Erik Kluever, lead bartender at Delmonico Steakhouse at The Venetian, fills conversation with thoughtful chestnuts of information when it comes to bartending and the restaurant. (I suppose his UNLV studies in literature, psychology and philosophy weigh in.)
Kluever got into bartending in 2015 because of his love for spirits. He worked his way up the ladder and eventually added highly regarded craft cocktail bars to his resume, such as Oak & Ivy and The Laundry Room. Then he got wind of the position at Delmonico. “I know a lot of bartenders who have rolled through here and done great things, and this bar program is storied amongst my industry,” he says. He got hired in December.
“Bar programs where it’s all about the lead bartender, those aren’t successful because the staff doesn’t feel appreciated,” he says. “It’s not about executing my cocktails, my vision. So when I took over I said, ‘It’s not the Erik show.’ Ultimately, I want everyone invested and everyone about this.” And it’s true—together, Kluever and his staff have created an impressive menu.
Besides making cocktails, it’s about conversing with guests. “I like to think of it as I’m a barnacle where I’m not leaving my home,” he says. “Barnacles, they stay at home but yet they travel the world. I’m staying at home and people are coming here from all over the world.”
That’s a testament to Delmonico, a 20-year institution on the Strip. “We are a part of guests’ routine when they come to Vegas—they have a few things they always do and we’re a part of that,” Kluever says. “That’s a testament to the hospitality, to the service, to the program. I respect that. I want to be a part of that. I want to learn from that.”
And learn Kluever has, and still is, he says. With his passion for spirits, bartending and conversation, you just might learn some things, too, when you sit at his bar.
Libation: The Strip View
When you get your hands on a specially made bourbon (you can only get it at Emeril Lagasse’s Delmonico and New Orleans Fish House at MGM Grand), you let that spirit shine. That’s just what Kluever did when he created The Strip View. The unique cocktail is a riff on the classic Vieux Carré. The base spirit is an exclusive W.L. Weller Antique 107 Single Barrel Select bourbon, matured for eight years and four months at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky. It’s mixed with cognac, sweet vermouth and Yellow Chartreuse.
Benefit: For a curated whiskey or spirits tasting, ask about the private chef’s table. (It can be paired with food, too!)
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