10 places to enjoy mint juleps in Las Vegas on Derby Day
It’s a simple concoction: bourbon, sugar, water, ice and mint. But watching the Kentucky Derby without one is more unforgivable than failing to don an appropriate hat. Here are 10 places to watch the Run for the Roses with a julep in your hand and hat on your head this Saturday.
Smoked Burgers & BBQ: In addition to adding mint juleps to their menu for the weekend, the Forum Shops at Caesars barbecue joint is rewarding those who dress to impress with a bit of bubbly. Guests who come in to watch the races with a wide-brimmed Southern Belle hat, or anything else the team deems suitable “derby attire,” from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday or Saturday will receive a complimentary glass of champagne.
Lagasse Stadium: To see the horses on screens so big you’ll probably be able to see their nostrils flare, head to Emeril’s sports bar at Palazzo. Woodford Reserve mint juleps will be available for $16. Guests can pair them with bourbon BBQ meatballs ($8) or a BBQ bourbon pulled pork sandwich ($15).
Electra Cocktail Club: Palazzo’s glammed-out cocktail lounge will transform its colossal “digital canvas” art exhibit of a wall into a viewing screen for the race, and borrow its sister lounge Rosina’s “secret julep menu” for the day. In addition to the classic julep, that includes varieties infused with apple brandy, pineapple rum, tequila and, for an energy kick, the Early to Rise Julep (coffee liqueur, Plantation dark rum and cane syrup, sprinkled with freshly grated nutmeg and coffee). Wear a Derby hat and get 25 percent off your cocktail during the broadcast.
PKWY Tavern: For Green Valley residents who want to see the most exciting two minutes in sports in a bar close to home, the PKWY Tavern chain is showing it at its location in the District. Mint juleps will be available for $8 apiece all day.
Yardbird Southern Table & Bar: If you’re the kind of person who likes to dress for the Derby, you may want to consider viewing it here, where the winner of a “best dressed” Instagram contest will receive dinner for two. Everyone else will still have the chance to purchase 2-for-1 Woodford Reserve mint juleps ($16), and perhaps win some Woodford Reserve swag.
Treasure Island: The Derby specials will be casino-wide here. Ten-dollar juleps, made with your choice of Maker’s Mark or Woodford Reserve, will be mixing at four venues on Saturday: TI’s Race and Sportsbook, Breeze Bar, Golden Circle Sports Bar and Gilley’s Saloon, Dance Hall and Bar-B-Que. All of those spots will also offer shot, cocktail and beer specials.
Downtown Container Park: The park’s Oak & Ivy bar will be hosting a Derby watch party with a special cocktail menu that will, of course, include mint juleps. In the meantime, Downtown Terrace will host a derby-themed brunch offering a complimentary Oaks Lily cocktail to those “decked out in their Derby best.”
Beer Park: The Paris’ rooftop spot will be setting up a julep bar for the day. It will also feature a live bugler to signal the start of the race, offer prizes to guests who guess the winner, and provide a complimentary glass of French Champagne to the first 30 guests who arrive dressed in “Derby attire.”
Trago Lounge: The Tropicana’s new lounge is extending the Derby celebration through the weekend. That means $9 Woodford juleps from Friday through Sunday.
Crazy Horse 3: If topless ladies make you go giddyap (or just make you giddy), this is the place to watch the race. A Derby viewing party from 3-5 p.m. Saturday will feature $5 mint juleps and $20 buckets of beer. If your horse doesn’t place, you can redeem a losing ticket for a free cocktail.
The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson. Las Vegas Sands operates The Venetian and Palazzo.
Contact Al Mancini at amancini @reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlManciniVegas on Twitter.