Jennifer Wren: Three fabulous faces of cocktail culture in Las Vegas
Editor’s Note: Our sincere thanks to the guest columnists who stood in for Robin Leach during his two months of annual summer travels. As he returns, Robin has interviews with Paralympics host Amy Purdy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Las Vegas magician Franz Harary in Macau in today’s Friday Neon of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Then in the RJ’s Sunday Life, we’ll have his story of the 100 new restaurants and vineyards that have sprung up north of Ensenada in Mexico. One of the next big events is Life Is Beautiful from Sept. 23-25 in Downtown Las Vegas. We invited Craig Nyman, head of music and live performances for LIB, to give us a rundown.
In a weekend that’s all about partying, our other guest column by Glenfiddich ambassador Jennifer Wren takes a look at three fabulous faces of Las Vegas cocktail culture. Here’s Jennifer:
By Jennifer Wren
Although I have the pleasure of overseeing the West Coast as an ambassador for Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky and dining in the finest restaurants on the globe, I have a fondness for visiting Las Vegas.
There is a particularly delicious juxtaposition to the glamour and lights of the Strip and the lesser-known, yet equally exciting, local cocktail scene. With an unparalleled diversity of dining opportunities, here are three unique spots that keep me coming back for more.
Let’s start big. Whether onstage or behind the bar, I love nothing more than sleek, sexy showmanship. If you crave the theater of restaurant dining mixed with, literally, theater, head over to Rose. Rabbit. Lie. at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
Walking in, you are treated to a stunning space so immersive and art-deco-detailed that it was recognized by Eater.com in 2014 as one of the most beautiful restaurants in the country. Two years later, the gild has not left this lily.
Once seated, you will not only indulge in cocktails so good that they’ll make your head spin (try the divine Monkey Shoulder-based Mark Twain), but also dine on cuisine so indulgent, you’ll be headed to confession (the beef wellington is a religious experience).
Combine all of that with the naughty nightly floor show of talented performers singing, tapping and cartwheeling all over the scenery, and you have my definition of a perfect only-in-Las Vegas experience.
Looking for something with more of a moody Old Las Vegas vibe? Head on down to cocktail institution Herbs & Rye. Boasting some of the greatest bar talent in the industry, the staff is as welcoming as they are skilled.
Make sure to ask for the delightful Kinson Lau and talented 2016 Speed Rack finalist Emily Yett. These kids can make anything, and they have a gloriously curated cocktail menu to prove it at Herbs & Rye.
Once you’ve had the “Best Glenfiddich 14 Boulevardier in the World” (I’m an expert, remember?), you can fulfill your wildest carnivore dreams by diving headfirst into their Meats and Methods menu.
I love a big, juicy steak, and few do it better and with more humble skill than these folks. Savvy locals know that every day of the week, you can enjoy early and late-night Happy Hour deals on almost every delectable selection, even the beef!
Rounding out my merry threesome is a bar almost beyond description and title holder of Las Vegas’ oldest freestanding bar: Atomic Liquors. One could call this a dive bar, but only as the highest compliment and exacting groovy standard that the title could imply.
A former liquor store, the space boasts an enormous, yet welcoming L-shaped bar, restored drop ceiling, vintage gun on display in the floor and bathrooms dedicated to original owners Joe and Stella.
The 2011 reopening of this classic downtown space received an enormous amount of media attention (including big love from the indomitable Anthony Bourdain) creating national notoriety, but what I am drawn to is the consistently good, old-fashioned, local bar hospitality that permeates every aspect of the bar despite its fame.
The first time I walked in, I was offered a lighthearted and colorful tour of the renovations, then escorted to the bar to talk whisky and enjoy rare, complimentary drams in the old stock. Did I mention whisky? These guys know whisky and love whisky but wear that knowledge with the same easy manner that they greet their regulars.
It’s the kind of place where a person can just slip into a barstool like their favorite jeans: comfy, familiar and classic. Order anything you like, from beer to martinis. There’s no pretention here, and I guarantee that your drink will be fabulous.
So, sure, you could spend all your time here sipping a drink on the casino floor, but, if you really love Las Vegas, I’d highly recommend dancing off into the night and dipping into these hotspots of imbibing bliss.
Be sure to check out our other guest column from Craig Nyman, head of music and live performances for Life Is Beautiful from Sept. 23-25 in Downtown Las Vegas. We’re just days away from the debut of our website RobinLeachVegas.com, and we hope that you are as excited as we are. And check out Robin’s rendezvous to the wine valley of Guadalupe, Mexico, and his talk with electric violinist Lydia Ansel in Sunday Life of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
