Pinkies up! From Vancouver to Bermuda to Nairobi, Fairmont has a long, illustrious history of serving the best Afternoon Tea in town. To celebrate the luxury hotel brand’s historic connection to this cherished tradition, Fairmont has declared Saturday, November 12, 2011 as an “official” day to pay tribute to all things tea. Get Steeped with Fairmont festivities will go on around the world and include everything from a special Teddy Bear Tea in Hamburg at Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten to etiquette classes at Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai and a special hat competition at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. For a full listing of local Get Steeped events, tea fun facts, recipes and more, guests can visit http://www.fairmont.com/getsteeped.
Tea Day celebrations at Fairmont hotels will be as diverse as the hotels hosting them. In Victoria, the regal Fairmont Empress – famed for its traditional Afternoon Tea – will have a tea sommelier on hand conducting tastings, while Switzerland’s Fairmont Le Montreux Palace will celebrate tea Swiss-style with finger sandwiches made with local cheese and beef along with mini meringue from Gruyère. At Fairmont Heliopolis & Towers in Egypt, a tea station will be placed in the lobby along with home-made cookies and tea cakes, while The Fairmont Hamilton Princess in Bermuda will hold a special Afternoon Tea Waltz for visitors. Kenya’s historic Fairmont The Norfolk will invite restaurant guests to tour a neighboring tea estate, where they will be taken through the intricate techniques of growing & making tea.
In warm weather destinations, a number of hotels are taking the opportunity to cool off guests with their own twist on iced tea. Fairmont Mayakoba in Mexico’s Riviera Maya will celebrate the day with a Berry Berry and Xtabentun (a local liqueur made from anise seed, honey and rum) Mayan tea, with hot and iced versions available. Similarly, Fairmont Scottsdale Princess with offer High Tea on Ice alongside a trio of offerings: Jalapeño Corn Scones, Cactus Crisps, and Agave Madeleines. The Fairmont Acapulco Princess and The Fairmont Pierre Marques will offer special frozen teas featuring a variety of Fairmont tea blends in a half coconut at the hotel’s bars, pools and beach.
For a modern spin on this age old beverage, Fairmont hotels will also be serving up trendy tea-infused cocktails. Fairmont St Andrews in Scotland will offer a tea cocktail menu throughout November, featuring delicious drinks such as the Tea and Toast-tini made with Fairmont Breakfast Tea Blend, Seville Orange Marmalade, Bombay Sapphire Gin and fresh lemon juice. In China, Fairmont Beijing will offer cocktails as well, using local Chinese teas to create the Chamomile Kiss and Jasmine Pearl. The Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver will offer a flight of three warm (and spiked) teas paired with their Pastry Chef’s delectable pastries. Hot Maple Tea with Sortilege liquor will be on offer at Quebec’s Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, while Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa’s Wine Country TEAsers will be crafted using Fairmont’s signature teas and authentically local Sonoma Valley wines. At Fairmont Monte Carlo, a “Dancing ParTEA” will offer up alcoholic and non-alcoholic tea cocktails, traditional and special blended tea, iced tea and more. Darjeeling tea éclairs, chocolate and raspberry tea pies, Earl Gray tea biscuits and lemon tea cakes will also be on the menu.
Kids who want to be in on the fun won’t be left behind either, with an Afternoon Tea etiquette class queued up at The Fairmont San Francisco that will feature a hat fashion show presented by San Francisco’s famed Mrs. Dewson’s Hats. Book-loving children will be delighted by the one-of- a-kind Eloise Tea experience at The Plaza in New York or The Fairmont San Jose’s Mommy & Me Tea Party day with a book reading event. Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park is hosting a tea time dim sum to compliment Asian tea varieties, but will also create a delightful selection of children friendly dim sum, such as peanut butter and jelly and grilled cheese.
