Drink of the Week

Wanted: signature drink for historic landmark hotel.

This winter, the Brown Palace Hotel decided that 110 years was long enough to go without having its very own specialty cocktail. Turning to staff and guests for inspiration, the hotel launched a cocktail contest to fill the void. And the winner is...the Cascade Cocktail. Made with only the best, of course, this concoction combines Champagne, Chambord and Grand Marnier, with a sugar cube dropped in for extra fizz. Created by the manager of the Ship Tavern and named for the annual Champagne Cascade that flows down the 6,000 glasses that are stacked up in the atrium each holiday season, the cocktail is served chilled in a martini glass. And the sweet, pink drink ($7.50) is particularly divine when consumed in the Brown's sweeping lobby, which features white onyx columns lit by crystal lamps and a gorgeous stained-glass canopy -- nine stories up. So grab a couch, enjoy the live piano music and return to a time when the Old West still ran wild.