Haute Secrets Las Vegas: Patricia Richards

Haute Secrets Las Vegas

Name: Patricia Richards

The stats: Born in Jasper, Alberta, Canada; lived in Las Vegas for seven years, currently in Henderson.

Why she loves Las Vegas: We have the best entertainment, best restaurants and an affordable cost of living. There is also a lot of opportunity for those of us in the hospitality industry. We have a lot of the best stuff life has to offer in a relatively close proximity. We are very blessed living here!

As mixologist for Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, Patricia Richards oversees the creation of specialty cocktails for the resorts’ food and beverage outlets. Richards took on the position in 2007 and has made a name for herself as the first female in Las Vegas to run a program of comparable size. While inventing seasonal cocktail menus and standardizing recipes, Richards focuses on educating staff with extensive training courses to bring consistency and innovation to the Wynn beverage program. She kicked off her career at Wyn as a lead bartender at Parasol Up, where she amassed a large following of loyal patrons who frequented the lounge for her signature and creative cocktails. During her career, she has racked up a number of awards, including a silver medal in the 2006 Bacardi Martini Grand Prix in Torino, Italy, third place in the 2006 Canada and United States Tabasco Sauce “Hottest Bartender” competition and second place in the Travel + Leisure Beverage Arts Challenge. Additionally, Richards received the 2008 Cheers Magazine Rising Star Award and in 2009, was named one of Travel + Leisure’s  “World’s Best Hotel Bartenders.” That same year, Richards won the “Iron Bar Chef” competition hosted by Santé Magazine, where six of the country’s top mixology professionals compete against one another to create the best cocktails.

Find out Patricia Richards’ favorite places in Las Vegas in our latest Haute Secrets.

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