Sharrelle Olson has a secret. She’s not just slinging drinks and showing off her smile behind the bar at Whiskey Down, the high-limit gaming lounge at MGM Grand. No, there’s a lot more to this bartender. What is it?
The Channel Islands, Calif., native is an unpublished author. For more than 10 years she sat on an 800-page romance novel that she wrote. But, recently, Olson decided that keeping her personal achievement to herself was no longer what she wanted to do. The novel was split into two parts, with one becoming a sequel, and now Olson is currently working on her third book, with the first two in the process of getting self-published.
While she continues to pursue the dream of being an author, Olson can proudly proclaim she fulfilled her first dream. “I came to Vegas in 1997 to fulfill my dream of dancing,” she said. A self-taught dancer, she started go-going at Studio 54 at MGM Grand, eventually learning aerialist routines. She then transferred over to Centrifuge Bar where she both danced and bartended. Today, she’s retired her dancing shoes and now tends bar at Whiskey Down full time.
Olson loves to mingle and converse with each one of her guests that come to the lounge and bar. “You have to give your guests your real self. You don’t just smile to get a tip; you smile for real,” she said. “I take the time to actually hear their stories, and, maybe, give them a little bit of my story.”
Whiskey in a Jar
With a wide array of brown spirits including American, Canadian, Irish and Scotch whiskies, Whiskey Down also offers specialty cocktails, one of the most popular being the Whiskey in a Jar. Mixed with in-house mint-infused Old Forester bourbon, Fever-Tree ginger beer, fresh-squeezed lime juice, fresh watermelon juice and simple syrup, each sip of this cocktail is layered with flavors that are refreshing, sweet and smooth.
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