L AS VEGAS’ WEEKLY CITY MAGAZINE
|
FOUNDED FEBRUARY 2010
PUBLISHER Michael Skenandore
EDITORIAL Nicole Ely Genevie Durano SENIOR EDITORS Paul Szydelko, Xania Woodman SENIOR EDITOR, A&E Geoff Carter ASSOCIATE EDITOR Camille Cannon SENIOR WRITER Lissa Townsend Rodgers STAFF WRITER Emmily Bristol CALENDAR COORDINATOR Ian Caramanzana EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
MANAGING EDITOR
SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Melinda Sheckells (style)
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Michael Green (politics), Al Mancini (dining), David G. Schwartz (gaming/hospitality)
ART Ryan Olbrysh Cierra Pedro Anthony Mair, Krystal Ramirez
CREATIVE DIRECTOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS
VEGASSEVEN.COM Herbert Akinyele Zoneil Maharaj SENIOR WRITER, RUNREBS.COM Mike Grimala ASSISTANT WEB PRODUCER Amber Sampson TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
ENGAGEMENT EDITOR
PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION Marc Barrington Jimmy Bearse DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Jasen Ono
DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION ADVERTISING MANAGER
SALES Christy Corda Nicole Scherer ACCOUNT MANAGER Brittany Quintana ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Robyn Weiss
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR DIGITAL SALES MANAGER
INTERNS Kayla Dean, Troy Fosgate, Tia Keys, Sierra Lomprey, Jonmaesha Shadrick, Mitchell Weiss
Ryan T. Doherty
| Justin Weniger
Michael Skenandore VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING AND EVENTS Keith White DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS Michael Uriarte CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sherwin Yumul CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Sim Salzman CONTROLLER Jane Weigel PRESIDENT
Comments@VegasSeven.com Sales@VegasSeven.com DISTRIBUTION Distribution@VegasSeven.com
LETTERS AND STORY IDEAS ADVERTISING
PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP Vegas Seven, 702-798-7000, 302 E. Carson Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89101 Vegas Seven is distributed each Thursday throughout Southern Nevada c 2015 Vegas Seven, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without the permission of Vegas Seven, LLC is prohibited.
THE LATEST News, politics, deals and the ever-changing shopping landscape
DTLV’s Thriving Retail Scene
You’ve cooked, eaten, dutifully talked politics with Uncle Ned … now what? Basketball, that’s what. The Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational is one of the top early season tournaments in college hoops, with great teams going at it for two solid days of play. Competition starts at 11 a.m. OrleansCasino.com.
NOVEMBER 27 Let the suckers stand in line for a discounted TV. You’ve got better things to do, such as the Motor Trend International Auto Show. Ogle more than 350 new cars and trucks, from Lamborghinis to Kias. You can even get behind the wheel of some of them for a test drive. Through Sunday at the Las Vegas Convention Center. AutoShowLV.com.
F
Sa NOVEMBER 28
Container Park.
You know what you need to keep the holiday spirit going? A holiday parade. But where to find one? Downtown Summerlin. They’re having parades regularly through Dec. 24. Tonight’s edition starts at 7 p.m. DowntownSummerlin.com.
Su NOVEMBER 29
Las Vegas Parking Services Manager Brandy Stanley says there are no plans at present to lower daytime fees, but the City is receptive to the needs of the affected businesses and is actively trying to fnd ways to address them. “If you park and pay a meter near the Container Park, you can get some cool discounts for the merchants inside,” Stanley says. “The meters print out coupons which you can take and redeem.” And Downtown Project is stepping up as well: It’s providing free parking in the Llama Lot on Small Business Saturday, November 28. (Visit DowntownProject.com/Free-Parking to print out a necessary parking voucher.) Their other Small Business Saturday deals include a $20 Uber ride credit, discounts at Downtown shops both inside and outside of Container Park (11th Street Records, Hydrant Club and the Writer’s Block are included), and even a food tour. A full list of DTP’s offerings can be found at DowntownProject.com/ShopSmallDTLV. That only addresses one day of the year for Fremont Street’s retailers (albeit a big, busy day). There are 364 more days that require attention from the City and more fnessing from DTP. But Seeley, who notes that the Writer’s Block will be exactly 1 year old on Small Business Saturday, is confdent the kinks can be worked out. “Sales are on track,” Seeley says. “If you were to look at my original business plan, you’d see that we’re almost exactly where I thought we’d be at this point.” He pauses, and adds, “Though it would be nice to be ahead.” Luckily for Downtown businesses, this is a season of giving.
