Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder:
A Bohemian Valentine

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Join us for the third annual Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder: A Bohemian Valentine as the Green Fairy presides at a Bohemian celebration of love.

Come wanderers, vagabonds, and adventurers…and come as your favorite bohemian! Think Monmartre in Paris, think Plaff’s Beer Cellar in Manhattan, think the early days of the Bohemian Grove in Sonoma County… Artists, writers, and defiers of convention all.

There will be an array of glorious Parisian flavors throughout the evening (for both vegivores and carnivores). There will be dancing. There will be sparks and sparkles of romance. Wit and wonder. Along with really bad puns. And not a cherub in sight.

The Bohemian Valentine’s Ball

Cocktails 5 PM

Strut your best bohemian weirdness, savor a gougère (a gruyere puffed pastry) and have a drink or two to start your evening. Our bar will be open, serving wine, beer from our friends at Upward Brewing Company, regular cocktails, and featuring:

• Absinthe la Louche: the traditional absinthe cocktail, with iced water dripped over a cube of sugar, slowly transforming its colour from the original emerald green to a lighter, opalescent shade of milky green.
• The Bohemian: Gin, elderflower liqueur, grapefruit juice and a dash of bitters.
• Death in the Afternoon: Invented and named by Papa Hemingway himself; a superb mix of absinthe and champagne. Because, right?

La Dance à la Boheme  6 PM

With a bit of the Green Fairy flicking off your bourgeois inhibitions, it’s time to learn to dance! We can’t promise cancan (we’re not actually sure that we couldcould!), but we will be on hand to teach basic fox trot and tango steps so you are fully prepared to sweep your Valentine off their feet in the most elegant of ways on the dance floor. Both are actually surprisingly easy to master and you will feel the élan just dripping off you.

Dancing and Dining 7-10 PM

This year, we’re going to offer an array of Bohemian Paris inspired flavors throughout the evening passed and at stations throughout the mansion. They will, of course, include our Moulin de la Galette buckwheat galettes (a Montmartre tradition for hundreds of years), made as you watch with your choice of of carnivore or vegivore fillings; along with savories and sweets that will amuse your tastebuds throughout the evening. This way, a new taste is awaiting you and your love each time you decide to take a moment to muse upon the exquisite nature of your dancing and the delights of the Joe Plowman Trio playing hits of Paris in the 30’s (assuming they can make it through the storm from Philly and New York! If not, never fear – we’ll have a delicious array of tunes to foxtrot and tango the night away).

The Menu

Plateau Mixe
Heart Shaped Walnut (V) or Chicken Liver Paté, Mini Wheel Brie, Grapes, Fresh Fig
with House-Made Geno’s Baguettes or Spillian Seed Crisps (GF)
•

Salade Verte à la Française
Green Leaf Salad with Chopped Fresh Herbs, Walnuts, and Vinaigrette à la Moutarde (V, GF)

•

Hors D’Oeuvres
Zucchini Fritter Canape (GF) with Beaverkill Smoked Trout or Pickled Cucumbers (V)
with Pickled Red Onion, Lemon Creme Fraîche and Fresh Dill

Roasted Tomato Pissaladiere with Spillian House-Made Puff Pastry, Comte and Olives (V)

Tartine with Caramelized Bell Peppers, Artichoke Hearts & Goat Cheese (V)

•

Galettes 
House-Made Monmartre Moulin de la Galette Buckwheat Galettes (GF)
Duck Confit, Onion Marmalade, Fresh Chervil
Mushroom and Leek Roulade, Plumb Cognac Sauce, Fresh Chervil (V)

•

Dessert
Persian Love Cakes with Rose Petals • Macarons • Champagne Frozen Berries (GF)

The Joe Plowman Trio

Bassist and Philadelphia native Joe Plowman can be seen playing anywhere from New York to Los Angeles. As music director and bassist for Carsie Blanton he has headlined shows across the U.S. and Europe, and has opened for Paul Simon, The Wood Brothers, Madeleine Peyroux, Joan Osborne, Rufus Wainwright, and many others. He tours internationally as bassist and composer with jazz band Chelsea Reed and the Fair Weather Five, and with jazz singer/instrumentalist Hailey Brinnel. At home in Philly, Joe plays with jazz greats such as Marty Grosz, Warren Vache, Larry McKenna, Danny Tobias.

Accompanying Joe at Spillian are New York heavyweights Danny Tobias on trumpet, and Felix Lemerle on guitar.

Pricing

The Bohemian Ball $65/person
Cash bar, tax and gratuities extra. Advance Reservations Required.

The Full Bohemian SOLD OUT! 
The Ball and an Overnight Stay at Spillian $365/couple
Sorry, but all of our rooms are now sold out. But, you’ve got some great other options! Please reach out to our friends and neighbors at:

• Shadowcrest
• River Run Bed and Breakfast
• The Arts Inn
• Belleayre Lodge
• The Gateway at Pine Hill
• Alpine Four Seasons Lodge at Belleayre

Bohemian Inspiration

Come as your favorite Bohemian…or your creative take on your wildest Bohemian fantasies. For a bit of inspiration, here are some of the more famous (or infamous) Bohemians who have brought their irreverent creative eccentricity to the world…

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