Some
of the Places REAL Men Go to Drink
By Bobbie Katz
It’s
a desert out here --and a very dry one at that. But
in what has become a giant leap for all mankind, within
the cool air-conditioned recesses of Las Vegas’
hottest places, it’s raining out-of-this world
alcoholic beverages and creations, presented in ways
that go where no man has gone before. From Volcano Girls
to Wine Angels and a Tequila Goddess: when you head
to Planet Vegas, you’re charting new drinking
territory.
Take us to your liter.
Ice House Lounge
You can drink at this favorite gathering spot for the
local crowd until the well freezes over. That's because
the Ice House raises the bar to a whole new icy level.
The 18-inch-wide bars on both the first and second floors
have 10- inch-wide wells filled with frozen water that
run the bars' lengths. The leftover 8 inches in front
are “straight up” – they are the smooth
setting on which guests can put the large selection
of specialty drinks that this venue offers.
The Ice House Lounge specializes in designer martinis.
There is the "Ultimate Martini," a super-sized
martini containing three ounces of vodka; the "Mayor
Martini," made with Bombay Sapphire Gin (named
for Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman's favorite drink)
and Grey Goose Dry with an extra olive, and the "Downtowner,"
made with Midori, Amaretto, Blue Curacao and sour mix.
There are several other martini selections on the menu
as well.
Located just six blocks from the Fremont Street Experience,
the Ice House Lounge is also a dining and entertainment
destination. Roving hordes of local attorneys, policeman
and the like meet here after work since it is right
in the heart of the law enforcement district. (The Happy
Hour runs daily from 3 to 7 p.m.) It’s all very
manly in a retro swank kind of way, with vintage photographs
of Las Vegas, a brick fireplace, 13 42-inch plasma TVs
and a 110-inch video screen perfect for viewing sporting
events and Power Point presentations.
Well, hey, your antennae should already be up anyway
since some of the city’s female finest come here,
too. And despite its name, the Ice House Lounge a good
place to melt any cold shoulders.
Margaritaville
There's no more guessing what's in a name where Margaritaville
is concerned. This is a place where guests can live,
breathe, drink -- and even watch a pretty girl slide
into - margaritas, if they choose to.
Owned
by Jimmy Buffet, Margaritaville (named after his 1977
hit song) is a 27,000-square-foot tri-level eatery and
entertainment venue with a saucy island feel. At the
six bars, including a new outdoor Tequila bar on the
third level, let’s face it, you’ve got to
have a margarita, although if rum is your flavor of
choice, you won’t want to miss the boat on the
“boat drinks” (island drinks) that are also
on the menu. But in honor of your host, you’ll
probably want to try a concoction made from one of Buffet’s
own brand of tequila, a Margaritaville Tequila Oro (Gold)
and a Margaritaville Tequila Silver, as well as one
of his Margaritaville Mango, Lime, Coconut, or Tangerine
tequilas. All the margaritas in the restaurant are made
with one or more of the above and the tequilas are all
sold in-house at the merchandise store and in liquor
stores across the country.
The
house signature margarita, the "Perfect Margarita"
is a blend of Margaritaville Gold and Silver, Triple
Sec, Orange Curacao and lime juice, on the rocks. The
traditional house Margarita is the "Who's To Blame
Margarita,' named for a refrain from the song "Margaritaville."
For margarita aficionados only, it is made with Margaritaville
Gold with either Margaritaville Mango, Lime, Coconut,
or Tangerine tequila and is served either frozen or
on the rocks.
If
you’re looking to blow off some steam, however,
the centerpiece of the Marina Floor is a volcano, which
is a replica of the one on the island of Montescrat
and also the inspiration for Buffet’s song “Volcano.”
There are two giant 300-gallon blenders on either side
of the Volcano Bar and as margaritas are sold to customers
and the level in the blenders goes down, the volcano
erupts (approximately every hour), spilling margaritas
into the blenders (instead of lava, thank goodness),
filling them back up.
This
happening contains a special ceremonial “sacrifice”
– in the evening a Volcano Girl slides from the
volcano into the blender (don’t try this at home)--
which ends with the blending of the perfect margarita.
Day or night, the eruption is followed by Buffet singing
“Margaritaville” on video on a large pair
of sails that is the screen.
It’s
so much fun it’s like having a Cheeseburger in
Paradise – which, by the way, gets right to the
meat of the Margaritaville menu.
Aureole
When
it comes to wine, Aureole's award-winning collection
(re “Wine Spectator” magazine) and service
is definitely one for the book. In this case, it's the
innovative electric hand-held touch screen computer
eWinebook that this venue designed to give patrons access
to Aureole's 4,000 wine selections and 40,000 bottles
of wine, 10,000 of which reside in its Wine Tower (the
other 30,000 are stored in wine cellars behind the restaurant).
At any given time in this Charlie Palmer gourmet room
at Mandalay Bay, there are three to four Sommeliers
on the floor, along with two Wine Angels (female wine
stewards) and one or two wine runners (who also fetch
wine). Sommelier William Scherer is always at the helm.
The 42-foot-tall, four-story glass-and-stainless steel
temperature-controlled (at 59 degrees) Wine Tower is
the first of its kind in the world, claim the Aureole
folks. Located in the lounge, it was inspired by a scene
in "Mission Impossible" in which Tom Cruise
was lowered from the ceiling on a harness. And, yes,
the Wine Angels will don modified rock-climbing harnesses
with holsters and physically ascend one of the tower’s
four motorized mechanical hoists via a small remote
to obtain your wine selection from its specific bin
and deliver it to you in the lounge. Drink up -- each
can put up to 12 bottles in her holster at a time.