It’s the last Sunday in November, which means it’s also the last Sunday in Moe-vember at the Mob Museum. Each Sunday, the museum focuses on a different mobster named Moe. Today’s subject: Moe Dalitz, a Midwestern bootlegger turned Las Vegas businessman and philanthropist. Go learn mo’ about him. TheMobMuseum.org.
M NOVEMBER 30
A December to Remember is not just a marketing slogan; it’s also the name of an exhibit that explores the varied cultural traditions and practices that take place during the most celebrated time of the year. Through Jan. 3 at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. LVNHM.org.
Tu DECEMBER 1
Have you ever given any thought to how airports fit into the economic picture? Perhaps you should, and here’s a way to do it: UNLV’s University Forum Lecture series, which tonight features UNLV Honors College assistant professor Daniel Bubb speaking on how airlines and airports connect western U.S. cities to the rest of the world. 7:30 p.m. at the Barrick Museum. UNLV.edu.
W DECEMBER 2
Artist John Trimble received his BFA from UNLV and has shown his work both here and in Los Angeles. His acrylic paintings illustrate daily moods and emotions and offer a unique perspective on landscape and culture. His show, A Joyful Perspective, will be on display in the West Las Vegas Library through Jan. 26. LVCCLD.org. Have an event you want considered for Seven Days? Email VegasSevenDays@Gmail.com.
PHOTO BY CIERRA PEDRO
VegasSeven.com
|
PAGE 18
Th NOVEMBER 26
➜
November 26–December 2, 2015
|
By Bob Whitby
By Geoff Carter
12
POLITICS
★ A CURATED GUIDE TO THIS WEEK IN YOUR CITY ★
Parking issue aside, local shop owners are gaining a following
WHEN YOU THINK Downtown shopping, you might think of Container Park, Downtown Project’s whimsical, all-metal mall. Maybe you even think of the Writer’s Block bookshop, the small boutiques and galleries in Emergency Arts or the vintage shops on Main Street, which offer everything from mid-century modern furnishings to retro clothing and accessories. But it seems more likely that when you think of Downtown shopping, you think of paid parking, sketchy environs and hipsters with twee, droopy mustaches. At ground level, it’s fallen largely to the shop owners themselves to combat these wrongheaded notions. But they’re doing it. “People are complaining less and less about Downtown itself these days,” says Scott Seeley, co-proprietor of the Writer’s Block. “Last night a guy came in and said, ‘It used to be horrible down here, but now it’s so nice.’ Apparently, there are still people in certain suburbs that still haven’t made the trek Downtown.” “Our tourist business is signifcant, because we made a decision to focus our marketing on overseas tourists, through Google AdWords and the like,” says 11th Street Records proprietor Ronald Corso. “It’s the people who live at Charleston and Durango who don’t want to come down here and pay $5 to park.” The perception problem will eventually be solved through word of mouth. The more people who come Downtown and see what a tamed kitten it’s become, the more likely it is they’ll return with friends. And Container Park is making huge strides in that direction; by day, it’s positively overrun with families shopping its boutiques, enjoying its epic playground and dining alfresco at its restaurants. It can be easily argued that these Container Park visitors had to park somewhere—more than likely in a paid spot. But one can’t help but wonder how many more locals might visit Container Park if all the parking surrounding it were free, at least during the day. “I understand not wanting to leave revenue on the table, but whoever set this up got too excited and jumped the gun,” Corso says. “We’re trying to transform this area into a vibrant city center, and those come with pay parking; I get that. But I think we needed to wait until it actually became a vibrant city center to institute metered parking. It’s too soon.”
The immigration debate that has long roiled American politics has been a continuum of America’s history and Nevada’s.
THE LATEST
Big Tech Comes to Town What the expansion of three companies could mean for Las Vegas’ startup future By Nicole Ely
J A M E S P. R E Z A
How has Las Vegas shopping changed over the years?
