Grape Belini Cocktails and the Spencer Hotel

Uniquely Chautauqua

By Sandra Scott

“There is no place like it,” said David McCullough, the best-selling author and historian, describing the Chautauqua Institute in southwest New York, “not anywhere else in the country, or anywhere in the world.”  The same could be said for the Spencer Hotel on the grounds of the Institute.  And just as unique is the favorite local cocktail – the Concord Grape Belini.

Located on the shore of Lake Chautauqua, the institute started in 1874 as a training camp for Sunday school teachers and evolved into a summer destination known for its unique interaction of the arts, religion, education, and recreation. It is a perfectly preserved Victorian village.

Driving along Route 394 from Mayville to the Spencer Hotel, John and I decided to stop at The Red Brick Farm, which is more than a farm. It is an eclectic collection of shops selling furniture, art, yarn, dollhouses, flowers, landscaping items, and, best of all, it is home of Brick Village Gourmet.  At Brick Village Gourmet we met Chef Tim Murphy. Chautauqua is in the Concord grape-growing area so it stands to reason that Chef Tim has “gone grape” creating Concord Grapeseed Vinaigrette and Concord Grape Berry Topping.  But it is what he does with the Concord Grape Berry Topping that caught our attention.  Skip the traditional peach flavored Belini and go grape with a Concord Grape Belini.

Chef Tim’s Chautauqua Concord Grape Belini is easy to recreate.  Pour one ounce of his Concord Grape Berry Topping in a champagne glass. Finish by filling the glass with a Riesling wine from Mazza Chautauqua Cellars located just down the road. Chef Tim not only creates great grape cocktails but also dressings, preserves, and salsas, he also teaches cooking classes.  And, he does catering for the Spencer Hotel, our lodging for the night.

The Spencer Hotel is on a tree-lined street near an amphitheater where headliners from the world of music and politics entertain and enlighten audiences.  The Spencer is as eclectic as the offerings of the Chautauqua Institute and as creative as the Concord Grape Belini.  One hundred years old in 2007, the Spencer is a boutique hotel with a literary theme created by the Helen Edgington.   Everything is unique including the gleaming player piano, dubbed “Henry,” in the reception room. “Henry” entertains guests during special gourmet dinners catered by Chef Tim Murphy. In the words of Helen Edgington, “Henry is very mannerly and never takes a break.”

But the rooms are the attraction. Deciding what room to call home for the night is a difficult decision.  Every room is dedicated to a different author. Edgington hand painted and decorated the rooms to celebrate the author’s literary works. The Arabian Nights room has a border of elephants parading their way around the wall of the bathroom.  In the Jules Verne room the bed skirt resembles the gondola of a hot air balloon complete with “sand bags.”  The colorful balloon is painted on the ceiling above the bed. The walls of The Spencer's Honeymoon Suite, the Agatha Christie room, are covered in gorgeous green fern special-edition wallpaper that was created for Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor.  The Charles Dickens’ room, as do all the accommodations, features the works of the author. To curl up on the couch in the Dickens’ room on a winter night would be “the best of times.”

On the way to the Spencer Hotel, stop at Mazza Chautauqua Cellars for a bottle of Riesling wine and visit Brick Village Gourmet to buy Chef Tim’s Concord Grape Berry Topping, then head to the Spencer Hotel. After relaxing in the Spencer’s new spa, travel “Out of Africa” in the Isak Dinesen Room, or venture to Narnia with “The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe” in C. S, Lewis room, or have an adventure with “Alice in Wonderland” in the Lewis Carroll while sipping a Concord Grape Belini.

For more information check: www.thespencer.com, www.tourchautauqua.com, and http://brickvillagegourmet.com.

Sandra Scott is a frequent contributor to travel publications and to Copley News Service and has co-authored two books on local history. She lives in Mexico, NY.
Images by Sandra and J. J. Scott

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