Nove shakes up cocktail menu with innovative offerings
By Sabrina Chapman
Palms 6-10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., 6-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 702.942.6800
“How do you take your coffee?” mixologist Jack “Sugar” O’Brien asks as he starts to prepare the bar. He continues, “Someone who drinks their coffee with a lot of cream and sweetener will like a different kind of cocktail than someone who drinks their coffee black.” We are on the 51st floor of the Palms at Nove Italiano, a world where swank cuisine plus panoramic vistas equates to diners’ bliss.
Sugar, from upstate New York, has worked with Nove and N9NE Steakhouse for 11 years. “I have a lot of different drink options because we get a wide range of guests from all over the world. There’s everyone from serious diners to girls getting ready to party at the clubs,” he explains while singeing a sprig of rosemary. He drops it into his Autunno Corretto.
“For example, this drink is not for everybody. Do you like Campari (a key ingredient in a Negroni)? If you don’t like that kind of stuff, then, well…” Sugar shrugs. But if the answer is yes, embark on a delicious journey filled with Bacardi OakHeart’s smoky sensations, hints of apricot and a touch of bitter rhubarb sharpness from Rabarbaro Zucca.
Pomegranita
For those walking on the sweeter side of the street, Sugar definitely has some sugar to share. His Pomegranita is a frozen cocktail that never sees a blender. Made as a pomegranate granita in Nove’s pastry kitchen, it becomes adults-only when meeting Ketel One Oranje.
If you are fortunate enough to meet him, Sugar might show you the Sugar Shack. Not a shack by normal definition, it is perhaps the best-kept secret in Las Vegas. Sugar Shack is in chef Geno Bernardo’s kitchen and is filled with awards, recipe ideas and infusions aging in apothecary-style bottles. One bottle in particular has a hand-scribed “Momma O’Brien’s” label. The contents smell like tequila and taste likes fresh-baked banana bread.
