One of our stops in New York we were most excited about is the bar in the Baccarat Hotel and residences. This incredible bar is decorated, literally floor-to ceiling, with Baccarat crystal (side note: everything is also available for purchase, so if you’re admiring that chandelier…). Walking into the Baccarat bar is like stepping into a decadent bar in Paris. From the red roses, to mirrored tables, to $250,000 chandeliers, this is a definitely the most opulent bar we’ve been in.
We’ve admired Baccarat crystal for years, ever since our friends gave us this wine coaster from the Mille Nuits collection as a gift. It’s the only piece we actually own. So, when we visited the bar, it was fun to actually try some cocktails served in crystal. All of the cocktails are specially matched to a particular glass.
The bar offers an extravagant tea service in the afternoon, and then cocktails and small bites in the late afternoon and evening. We were excited to try their signature cocktails. One of our favorites was the Opus served in a Harmonie highball, and we’re sharing the recipe here.
We have to say, there’s nothing quite like using a product to sell you on how amazing it is. No amount of admiring the crystal at Gumps or Bergdorf’s can compare to sipping a cocktail out of a Harcourt Double Old Fashioned or Mille Nuits flute. It somehow tastes better knowing that as much work went into crafting the glassware as the cocktail it contains.
The Baccarat bar would also be the perfect place to visit during the holidays. For Christmas, they are offering special holiday teas in the salon (including whimsical Nutcracker-themed selections and The Little Prince story theme for children), and holiday themed cocktails in the bar, like the Antonietta Dell’Era, named in honor of the first ballerina that played the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutracker ballet.
If you go, be sure to pay attention when you walk into the lower level (the bar and lobby are up a floor). It’s easy to miss, but the wall is actually an installation of several thousand Harcourt goblets with LED lighting. Pretty incredible!
Thank you to Alaska Airlines for sponsoring this post, and the Baccarat Bar for hosting us for a glamorous cocktail hour in New York!