When Brittagna Giordano isn’t serving up sounds as a singer for her reggae ska band, pop rock band and female a capella trio, she’s serving up drinks at Oddwood at AREA15.
“I feel ... it’s like entertainment,” says the cocktail server. “I’m a singer and I play in bands, too, and I feel like everything that I use about performing, I relate that to the drink world. I do truly feel like you’re putting on a show for people. When you present a drink in front of someone, you add layers and visual elements, so people see things with their eyes before they taste the drinks. That’s how you capture your audience—like when you’re on a stage.”
Being born and raised in Las Vegas, Giordano always knew she was going to work in the food and beverage industry; she decided to turn her attention to bartending. “I bought The Flavor Bible, a really awesome book,” Giordano says. “It opened the doors for me to play around with flavors and ingredients.” She took her creativity to The Cosmopolitan, where she helped open the hotel and where she cut her teeth bartending. When she heard about AREA15 opening and that there was an opportunity to join the first drinking establishment, her interest was piqued—she’s been with Oddwood ever since. “I fell in love with this place,” she says.
Not only does Giordano serve cocktails, but she also collaborated with the bar team to create some of the drinks. “We play with presentation,” she says. “We light things on fire, play with smoke elements, dry ice, LED lights–anything you can dream up, we can concoct.”
Libation: Lavender Old-Fashioned
Get your cameras out for this one, the Lavender Old-Fashioned. It’s a mix of Angel’s Envy bourbon, crème de violette and housemade lavender syrup. The cocktail is then topped with a bubble— when it bursts, the drinker will experience both a lavender scent and flavor.
Benefit: For a secret menu, look around Oddwood for stickers with leaves on them and scan the QR code.
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