The historic Adolphus Hotel has been a mainstay in the Dallas hospitality scene since 1912 and has recently reinvented itself with extensive renovations, a new restaurant, City Hall Bistro, the revitalization of the iconic French Room, and a brand new beverage program thanks to its new beverage manager, Anna Pereda Warren.

Since she began with the Adolphus just less than a year ago after time with Consilient Restaurants, Pappas Bros., and Bob’s Fort Worth, she has worked to give the beverage program the same fresh face as the hotel itself. Her most important charge from the hotel was to respect the hotel’s history. With a century of guests’ memories, the hotel asked that she pay homage to its past while employing new techniques and bringing in cocktail trends.

While Anna was up to the challenge, she knew she had to create a program she could be proud of that could still be digested by the everyday consumer. Even more challenging? She has three completely separate concepts to bring up to snuff, and each had to be unique and extraordinary in its own way.

City Hall Bistro offers twists on classics and some new concoctions from the Aromatic 1912 (their Old Fashioned) to the Renard Spiked The Punch (brandy, Amaro Averna, dry Curaçao, lemon, rosé). Alongside tapas-type options, Anna’s cocktail menu, while short, has a little something for everyone. Her favorite option on the list is Lilly’s Tonic, something she sees as a great representation of a London Dry Gin that pulls out the flavors of the cinchona bark in the house-made tonic.

The rooftop pool (only open to hotel and spa guests) was the most fun of the three (obvi). She used the menu to express what SHE wanted to drink by the pool—think matcha, strawberries, and summer takes on whiskey cocktail. Her favorites are the Matcha Do About Nothing and the Strawberry Fields. The latter started as a tequila cocktail, but Anna wanted something lighted, so she subbed Lillet, so it’s a surprisingly low ABV.

A little more challenging for Anna was the reinvention of The French Room‘s cocktail menu. She decided she needed to go above and beyond to change peoples’ minds from swizzling champagne in the traditional French restaurant—she simply hopes that guests will opt for a drink before or after dinner—so she started looking into new, crazy techniques that aren’t seen many places just yet. Beyond a great menu, she knows that knowledgeable team members are the key, and some new team members were brought on board. Since I haven’t been in to check out the new menu (tisk tisk), stay tuned for a full report on its exemplary options.

While I’m greatly looking forward to seeing what Anna has up her sleeves in The French Room, I’m wildly delighted by what she’s done with the menus at City Hall Bistro and the rooftop pool. Stop in for a cocktail this holiday season and steep yourself in the history of the hotel beside the crackling fire in the surprisingly cozy lobby.

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The Adolphus Hotel
adolphus.com
1321 Commerce Street (Downtown)
(214) 742-8200

City Hall Bistro
cityhallbistro.com
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @cityhallbistro

The French Room
thefrenchroom.com
Facebook: @thefrenchroomdallas
Instagram: @thefrenchroom_