Devin Bennett, lead bartender at 1923 Prohibition Bar at The Shoppes at Mandalay Place, likes to say that he “fell into the industry.” After serving 10 years in the Air Force, he moved to Las Vegas in 2014 to take a security job at a local bar. When the bar permanently closed, the owners asked if he’d like to take a barback position at their other establishment, 1923.
“I had no idea what a barback was, but that was how I got introduced to the industry; that’s how I fell into bartending,” says the Arizona native.
That was in 2015, and today Bennett has sharpened his skills so much that he now heads up the bar and lounge that immerses guests into the Prohibition era. “I was green so I didn’t know anything,” he says. “So I started off as the barback, (to) see how I liked it. I ended up loving it and I’m always learning and growing and taking advice. Don’t ever be that bartender that knows everything. If you’re not asking questions, you’re not growing. Just because I’m the lead bartender now doesn’t mean I don’t listen to my other bartenders. I listen to all my bartenders; that’s what makes a good lead bartender.”
Bennett also helps create the cocktail program at 1923. He spent the past year putting together a new menu, which was just released with 21 new specialty cocktails.
“I love creating cocktails,” he says. “Who knew this is what I’d be doing for a career? It’s been a wild ride. I never thought I’d be here. Everything happens for a reason, though. Who wouldn’t be happy being a bartender on the Las Vegas Strip?”
Libation: Sour Patch
Try out one of Bennett’s newest creations, and one of his personal faves, the Sour Patch. The martini-style cocktail is a mix of Wild Turkey bourbon, Giffard Pamplemousse liqueur, simple syrup, lemon juice and egg whites, garnished with a Sour Patch Kid candy and a cabernet stencil of the bar’s logo.
Benefit: Don’t miss Ghost Stories every Friday and Saturday night—a rare and intimate mind-reading, dark magic show.
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