Outstanding cocktails complement game-day action
By Kiko Miyasato
Hard Rock Hotel 9 a.m.-midnight Sun., noon-1 a.m. Mon., 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Tues.-Wed., noon-2 a.m. Thurs., noon-3 a.m. Fri., 9 a.m.-4 a.m. Sat. 702.693.5000
Leave it to Ruben Dowling, lead bartender and co-bar manager at The Ainsworth, to sum up what’s happening at the Hard Rock Hotel’s newest watering hole. “It’s a blend between mixology and high-volume typical sports bar drinks. It fits the best of both worlds,” he said.
It’s impossible not to take notice of the changes happening over at the Hard Rock Hotel, and The Ainsworth is a prime example. The sports bar-meets-upscale lounge-meets-sleek man cave-meets-rustic mountain lodge is serving up some delish cocktails in a space where, noon or night, you can chill, watch the game and place bets on the action.
Ainsworth Bloody
Some standouts on The Ainsworth’s specialty cocktail menu include the Ainsworth Bloody, the venue’s top seller. The cocktail is mixed with the bar’s own recipe of Bloody Mary mix (“Our batches are huge, and we go through them quickly,” Dowling said.) and Belvedere Bloody Mary-flavored vodka, garnished with a lime and lemon wedges, an olive and pickled green bean and finished with a smoked salt rim. “At one point, everyone in the room will have one,” Dowling said. Another noteworthy libation is the Hot and Spicy Margarita, mixed with Cazadores Silver tequila, Cointreau, fresh lime juice and fresh sweet and sour mix, shaken together with sliced jalapeños. An extra spicy kick comes with drops of Tabasco sauce.
For something on the sweet side, the “shandy-like cocktail” Blind Stud features Belvedere Pink Grapefruit vodka, sweet and sour mix, fresh lime juice and a bit of absinthe, topped off with ginger beer.
You’ll want to park it at The Ainsworth on game days to watch the pigskin fly on one of the more than a dozen high-def flat screen TVs. Reservations are suggested if you and your buddies want to party in style.
