Square 1682 lead bartender Chauncey Scates takes mixology to new heights. — Photo courtesy of Square 1682
Let’s raise a glass–preferably one filled with Dame Edna’s Punch–and toast Square 1682, winner of the 10Best Readers’ Choice Award for Best Hotel Bar. This chic bar, located adjacent to Hotel Palomar near Philadelphia’s famed Rittenhouse Square, has mastered the art of mixology.
It’s no wonder that a hotel bar in Philadelphia took top honors. The City of Brotherly Love is one of the nation’s oldest drinking towns, with taverns dating back to the 17th century. As Philadelphia’s most famous resident Benjamin Franklin once noted, "There can't be good living where there is not good drinking."
America’s founding fathers, who often conducted meetings at the city’s taverns, would undoubtedly appreciate the concoctions created by Square 1682 lead bartender and mixologist Chauncey Scates and master mixologist Jacques Bezuidenhout, a liquor.com advisory board member. The aforementioned Dame Edna Punch is made with gin, tequila, house cucumber melon syrup, African nectar tea, aromatic bitters, soda and lime. Summer Whistlin’ Dixie features bourbon, ginger syrup, chamomile citrus tea, lemon and soda. Scates prides herself on using fresh, seasonal ingredients in her imaginative cocktails and turns even the most unusual combinations into masterpieces.
Square 1682 also boasts an extensive wine list (with a master sommelier named Emily Wines, how can you go wrong?) and an impressive selection of craft beers selected by General Manager Matthew Rafferty.
If the libations aren’t enough to convince you that Square 1682 deserves to take the top spot, then surely the bar’s sophisticated ambiance will win you over. The recently renovated space, which features a magnificent two-story cascading glass wine cellar, has an art deco feel thanks to vibrant artwork, metal tabletops and a sculptural wood-encased geometric staircase. Square 1682 also holds the distinction of being Philadelphia’s first LEED-certified green eatery and bar.
'Good drinking' has never looked–or tasted–better.
