The Hotel Jerome grants new meaning to the term “frosty beverages” from December to March (weather willing), as ice-carving guru Scott Rella, of Aspen Vail Ice unveils an intimate, octagon-shaped frozen lounge on the Living Room terrace. Inside, a vodka bar showcases bottles on carved display shelves. Some calculations behind the cool construction:
9: Height in feet of the ice lounge on all sides
3,040: Gallons of water frozen
24,000: Total pounds of ice
6: Workers who unloaded the ice and built the structure
80: Ice blocks required
300: Weight in pounds of each block
$50,000: Cost of the computer numerical control machine that drove a router to carve the interior shelves and a window
3: Winter Olympic Games at which Rella has competed in ice carving
50+: Varieties of vodka available from around the world
40: Maximum temperature in degrees required to preserve the ice
1: Vodka Czar offering personalized tastings
150: Weight in pounds of the twinkling “Vertical Branch” chandelier custom made by the Paul Ferrante team
6: Maximum number of guests inside
How to get in:
- The Stoli Ice House is first come, first serve (no reservations). Cost is $50 per person, plus tax.
- Hours of operation are 3 p.m.–10 p.m., seven days a week.
- Ask a bartender or server in the Living Room lounge, or the host at Prospect restaurant, to put your name on the waitlist.
- You’ll be alerted by text when it’s your turn (in groups of two or five at a time).
What’s inside:
- Before entering, don a Canada Goose down jacket, courtesy of Gorsuch, to stay warm during the tasting.
- The vodka czar (a.k.a. vodka sommelier) talks you through the different vodkas available, their origin, the distillation process, and other facts.
- The experience takes approximately 20 minutes.
- You’ll receive four 0.75-ounce pours of vodka.
Hotel Jerome
330 E. Main St., Aspen
855-331-7213
hoteljerome.aubergeresorts.com
Published in the It's Golden issue of Aspensojo.
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