If you want a taste experience with one of the most versatile spirits in the cocktail category, make it a point to stop into Juniper Cocktail Lounge at Park MGM. Opened in 2018, the lounge has built itself a stellar reputation as a hidden gem of sorts, an unexpected surprise for fans of gin-based cocktails.

Juniper holds more than 80 gin labels, the largest collection of its kind on the Strip. “But we didn’t just want to buy every gin on the market—we wanted it to be a curated gin program,” says Craig Schoettler, corporate mixologist for MGM Resorts International, as well as the mind and creativity behind Juniper’s cocktail program. “We wanted to make sure we had a reason as to why we brought in the different gins we did; that we thought they were of quality or interesting enough and brought something new to the table. We didn’t just want to say we have the largest collection of gin for the sake of saying we have the largest gin collection.”

At Juniper, bartenders are knowledgeable and dedicated to their craft, eager to educate guests on gin and its background. Schoettler describes gin as one of the better spirits for cocktails. One reason is gin’s elasticity amongst the different styles. There are very few restrictions on what gin has to be; while it definitely needs to have juniper berries (hence the lounge’s moniker) it doesn’t have to say how much, giving the spirit the ability to be the star (or supporting role) of the cocktail, Schoettler explains. Second, gin’s flavor profile is neutral enough that you can showcase and naturally complement other ingredients, but the gin’s botanicals give structure to the cocktails.

Guests can enjoy flavor experiences that show off gin’s delicious capabilities through a wide array of Juniper’s specialty cocktails, and one of those is the Carnival. “This is one of those cocktails that if you’re a video taker get your phone out now,” Schoettler says. Mixed with Tanqueray No. Ten gin, St.-Germain, fresh lime juice and a large puff of cotton candy, which melts when the liquid is poured over it. “But we don’t want to do something just for the sake of doing it; there needs to be a reason why we do it. The cotton candy—it’s the sugar to balance the cocktail, it’s not just for smoke and mirrors.”

A second coveted cocktail is the GNT—a cocktail that the guest and bartender build together through the fun childhood game that involves a paper fortune teller. Not just an ordinary gin and tonic, this version has the guest pick the gin, tonic and spice or botanical. “It’s like a choose-your-own-adventure cocktail,” Schoettler says. “The guest has made their own cocktail; we’ve just facilitated it. They’re the ones that have actually crafted it.”

A third, and now considered one of Juniper’s more iconic cocktails, is A Little Birdie. It contains gin, lemon juice, vermouth and housemade strawberry syrup, and is then completed with Thai basil leaves in the tail portion of the glass. “There’s this synergy between the strawberry and Thai basil,” Schoettler explains. “You get the smell of the Thai basil while you drink the strawberry and gin—that whole experience just ties the cocktail together.”

And those cocktails are just a bit of what Juniper can do with gin. “There’s a variety of gin options that you can go down the rabbit hole with of something that you’ve never tried,” Schoettler says. “The bartenders are educators and stewards for the guest, if they want it. Our whole mantra, as a company, not just for Juniper, is that we’re in the show business. How do we ‘wow’ our guests?” We’d say mission accomplished!

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