Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas has great cocktails to accompany the scares

Just across Interstate 15 from the neon-lit Las Vegas Strip sits a giant, rundown and eerie warehouse. The contents (and its inhabitants) inside are the stuff of nightmares, scares that’ll keep you awake at night. Nope, there’s no pleasant dreams inside Universal Horror Unleashed at AREA15, the city’s newest immersive attraction that will turn your hair white and your bones cold. Four year-round haunted houses inspired by Universal’s cinematic horrors comes to life: Universal Monsters, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scarecrow: the Reaping and The Exorcist: Believer.

But the frights don’t freeze there. From the moment you step inside the warehouse, there are spooky sights and sounds at every turn. Amid all the horrifying (and darn fun!) houses and interactive areas, 21-and-over guests can gain some liquid courage by visiting UHU’s three distinct watering holes: Jack’s Alley, The Boiler Bar and Premiere House. Each bar offers a menu of creatively fun and terrifying handcrafted cocktails and a few exclusive ones.

“Creating these cocktails was an incredibly fun and collaborative process,” said Darci Davalos, Universal Horror Unleashed assistant director of food and beverage. “We worked closely with local mixologists and our team in Hollywood, tasting our way through more than 75 different recipes to find the perfect lineup. The most exciting part was imagining the personalities behind each drink and bringing them to life through bold flavors, unexpected ingredients and immersive presentation. From smoky reveals to custom drinkware, every detail was inspired by the sinister world of Universal Horror Unleashed. We wanted each cocktail to feel like a story in a glass, and the result is a collection that’s as theatrical and thrilling as the experience itself.”

Check out three standout cocktails as well as Davalos’ descriptions: Green Dread from Premiere House, Severed Pair from Boiler Bar and Jack’s Juice from Jack’s Alley.

Jack’s Juice

(Dark rum, cherry brandy, Peychaud bitters, mango nectar, lime juice and simple syrup)

“Sweet, sinister, and just as twisted as Jack the Clown himself, this vibrant concoction is pure carnival chaos in a glass. It’s bright, bold, and dangerously drinkable.”

Severed Pear

(Bourbon, spiced pear, baking spice and aromatic bitters)

“A horrifying twist on the Old-Fashioned, it’s equal parts cocktail and performance. Served in a custom barrel lantern, it invites guests to lift the lid and release a swirl of aromatic smoke. Within lies a rich, spiced blend of bourbon and pear, deepened by baking spices and bitters.”

Green Dread

(Midori, Luxardo Del Santo, gin, coconut syrup, lime juice and two dashes of “human tears”)

“This eerie elixir is a shareable showstopper, conjured for six brave souls. (It) balances the herbaceous depth of Luxardo Del Santo with the tropical sweetness of coconut syrup, sharpened by a splash of lime. Smooth and sinister, it finishes with a silky chill that lingers like a ghostly whisper.”

3215 S. Rancho Drive. universalhorrorunleashed.com

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