food do you think it would pair best with? The idea is to guess the grape varietal plus the region. If you guess all three wines correctly you get a free bottle of wine, but thus far no one has succeeded. Although the Enabler’s rookie mother came alarmingly close.

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