Martinis from the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Bruno Mars and Martha Stewart; an all-you-can-drink Ferris wheel ride over the shining neon lights of the casinos; Tiki bars serving flaming cocktails 24 hours a day; caviar garnishes; gold-leaf ice cubes… If you can dream it, you can find somewhere to drink it in Las Vegas. But these days, it’s not all over-the-top glitz and glam in Sin City. Some serious gastronomic talents have been flocking to the desert to flex their creativity and passion, and the drinking scene is evolving delightfully alongside. The result is a compelling rub between kitsch and classy that suits the clientele perfectly.
On the main Strip, it only takes a few steps to transport you from the buzzing casino floor clanging with the sound effects of slot machines to the sultry, red-lit bar at the stylish BOA Steakhouse inside The Venetian Resort. Tara Shadzi, who manages the bar at BOA, says her guests look for a variety of experiences in a single night out. They will join her to ‘enjoy a finely crafted cocktail, then walk downstairs to have a shot at a sports bar while playing blackjack’.
There’s certainly no shortage of atmospheres for ordering that finely crafted cocktail. At the Paris hotel guests sip Vanderpump Vespers nestled into romantic velvet banquettes at Vanderpump à Paris, and just on the other side of the wall are punters enjoying Martha-ritas in a farmhouse-themed bar at The Bedford by Martha Stewart. And in a spot of Vegas magic, visitors can escape to a winter wonderland oasis in the desert at Ski Lodge at Superfrico Las Vegas where there is an après-ski party going all year long fuelled by drinks from James Beard award-winning mixologist Leo Robitschek.
Creativity is clearly booming, but it’s also spreading beyond the major resorts. ‘The Strip is always going to be The Strip. You know, the clubs, the celebrity-driven places,’ says Nicholas Brink, general manager of The Golden Tiki. ‘But what’s been fantastic to see in the last five years, is the craft cocktail scene explode off-Strip. We have some exceptionally talented bartenders in this town.’
The Golden Tiki is an extravagantly decorated 24-hour tropical oasis in Vegas’s blossoming Chinatown, one of the hotspot areas for excellent bars in the city. The other is the Arts District. In both areas new cocktail concepts like the witchy-themed Dark Sister or the freshly opened Asian-fusion Alchemist Bar & Restaurant mingle with iconic favourites that have welcomed visitors for more than a decade, including Atomic Liquors with its divey history, or Velveteen Rabbit, a whimsical haven of mixology.
‘We really took a chance on the Arts District back in 2013,’ says Christina Dylag, owner of Velveteen Rabbit, which is known for being one of the first cocktail bars in the area. ‘Many people thought we were crazy and that our concept wouldn’t survive. We sparked a flame in the area.’
The boom of culinary talent in Las Vegas caught the attention of the global fine-dining community when The World’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony came to the city in 2024, bringing many international restaurateurs and beverage directors to Vegas for the first time. For the team behind the awards, the entertainment capital of the world was an obvious choice to host such an important group of connoisseurs.
‘Vegas [has] undergone one of the most impressive culinary transformations of any city in recent years,’ says Faye Huggett, director of community for 50 Best. ‘It’s one of the few places where you can experience a huge spectrum of world-class dining and drinking in just a matter of days.’
This new level of global attention is reflected in the many internationally renowned restaurants that are now choosing Las Vegas for their first US outpost, rather than the likes of New York and Chicago. The debut US location of London’s two-Michelin-starred Indian fine-dining darling Gymkhana opened in December at the ARIA Resort & Casino. And Mexico City’s beloved and ever-bustling Contramar made its first international expansion to Fontainebleau Las Vegas in March with Cantina Contramar. Both feature original drinks menus to appeal to their discerning guests.
Talent from around the country and the world continues to flood the city for special collaborations and once-in-a-lifetime events, like Drink Las Vegas, a four-day festival bringing together chefs and mixologists from more than a dozen cities for a very special weekend in September.
From a cocktail journey themed around the Chinese zodiac to a lunch of Wolfgang Puck dishes paired with the classics, the long weekend’s line-up is another example of the immersive yet elevated drinking experiences helping to put Las Vegas on the cocktail connoisseur’s map.
The best of Drink Las Vegas
- Guests can experience the luxury side of Vegas’s hospitality scene at Caviar & The Classics on September 26 at The Pinky Ring by Bruno Mars located inside the Bellagio Las Vegas. Tunes from Mars’ house band are the perfect complement to timeless drinks and plenty of caviar-topped bites.
- For a true celebration of the city’s historic dining scene Michael Mina, Masaharu Morimoto and Wolfgang Puck come together for Timeless Taste: Celebrating the Legacy of Las Vegas on September 26. The Yucca Pool at the Aria will be teeming with culinary superstars including out-of-town bar talents like Christine Kim of Washington DC’s Service Bar and Rio Azmee of New York’s newest hot spot Stone & Soil.
- Get a taste of London’s celebrated Gymkhana during a rare late-night opening. Gymkhana After Dark on September 26 promises a glam evening filled with premium spirits from around the globe paired with classic Indian flavours and, of course, a moody playlist bumping all night.
- Chef Roy Choi is joined by friends from New York and Chicago for a musically inspired cocktail party at On The Record at the Park MGM on September 25. In The Mix will have internationally acclaimed bartenders – including Meaghan Dorman of NYC’s Dear Irving and Frank Kurt Maldonado of the legendary Employees Only – shaking and stirring to the beat while Choi cooks up the hard-hitting flavours that made him famous.
Drink Las Vegas is taking place across MGM Resorts in Las Vegas on September 24-27. For more info and tickets visit drinklasvegas.com
Drink Las Vegas is produced by a21, parent company of Club Oenologique, in partnership with MGM Resorts International