November 26–December 2, 2015
|
VegasSeven.com
➜ TURNING LAS VEGAS INTO
14
a thriving tech hub has been one of the main objectives of the Downtown Project since its inception in 2012. However, it has struggled to change outsiders’ perceptions of a city forged on gaming, hospitality and entertainment. Whether a local startup gains traction or collapses, a common fear is that its founders could fee to Austin, Texas, or Silicon Valley instead of staying in Las Vegas, where many complain that the talent pool is limited. This fate befell robotics startup Romotive and the Rumgr app team. But eBay, Tesla and Switch could signal a turning of the tide. In January, Switch announced that it will be spending $2 billion on expansions in Las Vegas and Reno, building an additional 4 million square feet of computing power combined, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. In spring, just months after Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk and Governor Brian Sandoval offcially announced the lithium-ion battery factory in Reno, known as the gigafactory, the electric car company bought the land adjacent to the site—nearly 1,900 acres for “future growth,” the Reno-Gazette Journal reports. Now, thanks to more than $30 million in tax incentives, eBay will soon be putting its bid on the Silver State. In his 2012 book Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City— re-
garded almost as a how-to manual by many local techies—venture capitalist and entrepreneur Brad Feld uses Boulder, Colorado, as a case study for how to make a burgeoning tech center blossom into much more. Of the many ingredients required, Feld writes that large companies—the Intels and Hewlett-Packards—can be powerful tools for two reasons: 1) They can provide meeting places for entrepreneurs and 2) they can create programs where startups end up strengthening the larger companies’ ecosystem. For example, eBay started a program called Friends of eBay, where early-stage startups get six months of free offce space and resources at its Manhattan location. Zappos and the Downtown Project used to have the business incubator Progression Labs, where fedgling companies received $25,000 of working capital, rent for offce space and mentoring. From 2013 to 2014, nine companies went through the program until it shut down. Zappos and Switch comprise Las Vegas’ largest tech companies, and both have already done their fair share of investing in the local tech scene, as George Moncrief will tell you. Moncrief, VegasTechFund’s entrepreneur in residence, serves as an adviser for the co-working space Work in Progress in Downtown. “Downtown Project hosts so many events, and [business people and investors] are coming
through all the time,” Moncrief says. “All our tech meetups are very well attended, and we have more than 100 new members at Work in Progress.” Switch also has a co-working space called Innevation Center, and the Mill, a branch of the VegasTechFund, launched a business accelerator program that flled the gap left by Progression Labs. But just the work of two companies is not enough to nurture a tech scene so it can grow into the next Austin or Boulder, which is why this threesome of expansions is promising. The Tesla factory is expected to bring 22,000 jobs and have an economic impact of $40 billion over the next 20 years, according to the Governor’s Offce of Economic Development. For the next decade, Switch will be building a 500-mile “superloop” of fber cable that will connect Reno and Las Vegas. And eBay will be investing $413 million in Nevada, with $182 million going to Clark County. Not only will these businesses provide further “large company” support to the state’s startup scene, it will turn a national gaze toward recruiting. “As housing prices rise, places like Las Vegas are becoming much more active [for startups because of the low] cost of living,” Moncrief says. “Switch has put Nevada on the map.” And with eBay and Tesla’s investments, it will turn our state into a tech destination.
That’s a heckuva topic to tackle, but I’ll give it the old Rebel try. For kicks, here’s a rough retail timeline: Fremont Street was eaten by the Boulevard mall was eaten by the Meadows mall was eaten by the Fashion Show was eaten by the Boulevard (again) was eaten by Henderson’s Galleria at Sunset was eaten by Town Square was eaten by Downtown Summerlin was eaten by ... the Fashion Show (again?). Mall wars! As a child of mall culture (if not a mall rat), I have fond memories of the heydays of many these spots, but I also remember local touchstones such as Ronzone’s department store, the Upper Ear home audio shop and Vegas Village (It’s a department store! It’s a grocery store! It’s a bar!). As is common across the country, Vegas retail today is dominated by national brands, leaving every mall in every city feeling (if not looking) similar. In typical Vegas fashion, this homogenization was seen as a good thing. Sure, we had some interesting spots (ladies shopped boutiques such as Rebel Britches and Suzy Creamcheese). But generally, whenever someone sported something offbeat or stylish, it almost always came from California. For years, whatever postpreppy style I embraced required a trek south to acquire the proper uniform. Even in high school, some friends made the drive to Venice Beach and Melrose Avenue a couple of times a year, scouring stalls and boutiques for truly exotic items such as vintage 501s, sterling silver accessories, band T-shirts and Dr. Martens. Eventually, a few local spots catered to that particular scene; I scored broken-in Levis from Vintage Madness and band T-shirts (Joy Division, Bauhaus) from the Hair Zoo and The Underground, long before Hot Topic was a thing. But this was a niche taste, and many Las Vegans who wanted more were still heading out of town through the mid-1990s. That’s changed dramatically. Recently, a Vegas-based musician who travels the world said about our food and shopping scene, “Something I truly love about Las Vegas is that you can get anything here.” He was particularly impressed by the selection in Chinatown. Even Ikea (another road-trip fave) is headed here soon. Considering department store staples such as Nordstrom (2002) and Barneys (2008) didn’t open Vegas outposts until the 21st century, that’s significant. And now that we’ve finally arrived in that regard, boutique shopping is making a welcome comeback. May I kindly suggest you head out this Small Business Saturday (November 28) to show some local love? Questions? AskaNative@VegasSeven.com.
