Class is in session with three of Las Vegas’ best bartenders at The Cabinet of Curiosities

Shake it up, baby! Whether you’re already a wiz behind your own bar or you’re a cocktail newbie, there is much fun and learning to be had at The Cabinet of Curiosities’ weekly Mixology Masterclass experiences. Inside the “classroom” you’ll learn tips and tricks of the trade in three distinct classes: Prohibition Cocktails: Classic Whiskey & Bourbon Libations from the Speakeasy (June 25); The Art of Agave: Uncorking the Secrets of Tequila Cocktails (June 28); Escape to Paradise: A Tiki Mixology Experience Featuring Rum Cocktails (June 27). Leading the classes are the awesome mixologists Daniel Ponsky, Alex Velez and Alexey Balashov. Each is highly skilled in the art of cocktailing and ready to pass on their knowledge while they school guests through the making of two cocktails according to the subject of the class and a third, which is your own creation. Everyone will be supplied with spirits, mixers, garnishes and tools you’ll need to complete the assignments, and you might even leave with some goodies! Before booking your class (find the weekly schedule on the venue’s website) get to know a little bit about the three guys that will guide you through the experiences (they rotate on what subject they teach). Class is in session, baby, so don’t be tardy to the party!

ALEXEY BALASHOV

For more than 23 years, Alexey Balashov has been wowing judges with his flair bartending skills, picking up awards and becoming a finalist in many flair bartending competitions around the world. The Moscow, Russia native loves showing off his mad skills behind the bar, even during the mixology classes. The guy they call “Sexy Alexey” wants guests to give the mixology classes a try because “It’s a great opportunity to ask questions you’ve always wanted to ask bartenders and to learn how to do things the right way,” he says. “Mixology is an art that comes down to small details and proper execution.”

Where were you born and raised?

Moscow, Russia.

How did you know you wanted to bartend?

When I first saw bartenders flipping bottles.

How long have you been bartending/making cocktails professionally?

Twenty-three years.

Any nicknames you go by?

Sexy Alexey.

What mixology classes have you taught or do you teach at Cabinet of Curiosities?

I teach themed mixology classes each week, focusing on different spirits such as whiskey, tequila, and rum.

Favorite part about teaching the class?

I have a real passion for teaching and connecting with people. The most rewarding part is helping guests experience something new and learn something valuable.

Why should people try out the mixology class?

It’s a great opportunity to ask questions you’ve always wanted to ask bartenders and to learn how to do things the right way. Mixology is an art that comes down to small details and proper execution.

What are some tips you’ll share during the class?

I share knowledge I’ve built over 23 years in the industry. I also perform flair tricks during the class and even teach a few.

Favorite cocktail to make in the class?

The original classic mai tai.

Favorite cocktails on the Cabinet of Curiosities menu?

The Asteroid.

What cocktail are you known for making?

I create custom signature cocktails for guests at The Cabinet and The Lock. They are usually kept as a surprise and tailored individually.

Favorite spirit to work with?

Bourbon.

Favorite fruit to use in cocktails?

Oranges.

Favorite syrups to use in cocktails?

Passion fruit and lychee.

Favorite savory ingredients to use in cocktails?

Pickles, dill, basil and beets.

Favorite sweet ingredients to use in cocktails?

Orgeat.

What mixers can you not live without?

Club soda.

What cocktail tool can you not live without?

Shaker.

Favorite cocktail garnishes?

Orange peel.

What are some Las Vegas spots you’ve bartended?

Fremont Street Experience and Fontainebleau.

What makes a good bartender?

Personality and hospitality.

Any bartenders you admire?

It’s a long list; I’m always learning from everyone.

What basic mixers and tools should people always have on hand at home?

Jigger, bar spoon, shaker, flavored sodas, simple syrup and lemon juice.

What is the most underrated cocktail?

Hemingway daiquiri.

What cocktail do you secretly hate making?

Smoked Old-Fashioned.

Favorite beer or wine?

Corona and port wine.

Favorite classic cocktail?

Negroni.

Favorite modern cocktail?

Gin basil smash.

Favorite cocktail to make at home?

Bourbon Paloma.

Hobbies outside of bartending/work?

Tennis, traveling and music.

