Visitors to Las Vegas increasingly want a custom experience based on recommendations. They want aspects of classic Vegas mixed with something special not offered by every resort, especially when it comes to libations. Speakeasies, special presentations, craft cocktails, happy hours, hors d’oeuvres and hot teas contribute to the evolution of the food and beverage scene of the Strip and Downtown Las Vegas, as do the concept innovators, design visionaries, bartenders, hosts and servers whose efforts and expertise combine to create memorable moments for guests.
Those moments are created via presentation and panache at Barry’s Downtown Prime at Circa Resort & Casino, which lists its drinks cart at the top of its extensive cocktail menu and wine list. The handsomely designed steakhouse incorporated the mobile cart to allow mixologists like bartender Sam to make Old-Fashioneds and Manhattans tableside.
“Over the years we traveled a lot (for research and development),” says co-owner Yassine Lyoubi. “You always want to go out, try new stuff, and one of the restaurants that was on our list for the longest time was Eleven Madison Park.”
Manhattan’s critically lauded Eleven Madison Park had four-star fine dining and drink cart service that Lyoubi fell in love with and inspired the amenity at Barry’s. Precision mixing of regular or top-shelf selections, including a tequila variation, in the dining room stokes curiosity among guests who wind up ordering tableside service themselves.
Curiosity is what leads guests of Bellagio to find The Vault, an upscale, sophisticated speakeasy hiding in plain sight on the casino floor. There are no signs, but there is a symbol on the entrance’s exterior that guests with reservations are directed to. The interior is dark, intimate and luxurious, with sophisticated music playing through the sound system at conversation-friendly levels.
It’s a setting worthy of the heavy-bound menu of cocktails, written by an anonymous author with Pulitzer-worthy prose. Read about offerings like the Vapor Trail Old-Fashioned, made with Japanese whiskey, served in a translucent cover filled with maple smoke and poured in a spinning glass: “Like a mystery unveiled, the enclosure lifts to reveal an enthralling elixir, meticulously crafted to deliver a richly satisfying multi-sensory experience.”
Speaking of such experiences, after perusing Omega Mart, the surreal grocery store with a fantasy backroom area inside AREA15, visitors have the option to stop in Datamosh, a cyberpunk’s vision of a speakeasy with a menu of specialty cocktails, spirits, beer, wine, hard kombucha and mocktails.
Datamosh’s Meowjito blends white and golden rum with guava for its spin on the mojito. Vodka-based Happle Juice keeps the doctor away with apple liqueur, apple juice and apple blossom bitters. Paloma Pop!! mixes tequila with grapefruit, while Orange Dream blends vodka or mezcal with orange juice and vanilla whip.
Immersive visual venue Arte Museum eschews alcohol for the options provided by its ARTE CAFE. After traversing the attraction, a teahouse experience awaits. Drinks and desserts are served in a relaxing environment on tables that double as media art, with images that move and react with the motions of a teacup.
For a sky-high drinking experience, there’s no beating the Happy Half Hour at the High Roller at The Linq Promenade, where an open bar can be reserved and enjoyed as the observation wheel makes its 30-minute rotation. Up to 25 people can be served in a cabin that reaches an altitude of 550 feet and provides unparalleled views of the Strip, as well as a drinking experience that is truly distinctive.
Click here for your free subscription to the weekly digital edition of Las Vegas Magazine, your guide to everything to do, hear, see and experience in Southern Nevada. In addition to the latest edition emailed to every week, you’ll find plenty of great, money-saving offers from some of the most exciting attractions, restaurants, properties and more! And Las Vegas Magazine is full of informative content such as restaurants to visit, cocktails to sip and attractions to enjoy.
