Haute Top 5: The Best Cocktail Bars in Las Vegas in 2017

Drinking in the midst of 2 million beaded crystals that make up The Chandelier at Cosmopolitan is an experience in and of itself. The three-level offers a mix of experiences. If you want a casino bar, hit the bottom level. A drink with plenty of people watching? Climb to the top. But when you seek a cocktail haven, head to the middle of The Chandelier.

Views of the city from the 23rd floor of Mandarin Oriental paired with signature cocktails make Bar Mandarin a hip spot to sip on cocktails. The cocktail menu includes the Golden Leaf made with Hendrick’s, Aperol, muddled mandarin, pineapple, fresh lime juice and simple syrup and the Vanilla Skyline served with Hennessy Black, strawberries, vanilla sugar, simple syrup and sparkling wine.

Here the cocktails are made from classics but with a twist. Want to try something new? Give your bartender your favorite ingredient and let him create something based on that.

Nectaly Mendoza has a literal Bible of classic cocktails, each with a little history lesson, at his must-visit bar on Sahara Avenue.

Head to downtown Las Vegas, figure out where the door is and slip into the speakeasy environment of the Downtown Cocktail Room. Mixologist Jeremy Merritt created a cocktail list that includes favorites such as the Downtown Dill Bloody Mary, the classic Negroni and the Agent Orange.