One thing about you that not a lot of people know?

I started bartending at 16 years old.

Favorite nonalcoholic drink?

Evian spring water.

Favorite places to shop?

Amazon.

Favorite places to travel for vacation?

Burning Man.

Favorite TV/streaming show?

Breaking Bad.

Favorite food?

Sushi.

Favorite bands/singers?

Leningrad and Metallica.

Favorite genre of music?

Electro house and techno.

Best concert you’ve ever been to?

RÜFÜS DU SOL.

Favorite Vegas restaurants?

Crossroads Kitchen.

Favorite movies?

The Wolf of Wall Street, Fast & Furious and Fight Club.

Favorite meal to make at home?

Sushi.

Favorite downtown bars?

Discopussy and One Bar.

Favorite Strip bars?

The Cabinet of Curiosities and Herbs & Rye.

What is your favorite brand for tequila, bourbon, vodka and gin?

LALO tequila, Buffalo Trace bourbon, Beluga vodka and Nolet’s gin.

Give us any easy cocktail recipe we can make at home?

In a tall glass filled with ice, add one part bourbon and three parts quality pink grapefruit soda. Squeeze in half a lime, stir, and enjoy.

Any cocktail trends that are popular right now?

Clarification.

If you could only make three cocktails for the rest of your life, what would they be?

Whiskey sour, negroni and Hemingway daiquiri.

Tell us about the best cocktail you’ve ever tried?

A signature cocktail at The Aviary NYC.

What’s a night behind the bar you’ll never forget?

The bar caught on fire during a shift.

If you based your personality on a cocktail, what would you be?

Negroni.

What’s your standard cocktail to make for people that don’t know what they want to order?

A fully customized cocktail based on their spirit preference—I just need one word.

What cocktail do people need to try that not a lot of people know about?

Pegu Club cocktail.

What are some of the best pieces of advice you’ve gotten from other bartenders?

No matter what a guest orders, make it the best possible version even if it’s not your favorite. Treat guests like friends and treat the bar like it’s your own.

What advice do you have for people thinking about becoming a bartender?

Choose a bar that fits your personality and enjoy the process.

What do you love most about being a bartender?

Interacting with guests and making their day.

Alexey’s drink of choice to make for us: The Asteroid with mezcal, aperitivo, herbal liqueur and lime.

DANIEL PONSKY

Born and raised in Santa Monica, Calif., Daniel Ponsky has been mixing it up behind the bar for more than three decades. If he looks familiar, there’s a reason for it! You can catch him as a regular on TV’s Bar Rescue, or you might have seen him onstage at L.A.’s Laugh Factory. If Ponsky based his personality on a cocktail, he’d be “The Hurricane—I got a lot going on inside my head, LOL!” he says.

Where were you born and raised?

Santa Monica, Calif.

How did you know you wanted to bartend?

Saw the movie Cocktail at like 12 years old.

How long have you been bartending/making cocktails professionally?

Thirty years.

What mixology classes have you taught or do you teach at Cabinet of Curiosities?

I teach most of the classes featuring the Prohibition Cocktails, The Art of Agave and Escape to Paradise: Tiki Mixology.

Favorite part about teaching the class?

Working with people and witnessing how passionate they are about learning and picking up newfound skills.

Why should people try out the mixology class?

This is absolutely for the at-home enthusiast who is looking to raise their level of skill (and) understanding when it comes to the world of craft cocktails.

What are some tips you’ll share during the class?

The development of techniques, fundamentals and mechanics guide an on-hands experience.

Favorite cocktail to make in the class?

I go according to season so now that it’s spring I’m looking forward more (of) the fat-washed cocktails that I’m developing for a more lighter and richer cocktail experience.

Favorite cocktails on the Cabinet of Curiosities menu?

The Mango Madness and the Papa Brown Butta—not just because I created them ;)

Any cocktails on the menu that you’ve created, which ones?

I developed most of the cocktail program featured in (The Lock) speakeasy.

What cocktail are you known for making?

Nice twists on the Prohibition era.

Favorite spirit to work with?

Bourbon.

Favorite fruit to use in cocktails?

Strawberries.

Favorite syrups to use in cocktails?

Lavender and blueberry.

