LIBATIONS AND LORE: While there may or may not be a portal to the Hollywood of the 1940s somewhere near the Hollywood Sign, and you may or may not need to locate it on a moonlit night, you can always make contact with the Tinseltown of the past at a certain inn located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard. It's an auspicious and notable address, in a town that does love its luck — see the "7" — and it's where the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel stands, and has stood, for nearly a century. This was the first home of the Academy Awards, and so many stars from the movie industry's Golden Age called it home, sometimes for months on end, that their names could nearly fill a sidewalk full of stars. In short? This is the portal to pure Hollywoodism, in style, cachet, and the occasional sip. Look to Public Kitchen & Bar, one of the property's on-site restaurants, and look to the recently debuted cocktail menu, which includes some drinks that pay homage to the twinkly titans of yore. Like...
THE LUMIÈRE, which recalls the visionary duo who coaxed the art of film into being at its very dawn. That sip includes Plymouth gin, green Chartreuse, Carpano Antica, and a dash of Regan's Bitters. If you know your comedy you know everything Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz have made, and you likely know that they once called the Hollywood Roosevelt their address for a bit. The Desi is a minty cocktail that boasts Cazadores Reposado, Crème de Cassis, cucumbers, lime, and simply syrup. As for the Pearamount Pictures? You got it, a pear liqueur is at its fruit-forward heart, along with Grey Goose La Poire and other tasty ingredients. For the full menu roster, get your most fabulous, Hollywood-esque togs on and make for the bar off Hollywood Boulevard. (And, truly, you can take a rest on looking for that time travel portal near the Hollywood Sign, for the hotel at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard is as portal-y as places come.)
