For 25 years Wally Lang has been a friendly face behind the bar of Rí Rá Irish Pub … many a Rí Rá Irish Pub. He joined the company in North Carolina in 1999, where they trained him to be a bartender, then he proceeded to help open seven locations around the country, including the one in Las Vegas at The Shoppes at Mandalay Place in 2011 and it’s where he’s been bartending ever since.

“There’s a higher standard at Rí Rá,” Lang says. “One of the easiest things to help a bartender or server is having a great food and beverage program, and they have that here. They execute it all brilliantly, every day.”

It’s also about tradition, too. The bar we photographed Lang at is an actual bar that operated in Ireland for generations and was reconstructed using the original materials. You’ll also find Lang behind the bar doing traditional pours of Guinness and dispensing his deep knowledge on Irish whiskey and the traditions and processes used to barrel and produce them (Rí Rá offers one of the largest Irish whiskey collections in the country). “I have a passion for whiskey,” he says.

Lang also has a passion for bartending. “Meeting new people, meeting people from around the world and building a cocktail that enhances their vacation, that’s what I love. … It’s simple, you come in prepared and in a great mood and create something that is special for the guest.”

Photo by: Christopher DeVargas

Libation: Roe Into Summer

New to the Rí Rá Irish Pub cocktail menu is Roe Into Summer. This cocktail is made with a new brand of Irish whiskey, Roe & Co. based out of Dublin and mixed with triple sec, orgeat, pineapple juice, orange bitters and egg whites.

Benefit: Don’t miss happy hour from 3-6 p.m. daily with $6 select beers, wine and cocktails and half-off appetizers.

The Shoppes at Mandalay Place, 702.632.7771. rira.com

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