Favorite savory ingredients to use in cocktails?

House-made olive brine.

Favorite sweet ingredients to use in cocktails?

Chocolate and maple syrup.

What mixers can you not live without?

Simple syrup.

What cocktail tool can you not live without?

Tunnel knife.

Favorite cocktail garnishes?

Florals.

What are some Las Vegas spots you’ve bartended?

More than five, less than ten ;)

What makes a good bartender?

Passion.

What would you be doing professionally if you weren’t a bartender?

Writing and performing stand-up comedy.

Any bartenders you admire?

Too many to name, this industry has a lot of talent.

What basic mixers and tools should people always have on hand at home?

Bar tins, strainer(s), mixing spoon, peeler and fruit plunger.

What is the most underrated cocktail?

The Paloma, so many various combinations of it that just speak opportunity for to me expand upon.

What cocktail do you secretly hate making?

Answering that would be bad for business (lol)—but I do have a couple.

Favorite beer or wine?

Guinness and Guinness.

Favorite classic cocktail?

Old-Fashioned.

Favorite modern cocktail?

Paper Plane.

Favorite cocktail to make at home?

Shot of Jameson.

Hobbies outside of bartending/work?

I write film projects and perform and write stand-up comedy.

One thing about you that not a lot of people know?

I hate mayonnaise and everything that devil spread touches.

Favorite bars outside of Las Vegas?

Bourbon & Branch, San Francisco and Employees Only, New York.

Favorite nonalcoholic drink?

Mountain Dew.

Favorite places to shop?

Amazon and Ross.

Favorite places to travel for vacation?

Cruise to anywhere in the Caribbean.

Favorite TV/streaming show?

Yellowstone, The Bear and Daredevil.

Favorite food?

Chicken parm.

Favorite bands/singers?

1970’s classic rock across the board.

Best concert you’ve ever been to?

Rolling Stones at Dodger Stadium.

Favorite Vegas restaurants?

Herbs and Rye and Esther’s Kitchen.

Favorite movies?

The Hustler, The Outsiders and Goodfellas.

Favorite meal to make at home?

Pizza.

Favorite downtown bars?

The Underground at Mob Museum, Stray Pirate and Doberman Drawing Room.

Favorite Strip bars?

The ones that don’t take $5 coupons.

What is your favorite brand for tequila, bourbon, vodka and gin?

Woodford Reserve bourbon, Fortaleza tequila, Tito’s Handmade vodka and Junipero gin.

Give us any easy cocktail recipe we can make at home.

Moscow Mule with pomegranate and falernum.

• 2 ounces vodka, gin or rum or use all three at 3/4 ounces each

• 1 ounce lime

• 2/3 ounces pomegranate

• 1/2 ounces falernum

Shake and strain over fresh ice and top with ginger beer. Garnish with rosemary sprig and a smoked cinnamon stick.

Any cocktail trends that are popular right now?

Seasonal.

If you could only make three cocktails for the rest of your life, what would they be?

Old-Fashioned, Manhattan and margarita

Tell us about the best cocktail you’ve ever tried?

It was clarified and tasted like cereal.

What’s a night behind the bar you’ll never forget?

When I met William Shatner.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen working behind the bar?

I was once flashed by a woman who had three nipples.

If you based your personality on a cocktail, what would you be?

The Hurricane—I got a lot going on inside my head (lol)!

What’s your standard cocktail to make for people that don’t know what they want to order?

Gotta question ’em up a bit and find their mood, that’s the light that takes you into the right tunnel.

What cocktail do people need to try that not a lot of people know about?

Snake eyes—mezcal and coconut work together.

What are some of the best pieces of advice you’ve gotten from other bartenders?

Don’t let the guest dictate the pace when you’re crashed up in a rush!

What advice do you have for people thinking about becoming a bartender?

Bring your lunchbox, it’s gonna take work if you want to be any good.

What do you love most about being a bartender?

Endless conversations and laughs with coworkers and guests about anything and everything under the sun.

Daniel’s drink of choice to make for us: Old-Fashioned with rye whiskey, demerara syrup, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, Angostura bitters, orange bitters and Peychaud bitters.

