What to Know
- Hotel Dena opened in September at 303 Cordova Street in Pasadena
- The 311-room hotel has a style inspired by Hollywood, with a Screening Area and a bar called Agents Only
- Limited-time cocktails at the bar include the Spiced Pumpkin Pasadena Martini and The Lingering Spirit, inspired by the Gamble House's spectral stories
The Crown City is known to many as the city of spirits — the popular ghost tours and Halloween-themed festivals tell much of that tantalizing tale — but spirits found around Pasadena, as in libations, also garner frequent attention.
And a new hotel is serving up splashy seasonal sips that have plenty of local flair. It's Hotel Dena, the just-debuted Cordova Street destination that features numerous knowing odes to our region's robust creative community and the dream factory we call home.
There's the property's stylish Screening Room — look for silent films to be on the lively loop, as well as spookier scenes in October — and Agents Only, a bar with Tinseltown-tasty sips and an Industry-inspired look.
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You can stop by for a beverage that draws its moxie from vintage Hollywood — the Golden Age Old Fashioned is one elegant choice, as is The Red Carpet — or two new offerings that have eerie auras, the kind you see when Halloween draws near.
And speaking of "Halloween," the 1978 classic directed by John Carpenter? Much of the iconic horror movie was filmed a few miles south of Hotel Dena, something you can ponder as you quaff the Spiced Pumpkin Pasadena Martini.
The $16 drink includes Monin Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate and Monin Pumpkin Spice Syrup and Woody Creek Vodka. Upping the timely spice notes? It's nutmeg, yum.
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The Gamble House is another well-known star of the area, and Hotel Dena is giving the landmark's ghostlier character its own moody cocktail: The Lingering Spirit.
Fords Gin is a central spirit in the $17 libation, which also includes garden syrup, lime juice, and coconut charcoal. "The cocktail is rumored to be filled with spiritual energy, just like the house itself" is the haunting vow.
For more on the new hotel, including the Agents Only menu, haunt this site for more information.
