Las Vegas has no shortage of legendary bars, but only one can claim to be the beginning. Atomic Liquors, opened in 1954, is the city’s oldest free-standing bar and the birthplace of Nevada's Tavern Sale License: No. 00001, which still hangs proudly behind the bar.
The name isn’t a gimmick. During the 1950s, patrons famously climbed onto the roof with cocktails to watch atomic tests light up the desert sky, treating nuclear explosions like fireworks shows. It’s a detail so unbelievable, it could only happen in Vegas.
After closing in 2010, Atomic Liquors reopened in 2012 under new ownership that understood the assignment: Preserve the history but raise the bar—literally. Today, the cocktails are world-class, crafted with the same care and seriousness as any top modern lounge, without sacrificing the bar’s gritty, authentic, fiery soul.
This isn't a nostalgia trap serving watered-down drinks to tourists chasing a photo. Atomic Liquors earns its reputation every night, drawing locals and visitors who want history and quality in the same glass. Getting a drink here belongs on bucket lists, but people return because the experience delivers beyond the novelty.
Vegas nightlife started somewhere specific, at a specific time, with a specific license number. If you want a lesson in history, belly up to the bar that wrote it.
917 E. Fremont St. atomic.vegas
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