This is the signature drink of the Polo Lounge, Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles USA according to Difford.
The hotel inspired the Eagles epic title track from the 1976 “Hotel California” album. During this period, Don Henley and the band were living in the Beverly Hills Hotel, an Art Deco landmark with Spanish Revival bell towers.
The song – although not directly related to the hotel – was highly influential. He notes, “We were getting an extensive education, in life, in love, in business. Beverly Hills was still a mythical place to us. In that sense it became something of a symbol, and the ‘Hotel’ the locus of all that LA had come to mean for us. In a sentence, I’d sum it up as the end of the innocence, round one.”
There is a Pink Palace reference in West Vancouver. The official name of the property is the Villa Maris, but it is commonly referred to by locals as the Pink Palace. It is a rental property much loved by its long and short term residents.
The pastel pink-coloured building, on a 1.6-acre lot, was constructed in 1966 and contains 101 units. It has been slated for re-development for the past few years but has been delayed by permit process.
The Recipe
The sweet-sour balance of this drink depends upon how generously you pour the grenadine – and how pink you like it. Although the hotel in West Vancouver is situated “on the rocks”, it is not recommended for the cocktail.