The
core of Aureole's wine program evolves from the acquisition
of a broad eclectic selection through auction and from
private collection of mature wines with excellent provenance
featuring many of the world's classic rare wines. There
are hundreds of bottles of wine for under $100 and $50.
Aureole boasts the largest selection of Washington red
wines and Austrian white wines in the U.S. (rich red
wines and aromatic white wines are the two up-and-coming
categories in the world in their respective genres,
according to William Scherer). And for that night when
you hit Megabucjks, Aureole suggests its 1900 Chateau
Petrus from France, a Magnum Pomerol. The price? $36,000.
Of
course, it might help to have an (Wine) Angel on your
shoulder while gambling.
VooDoo Lounge
The "Witch Doctor" is "in" at the
VooDoo Lounge at the Rio, although if you try to finish
this "hip"-notic cocktail by yourself, you're
guaranteed to still be under its fiery spell and spewing
flames in the morning. So grab three or four of your
best friends and three or four straws and indulge in
this man-oversized mix of four Rums and tropical fruit
juices. But any way you shake them, with their unique
monikers such as "Third Eye" and "Jamaican
Hellfire," you can't go wrong with any of the unique
mixed concoctions in VooDoo’s repertoire.
Nor
can you go wrong with the VooDoo's spellbinding view
from its location on the 51st floor of the Rio's Masquerade
Tower. More than $2 million in renovations were recently
made to this world-famous authentic New Orleans-style
venue with mystical sights, sounds and décor.
Now guests can drink, dance and enjoy the breathtaking
view from two new outdoor patios, equipped with comfortable
seating, 300 feet above the Las Vegas Strip. .
The highlight of the VooDoo Lounge remodel is the new
staircase connecting the Voodoo Lounge with the Voodoo
Café one floor below. The sinuous, winding staircase
is also a platform for go-go dancers, a deejay booth
and special seating. It’s all a great “high,”
in a very spellbinding Vegas kind of way.
Not to mention that if you do the VooDoo like you do
so well, you just might find the VooDoo “doll”
of your dreams. Lots of pretty women hang out here.
Isla
Getting with the program - in this case, the cocktail
program -- has never been so much seductive fun as it
is at the Isla Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar at
Treasure Island where the "Diosa Tequila"
makes a nightly splash. Wearing a lacy black corset
and a long sexy sarong, the Las Vegas Strip's only Tequila
Goddess delivers colorful creations and is ready at
a moment's notice to help guests delve into the mysteries
of tequila and the perfect margarita - no (corset) strings
attached. It’s a scene that has many a man wetting
his whistle, so to speak – and with great drinks,
too.
The Tequila Bar features one of Las Vegas' most impressive
collections of tequilas, including more than 70 varieties
of cutting-edge 100% Blue Weber Agave. Signature tequila
cocktails include the "Margarita del Sol,"
Isla's house margarita, prepared with fresh lime and
orange juice, plus Mango and Strawberry Margaritas.
Isla also offers a creative array of sangrias and other
Mexican cocktail favorites such as a "Blackberry
Mojito," a "Mexican Cucumber Martini,"
and a "Pineapple Mojito," all prepared with
fresh-squeezed juices and fruit purées. The flavorful,
bold cocktails at the Tequila Bar offer the perfect
complementary beginning to Mexico City-born Chef Richard
Sandoval'’s traditional Mexican cuisine infused
with a modern twist.
You’ll definitely be crossing the border from
tequila heaven into culinary paradise. The bar opens
at 11 a.m. so just remember that the early bird gets
the worm – at least sooner than others. Viva la
Mexico!
Teatro Euro Bar
The Teatro Bar at the MGM Grand offers you a chance
to put your money where your mouth is with the city's
most exclusive cocktail, the $2,200 High Limit Kir Royale.
The sky's definitely the limit with this rare blend
of Louis Roederer "Cristal" Rose Champagne,
140-year-old Hardy Perfection Cognac, limited-edition
Grand Marnier Cent Cinquantenaire and fresh raspberries.
And after your cocktail is made, the unused portion
of the bottle of Louis Roederer "Cristal"
Rose Champagne is served to you along with it.
Introduced at the star-studded December 2004 grand opening
of Teatro, which means "theater" in Italian,
the High Limit Kir Royale was created specifically for
the over-the-top taste buds of the many celebrities
in attendance. Teatro also offers exclusive bottle service,
as well as a selection of signature cocktails including
.the "Teatro," made with mandarin vodka, mango
puree, fresh sour, simple syrup and soda water served
up on the rocks. And for car lovers, there is, the "Red
Ferrari,” which is made with Tanqueray Ten, Muddled
Strawberries, powdered sugar and lemon juice and is
served straight up.
Fusing nightlife with music and entertainment in an
intimate atmosphere of plush Ferrari-red leather and
polished stainless steel, one of Teatro’s unique
features is a catwalk that transforms from an unassuming
champagne bar into a stage. At set intervals throughout
the evening, dancers perform cabaret, go-go, tease and
Asian-influenced dances, wearing costumes that correspond
to each dance they are doing. For other entertainment,
the bar’s all-night standout feature is the wall
of glass bottles with backlit projection that makes
it look like sensual images, from flames to female silhouettes,
are dancing inside the bottles.
.
Gentlemen, start your engines!
Max Redfire
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