Four Seasons of Style
The lobby of the Four Seasons hotel in Harbor East is a stark but beautiful space. At its center is this teak circular table that always holds a stunning arrangement of flowers in multiple vessels. For the holiday season, the floral collection was a symphony of reds and scarlets. In other corners of the lobby, the hotel erects four Christmas trees, each individually decorated to reflect—you guessed it—the four seasons of the year.
As a rye whiskey aficionado, reliable Pikesville Rye always had a space on our home bar shelf. So I was sad when Heaven Hill Distillery in Louisville, KY, announced they would no longer be producing the spirit. Named for Baltimore’s Pikesville neighborhood, it was distilled here in Maryland (as were many rye brands) until the 1970s, and always carried this distinctive, stylish label. The labels are disappearing now, as the final stock is sold from shelves. The historic white label is gone now, but the Pikesville name lives on in premium version, which is a 6-year-aged, 110-proof rye that is priced at more than twice what the old version was.
Peter & Eleanor Landauer host a 5-course, black-tie dinner in their elegant Guilford home each year on New Year’s Eve for a longtime group of friends. A polished cook, Eleanor prepares most of the courses herself, and enlists a freelance helper to assist with the serving and clearing. She also sets a beautiful table; this year’s was a wonderland of silver accents—a perfect backdrop for the collection of vintage Stieff silverware in the famous Repousse pattern and the menu of British-inspired dishes in a “Salute to the Queen.”
Underfoot throughout the evening was the family pug, Lillian, decked out in a chic holiday-inspired collar.
I’m always on the lookout for a stylish cocktail to add to my repertoire (which consists mostly of Manhattans, martinis and mojitos). This new one I found at the Boathouse Grill in Canton is a winner. Dubbed the ‘Monkey Business,’ it cuts a handsome figure in a martini glass and is intriguing and unusual. It’s a blend of aged rum, banana essence, Cocktail & Sons-brand oleo saccharum (a citrus concentration) and lime. In these cold winter months, it makes one long for a warm island breeze.
Speaking of warm breezes, with the days now getting longer, we’re starting the countdown to summer. And that makes me long for the days spent in one of Baltimore’s most stylish outdoor spaces—the handsome Clipper Mill pool.