ALEX VELEZ

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Alex Velez has been a bartender for quite some time (a man never hints at his age, he jokes!), and his skills are so sharp that they helped land him a spot as a contestant on Netflix’s Drink Masters. What he loves most about being a bartender is “creating a safe space where people can enjoy music and exchange of ideas while enjoying good quality libations with great bites,” he says.

Where were you born and raised?

Puerto Rico.

How did you know you wanted to bartend?

There were several factors, moments and situations that when I started bartending and seeing the benefits of bartending at the ripe age of 15—that’s when I said, ‘Oh yeah, I’m in!’

How long have you been bartending/making cocktails professionally?

Rude!!! Just kidding, just kidding—quite some time.

What mixology classes have you taught or do you teach at Cabinet of Curiosities?

Mostly rum, but I have also taught tequila classes as well.

Favorite part about teaching the class?

Seeing in the student faces that they actually learned something new and interesting that gets them excited to try at home what they learned.

Why should people try out the mixology class?

No matter if you are an aspiring mixologist, home bartender or content creator, the classes bring new perspectives on techniques, technology and classical applications.

What are some tips you’ll share during the class?

Some of the tips shared would consist in quality of tools, ingredients and newer techniques that are trendy in the cocktail industry.

Favorite cocktail to make in the class?

Rum Manhattan. I do a lot of split basses or blends that create an extra layer of flavor that the palate immediately appreciates.

Favorite cocktails on the Cabinet of Curiosities menu?

The Anna Pavlova. The tropical accents in passion fruit, vanilla with peach and lemon and that last hint of prosecco makes this a sexy and refreshing year-round cocktail to enjoy.

What cocktail are you known for making?

Rum Manhattan. (It’s) made with dark rum, aged rum, Punt e Mes, Lillet Rouge aperitif, Carpano Antica, Turkish tobacco bitters, Peychauds bitters, Angostura bitters and orange flower water mist.

Favorite spirit to work with?

Rum.

Favorite fruit to use in cocktails?

Anything in season, anything tropical.

Favorite syrups to use in cocktails?

Orgeat, rich vanilla and anything in season; anything available that is consistently good.

Favorite savory ingredients to use in cocktails?

Lots of salts and acids.

Favorite sweet ingredients to use in cocktails?

Inclined nowadays to monk fruit and other sucrose alternatives.

What mixers can you not live without?

Acid, sweet and bitter.

What cocktail tool can you not live without?

A Boston shaker.

Favorite cocktail garnishes?

Pickled cocktail onion.

What are some Las Vegas spots you’ve bartended?

Allegiant Stadium and Lost Spirits Distillery.

What makes a good bartender?

It’s character, the art of deciding at last minute at times in critical situations that might eventually save a life.

What would you be doing professionally if you weren’t a bartender?

Forensic psychologist, criminal profiler, mortuary sciences.

Any bartenders you admire?

This is another three-page list thing because by eras, history there’s a lot of admirable people that paved the way for the craft to be where is at nowadays.

What basic mixers and tools should people always have on hand at home?

Basic tool kit you can find a beginner one on amazing Amazon for $30. And for mixers always a fresh lemon lime juice and some simple syrup (one cup sugar and one cup water).

What is the most underrated cocktail?

The daiquiri—the real one not the slushy one.

What cocktail do you secretly hate making?

The one not having the ingredients for.

Favorite beer or wine?

Screaming Eagle for wine and Sam Adams Utopias for beer.

Favorite classic cocktail?

Manhattan.

Favorite modern cocktail?

Black Manhattan.

Favorite cocktail to make at home?

Run Manhattan freezer edition. I have a premade bottle of Manhattan to go just pour out of the bottle or over ice—boom bada bing, bada boom.

Hobbies outside of bartending/work?

Wellness and activities—lots of resting and decompressing.

One thing about you that not a lot of people know?

Besides being one of the contestants in the hit Netflix series Drink Masters I appeared in another hit series called Prison Break on Fox.

Favorite bars outside of Las Vegas?

Smuggler’s Cove (San Francisco), Rincón Beer Company (Puerto Rico) and La Contenta Oeste (New York).

Favorite nonalcoholic drink?

Mavi.

Favorite places to shop?

Amazon (and I hate it, lol).

