It was the night of Nov. 6, 1993, and Dante Capozzoli, then a barback at Caesars Palace, was working the Holyfield vs. Bowe rematch. Taking a break, he decided to go up in the stands to watch the fight. Shortly after, something passed over his head. “You remember the Fan Man? He flew right over my head and into the ring!” That’s just one of many stories Capozzoli, now a bartender at Apostrophe Bar, recalls from his 21-year history at Caesars Palace.
Capozzoli’s own Las Vegas story began more than two decades ago when he packed up his old 1972 Pontiac Catalina and left his hometown of Rawlins, Wyo.
“Intuitively, you want to do what you enjoy doing, and I enjoy bartending,” he said. “I had my sights set on working at Caesars Palace in Vegas.” It took a few persistent phone calls, but he eventually got hired by the hotel. The past 21 years has been spent working his way up the ladder, learning everything from flair bartending to the intricacies of wine—he’s a certified sommelier.
Missing Apostrophe Photo by: Christopher DeVargas
At Apostrophe Bar, Capozzoli handcrafts unique cocktails. “We have nearly a dozen signature drinks here, with some spirits you won’t be able to find anywhere else on property,” he said. Put that together with Capozzoli’s Caesars Palace history and a visit to Apostrophe Bar is definitely in order. “Bartending is my passion. … I look forward to the next 20 years.”
Missing Apostrophe
Both the bar and this signature cocktail are an homage to the man who built Caesars Palace, Jay Sarno. As the story goes, when Sarno named the resort, he decided to remove the apostrophe in Caesars Palace—that way the resort didn’t just belong to Caesar, it belonged to everyone. The Missing Apostrophe mixes agave syrup, lime juice, Torani ruby red grapefruit syrup, CelloVia grapefruit liqueur and Caesars Palace’s own double barrel Herradura Select tequila. The rim is coated with pink sea salt and garnished with basil leaves and a lime wedge.