NIGHTLIFE
The Big Deal Ain’t nobody fresher than the nightlife veterans bringing their Clique to the Cosmopolitan By Mark Gray
➜ ON A COLD MONDAY NIGHT in November, Jason “JRoc”
Craig and Ryan Labbe briskly stroll into an off-Strip restaurant as wind howls through the city. The weather, coincidentally enough, is rather ftting for the conversation they’re about to have, one that speaks of ushering in the winds of change in nightlife and lounges. The longtime nightlife gurus have partnered with former Light Group managing partner and CEO Andy Masi to open Clique Bar & Lounge in the Cosmopolitan, a swanky lounge opening in late December that will boast craft cocktails, savory sharable plates and an eclectic non-nightclub vibe.
November 26–December 2, 2015
PHOTO BY KRYSTAL RAMIREZ
|
Ryan Labbe and Jason "JRoc" Craig.
VegasSeven.com
Your city after dark, photos from the week's hottest parties and this DJ got his start early
29
NIGHTLIFE 30
“It’s 100 percent necessary to open this right now, because everything has gone toward this big-DJ, highminimum situation with nightclubs,” Craig says. Labbe adds, “How many times a week does somebody call you and ask you where to go? And then next comes, ‘What’s the minimum?’ Just this week alone, four or fve people asked me on different nights, ‘Where can I go tonight that’s not a nightclub, a cool lounge-y spot where I can go and have drinks?’ That’s why there’s a need for it. There’s a demand.” To be clear, Craig, 34, and Labbe, 33, aren’t anti-nightlife. They’ve both spent signifcant time in that world. Craig, who attended UNLV and then served in the Marine Corps, worked at Center Bar, Rehab and Body English in Hard Rock Hotel in the early 2000s before jettisoning over to the Palms to open the Fantasy Tower in 2006. Craig eventually took over as director of nightlife and marketing for N9NE
“It's 100 percent necessary to open this right now, because everything has gone toward this big-DJ, high-minimum situation with nightclubs.” Group. He’s also done time with SBE, Light Group and Hakkasan Group. Labbe, a Rhode Island native, arrived in Las Vegas in 2011 and began working with Masi, consulting for Light Group. Before long, he was creating, booking and marketing music events for its portfolio of venues. In 2012, the duo formed the 81/82 Group, a company that created and established DJ residencies, several of them for Light Group. They also partnered with national brands 50 Bleu Vodka and ResQwater to assist with both initial launches and curation of the brands in Las Vegas and other cross-markets.
“We’ve now worked with pretty much every single nightlife company in [Las Vegas] in one facet or another,” Craig says, but adds that Masi “always had bigger visions for us and we always had our own bigger visions.” With Clique, Masi, Craig and Labbe are tapping into all that experience and market knowledge to fll a void and create a “cool” bar on the Strip that eschews a gimmick. “There’s no place to just chill, have some cocktails and enjoy the people you’re with without extreme overload, where you have to shout to have a conversation,” Labbe says. In contrast to the nightlife mental-
ity, Clique won’t really push bottle sales, an idea what would likely make club operators shudder. Instead, the intimate lounge will hang its hat on “tableside mixology.” “You’ll be addressed by a waitress, and then you’ll have a menu,” Labbe says. “And then if it’s something you’re interested in, our sommelier of sorts will come over and make [your cocktail] right in front of you with all fresh ingredients.” For Craig and Labbe, this is just the beginning of their work with Masi’s Clique Hospitality. In their multi-venue partnership, the trio plans to expand their portfolios by opening other projects in Las Vegas and elsewhere. “It’s a bigger-picture deal than just this venue,” Craig says. “We’ve always been in contact with Andy, but when we went back with him, we said that if we’re going to partner with him, we want to partner on multiple projects; we want this to be a big deal.”
