I like to travel to places I find interesting, fully believing that not every trip needs to be an Instagrammable mountain pose followed by copy-and-pasted inspirational quote.
I like to travel to places I find interesting, fully believing that not every trip needs to be an Instagrammable mountain pose followed by copy-and-pasted inspirational quote.
When I get to these places, I like to kick back and enjoy a good cocktail. But not just any cocktail. An Old Fashioned.
In fact, fair or not, I judge a lot of places on their ability (or more specifically their bartenders ability) to make a great drink, or miss the mark completely.
Then I blog about it because why not?
June 2018.
The Las Vegas Strip offers no shortage of places to stop and have an adult beverage… or ten.
These mega-conglomerate casinos have written the ultimate guide on how to separate a decent, sensible person from their hard earned green money.
Whether they call them lounges, bars, hangs, or ::gulp:: experiences, they all push the same $15 Bud Light and watered down drinks, unless you get the one bartender who actually paid attention in cocktail class.
My wife and I made our way to the Venetian to meet up with two old friends.
The Venetian drips cash.
It’s ultra posh.
It’s still hard to find a good bartender.
Most are slinging Miller Lite and Appletini’s with blank stares, smiling just long enough to hopefully get a half-way decent tip from tight-fisted tourists.
We bypassed the gaming areas and Grand Canal Shoppes and found some seats at Casanova’s Tapas Bar. It’s a simple bar across the aisle from the main restaurant.
I asked for an Old Fashioned with Maker’s and the young lady behind the bar looked at me confused. She turned to a young man behind the bar and he kinda shrugged his shoulders.
She gave me a slight smile and said she’d do her best, she’d only been bartending for six weeks. Total.
We were having a good time so I assured her that I wouldn’t be too judgmental and to do her best.
Come on! Six weeks?? She did great! Maybe a little too much bourbon (too much bourbon?!) but overall a nice blend.
A solid, solid effort for this newbie! I was delighted and the conversation was fun and relaxed so I ordered another.
Another solid effort.
I may have had better in my days, but I certainly have had much much worse! The bartender herself was very cordial and attentive, also hard to find in Sin City.
Solid effort on an Old Fashioned gets a solid tip from me.
This was a while back, so I’m sure she’s an ace by now! The bartending world needs more of ’em!
Score: 5/10
