If you’ve ever wished you could shrink yourself down and go inside one of those gingerbread houses that you built as a child, here’s your holiday miracle: The JW Marriott at L.A. Live (900 W. Olympic Blvd) built a life-sized, 1,300-pound gingerbread-house bar in their lobby:
Photo courtesy J.W. Marriott at L.A. Live
The Gingerbread Bar opened Monday and will be on display through the end of the year. It includes a cozy living room and a working bar, where you can enjoy complimentary samples of Santa’s Little Helper—a classic mule spiced up with gingerbread liqueur. I stopped by when the bar was closed, but it looked and smelled amazing.
A sign inside “Santa’s Tavern” lists the ingredients that went into the gingerbread creation, which include 624 pounds of flour, 200 pounds of sugar, 144 pounds of brown sugar, 144 pounds of molasses, and about 1,200 “elf” hours. While the structure is edible, there’s a good reason to leave it intact in favor of an even sweeter treat: By making a donation to the Children’s Miracle Network through the hotel, guests can sponsor a gingerbread brick with their name engraved in icing.
Courtesy J.W. Marriott at L.A. Live
In December, The Gingerbread Bar will be serving those complimentary samples every day between 4 and 5 p.m. On Wednesdays (December 6, 13, and 20), the hotel’s Liquid Intelligence mixology classes will be held at the bar from 7 to 8 p.m. Classes are complimentary and open to the public. If you visit during off hours, like me, check out The Mixing Room, located in another corner of the Marriott’s lobby, where you can also enjoy delicious holiday fare, including the More the Merrier (pomegranate, ginger beer, lime and vodka) and the Mistletoe Mimosa (a ruby red cranberry cocktail).
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