Valeria Covarrubias’ career started at the top—literally. “Right around when I turned 21, I saw these girls dancing on the bar outside (of the Golden Gate downtown) and thinking, ‘I want to dance,’ so I auditioned,” said the Maryland-born, California-raised bartender. She got the dancing bartender gig, picking up the tricks of the trade on the way and eventually moved inside to the property’s Prohibition Bar. “People who’ve been here 30 years took us under their wing; they showed us their ways,” she said.
Flowering Sidecar
Since then, Covarrubias has bartended for regulars who’ve been going to Golden Gate for decades and even celebrities like Bret Michaels, Hunter Hayes and cast members from Sons of Anarchy. She’s even the face of Prohibition Bar on the Golden Gate and The D’s in-room video guide, where she’s shown preparing the flashy Flaming Sidecar cocktail. But that’s not the only place people recognize Covarrubias. She performs as a go-go dancer at a few resorts on the Strip in her spare time but still remains a big supporter of downtown Las Vegas. She says when guests mention that they haven’t been off the Strip yet, she tells people to visit her at Golden Gate and to explore the rest of downtown.
“You don’t know what you’re missing,” she says. “You can bar hop, people-watch and catch great free entertainment. We really want to make your trip memorable here.”
Flaming Sidecar
This take on a classic cocktail is a throwback to the era of speakeasies and hiding your booze. It comes to you in a coffee mug, just as many drinks were often disguised during Prohibition, but that’s not the best part: The mix of Grand Marnier, cognac, Bacardi 151 rum and lemon juice is served with both flair and flare, as your bartender sets the drink ablaze before mixing it with two steel cups, actually pouring a fiery stream from cup to cup. Don’t try this at home!
