Let’s get this straight. Las Vegas has nightclubs like Pure, Surrender and Tao where you can dance all night and deejays drive the beat. Then there are the bars, with their more relaxed vibe and specialty drink menus that will have you sampling a variety of concoctions. Here’s a look at the Haute 5 bars in the Las Vegas. You’ll be sending a drink our way.
miX Lounge
Imbibe your cocktails at a room with a view high atop THEhotel at Mandalay Bay at miX Lounge. It sits on the 64th floor with floor-to-ceiling windows and outdoor seating on the balcony overlooking The Strip. The mod decor and hip clientele will help offer a design respite when you tire of the scene from the window.
miX Lounge at THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, 702.632.9500, www.mandalaybay.com/dining/mixlounge.aspx.
Sugarcane
Take a trip down to Sugarcane, the nightclub with a Japanese and Brazilian vibe next to SushiSamba at the Palazzo. This may well be one of the most decadent places in Vegas with its gold and chocolate brown leather and 4,000 custom-made simulated sugarcanes that drop down from the ceiling. Moving lights make their way through the tubes and rods. Brazilian graffiti artist Felipe Yung (“Flip”) took his spray paints to accentuate the decor. Try the Parisian Geisha (vodka, sake, mint and lemongrass), the Figo (Montecristo spiced wine, fig liquor, pear juice and lime) or the Bushido or “Soul of Japan” (shochu, plum sake, muddled plum and daikon beer float). The Sugarcane Cocktail Tree features four samples of three different drinks served up on the branches of a wrought-iron tree.
Sugarcane at the Palazzo, 702.607.0670, www.palazzolasvegas.com/sugarcane_lounge.aspx.
Caramel Bar & Lounge
When your night calls for an intimate setting that’s a little sweet, head over to a bon-bon of a bar, Caramel Bar & Lounge at the Bellagio. An array of specialty cocktails, including an over-the-top martini menu, work well with the oversized leather furniture and custom rear-lit marble tables that stand guard in the center of the venue. Expect to see a classy crowd rubbing elbows here.
Caramel Bar & Lounge at Bellagio, 702.693.8300, www.lightgroup.com/nightlife/caramel-bar-lounge-las-vegas.
Downtown Cocktail Room
When you’re downtown, make this intimate cocktail room a must-see. Its seasonal menus and hand-crafted cocktails will have you making yourself at home in the leather arm chairs, chaise lounges and booths. If you can find the front door, that is. Once you figure out how to get inside, find a table near the front to watch guests attempt to find the entrance. Top-notch mixologists create concoctions here like few others in Vegas.
Downtown Cocktail Room, 111 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702.880.3696, thedowntownlv.com.
Sidebar
This intimate bar in downtown Las Vegas will have you thinking you just stepped into a swanky San Francisco hot spot. Its wood details, sexy white vinyl booths and subtle lighting will have you swilling Frisco’s native libation, the Sidecar, in one of the bar’s many variations. We recommend the Sidebar Sidecar made with Hennessy and Cointreau and served with a fresh lemon and sugar rim. Pick a cigar from the humidor and enjoy the sounds tinkling from the grand piano.
Sidebar, 201 N. Third St., 702.259.9700, www.sidebarlv.com.
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