NIGHTLIFE
Return of the Cocktail
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FaLL 2009
celebratedliving.com
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Don’tmiss the top-shelfhoochatClubPrivé, ahigh-
stakesgamblingenclavesituated inside thecasinoat
Bellagio.Tableminimums therebeginat $100perhand
of blackjack, butyouwon’thave to riskanything ifyou
want to liebackand chill out underneatha silver-
leaf ceilingandamid the room’s retro ’70sdécor, and
enjoy thekindof imbibing thatwill leaveyou feeling
likeahigh roller.
ClubPrivé isaperfect spot tohit afterdinner for
sniftersof fine
spirits.at thehighest end, there is
HennessyEllipse,whichgoes for $875per shot, and
RémyMartinLouisXIIIBlackPearl (only 786bottles
wereproduced, it’sblended from cognacs that areas
oldas 100years, and itsBaccarat crystal decanter is
collectible). The room is soalluring that onepopular
high rollerandhisentourage recently settled inand
dominated the space fora coupleof nights running.
Over the courseof theirvisit, theypolishedoff abot-
tleof 55-year-oldMacallan single-malt Scotch, as the
whaleputmillions of dollars at risk, and took a sec-
ond bottle togoasa souvenir.
Considering that LasVegas is thekindof town
whereyouneverknowwhenyou’ll have $10,000burn-
ingahole inyourpocket at 2a.m., it’sgood toknow
aboutXSand itsOno cocktail. XS is the recently
opened club (runby the samegroup thatmadeTryst
the hottest spot in town) at Encore atWynn Las
Vegas, and theOno iseverybit as luxeandgildedas
theXS itself. This $10,000 cocktail ismade from rare
ingredients (RémyMartinBlackPearl cognacand
CharlesHeidsieck’s 1981ChampagneCharlie) and
souped-upwith jewelry: an 18-karat-goldnecklace
andapairofMontBlanc cuff links. Clearlyanover-
the-top libation, theOno isoneof thoseonly-in-Vegas
indulgences that seemsperfectlyfitting ina clubas
lavishly intoxicatingasXS.
S
ome people traceVegas’ modern cocktail evolu-
tion back to the opening of theBellagio, in
1998,whenamixologist came in to create signature
drinks. The idea therewas tobring the casinoup to
speed in aworld
where bartenders
were experimenting
with fresh ingredients
andwould eventually
receive a kind of rock-
star status.
With thegrowthof
cocktail culture,drink-
ingwell inVegasdoes
notnecessarilyneed to
beafinancialhigh-wire
actdrivenbysingle
malts,ultrarareco-
gnacs,vintagecham-
pagne,andcuff links.
Beyond themorepedes-
trianversionsof those
sip-friendly liquors,
thereare lotsofmixed
drinksavailable,manyof themcreated in townorat
leastperfected there.Oneexample is theCableCarcock-
tail,whichwasdevised inSanFranciscoandbrought to
LasVegasby itscreator,Tonyabou-Ganim.Thekicky,
rum-baseddrinkhasbeenembracedandadoptedby
Vegas imbibers.
additionally, thereareplentyofup-and-comerson
thehorizon.FrankTucker,whorecentlyopenedBambu
Bar, apool-adjacent, outdoordrinkingspotatMandalay
Bay,hopes tomakehismarkwithasteroidalbloody
mary.Tucker, amixologist inhisownright,hasde-
signed thebase foradeliciousmary thatcanbecustom-
ized,withup to40additional ingredients, foreachguest.
Youmaywant tomix in jalapeños, exoticsalts, various
olives, andaspice rack’sworthofhot sauces.
OtherspecialtycocktailsatBambuBar include the
MangoMojito,which, likemanydrinksonofferat
BambuBar, isstuddedwith fresh fruit, totally refresh-
ing, andnot at all girly.Mypersonal favorite is the
cilantroandcucumbercocktailwithvodkaandchile
peppers (a lessutilitarianname is in theworks). It’s
Chilling out at Minus 5, where the temperature is 5 below (Celsius) and the glasses aremade of ice.