Favorite places to travel for vacation?

Puerto Rico, Maldives, Brazil, Costa Rica, Belize and Spain.

Favorite TV/streaming show?

The Twilight Zone, Broad City, Man Seeking Woman, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, all the ’90s don’t get me started with this.

Favorite food?

Boricua.

Favorite bands/singers?

Fearless Art.

Favorite genre of music?

Mushroom jazz.

Best concert you’ve ever been to?

I work at (Allegiant) stadium, all the best concerts go through there. I work the speakeasy room that’s where all VIPs and everyone and everything happens. I see and experience things firsthand. Yes, I love my job!

Favorite Vegas restaurants?

I am a judge for the James Beard Foundation (not disclosing the region) and my list of favorite restaurants is quite extensive, but I got a few: Sparrow + Wolf, Main St. Provisions, Monzù, Rincon de Buenos Aires, Nora’s Italian Cuisine … there’s plenty more, like a lot more I’ll need three pages at least.

Favorite movies?

Anything from Stephen King, Alfred Hitchcock and Ray Bradbury.

Favorite meal to make at home?

Arroz griego, empanizada de res, avocado salad and sweet plantains.

Favorite downtown bars?

Nocturno, Doberman Drawing Room, Stray Pirate, Prowl, Craft Creamery Speakeasy, Pachi-Pachi … there’s more, like lots more, crazy more, I’ll need three pages.

Favorite Strip bars?

The Vault, The Pinky Ring by Bruno Mars, Chayo Mexican Kitchen + Tequila Bar and Mama Rabbit Mezcal + Tequila Bar.

What is your favorite brand for tequila, bourbon, vodka and gin?

Mijenta Tequila, Proof and Wood whiskey, Fords Gin, Weber Ranch vodka.

Give us any easy cocktail recipe we can make at home.

• 2 ounces aged dark rum

• 1 ounce Carpano Antica

• 2 dashes Turkish tobacco bitters

• Pinch of salt

• Orange peel (thick skin)

Pour over ice in a rocks glass.

Any cocktail trends that are popular right now?

Clarified anything … did I made myself clear!

If you could only make three cocktails for the rest of your life, what would they be?

Daiquiri, Manhattan and Paloma.

Tell us about the best cocktail you’ve ever tried?

I have the pleasure and honor to be one of the judges in a lot of cocktail competitions and it’s incredible the amount of talent and cocktails with lots of creativity and flavor are out there.

What’s a night behind the bar you’ll never forget?

Ringing over $45K in one night, and yes, taking the 25% gratuity. And yes I’ve tasted some of the rarest and crazy good liquors from that night.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen working behind the bar?

I thought this was supposed to be PG-13 so no—use your imagination.

If you based your personality on a cocktail, what would you be?

Rum Manhattan—bold, smooth but a bit sharp.

What’s your standard cocktail to make for people that don’t know what they want to order?

There’s no “go-to cocktail” for when people don’t know. You’ll have to go through a process that would look pretty much like this:

Bartender: Hello, welcome any water to start you with?

Guest: Yes please. We don’t have a clue what we want. We are new and visiting from Australia.

Bartender: Oh perfect, well what is your spirit of choice? Rum, tequila, mezcal, cognac? Also you looking for something on the savory, tropical, sweet and sour or spirit-forward side?

Guest: Oh yes rum, savory, spirit-forward.

Bartender: You gots it!!

What cocktail do people need to try that not a lot of people know about?

The one and only, the real and actual daiquiri. People always think it’s the slushy one and it’s something a lot different than that.

What are some of the best pieces of advice you’ve gotten from other bartenders?

I have attended and participated in seminars and conventions that covered an array of great topics from financial advice to body and mental wellness.

What advice do you have for people thinking about becoming a bartender?

Take care of your health, body and mental wellbeing.

What do you love most about being a bartender?

Creating a safe space where people can enjoy music, exchange of ideas while enjoying good quality libations with great bites is what I love the most.

Alex’s drink of choice to make for us: The Anna Pavlova with botanical vodka, champagne, passion fruit liqueur, sweetened syrup and lemon juice.

Horseshoe Las Vegas, 833.855.2888. thecabinetlv.com

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