PHOTOS BY JON ESTRADA
November 26–December 2, 2015
|
VegasSeven.com
Chicken skewers with harissa yogurt and Clique's Signature Cocktail.
F R I
NOV
27
C H U C K I E SAT
NOV
28
B O RG E O U S TUE
DEC
01
B O RG E O U S
F R I
DEC
E VA SAT
04
TUE
08
3 LAU
S H AW
DEC
DEC
05
C H U C K I E
TICKETS
&
VIP
R E S E R VAT I O N S
|
OMNIANIGHTCLUB.COM
|
702.785.6200
|
NIGHTLIFE
PARTIES
TAO
The Venetian [ UPCOMING ]
38
See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com
PHOTOS BY TOBY ACUNA
November 26–December 2, 2015
|
VegasSeven.com
Nov. 26 DJ Five spins Nov. 27 DJ C-L.A. spins Nov. 28 Eric D-Lux spins
NIGHTLIFE
PARTIES
HAKKASAN MGM Grand
[ UPCOMING ]
42
See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com
PHOTOS BY JOE FURY AND THOMAS TRAN
November 26–December 2, 2015
|
VegasSeven.com
Nov. 26 Fergie DJ and Mikey Francis spin Nov. 27 3LAU and Jeff Retro spin Nov. 28 The Chainsmokers and Fergie DJ spin
48
When Life Gives You Lemons One chef’s career interruption turns into opportunity as a major player in the underground dining scene By Al Mancini
agnosed and untreated for 18 months when he was in L.A., began to imitate a heart condition and eventually led to his collapse on a kitchen foor. The chef doesn’t blame fate for sidelining him. On the contrary, he blames himself for not addressing the issue early. “I didn’t take the time to say, ‘Hey, I need a few days off’ or ‘I should go see a doctor.’ I chose to ignore it for quite a while. And then by the time I was on the foor, aching, and could barely breathe, my managers were like, ‘Well, maybe we should just call it right here.’” Ironically, it was a similar set of circumstances that led a young Hall into the kitchen in the beginning. His frst career choice was the military, and he landed a role as a paratrooper straight out of high school. But when he suffered an injury that barred him from jumping out of airplanes or any other combat position, it convinced him to leave the service. It was only then that he turned to cooking as a career, frst catering with high school friends in California, and eventually getting a bachelor’s degree in culinary management at The Art Institute of Tampa. But the chef is philosophical about his injuryprone past. “It pushed me in a lot of directions for sure,” he says. “It’s a bit of fate and a bit of stupidity. That’s how I land in a lot of places, and sometimes I end up on the good side of things.” While Hall has no plans to abandon teaching, which he loves, he’s also planning to resume a more regular restaurant role. He’s joined forces with Howard, his former Comme Ça boss, in planning Howard’s delayed new restaurant, Harvest & Larder. They’ve already collaborated on charcuterie recipes. And when the restaurant fnally opens, Hall tells me, “I told Brian, ‘If I’m available, I’m on board with you, buddy.’” When and if that happens, it’ll be a return that many will be watching carefully.
PHOTO BY KRYSTAL RAMIREZ
November 26–December 2, 2015
|
VegasSeven.com
DINING
➜ ON THE SECOND FLOOR
of the culinary school in the Art Institute of Las Vegas, you’ll fnd one of Henderson’s more interesting and inspiring bargains: a teaching restaurant called Opus Too. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, in a small, nicely decorated dining room with a wonderful view of the Strip in the distance, the school’s students take control of both the front and back of house. Sure, the Valley is dotted with a handful of these learning institutions, on both high school and culinary school campuses. But Opus Too is probably the best and most ambitious I’ve come across. On any given day, the threecourse lunch might include pâté, vichyssoise or braised oxtail—and all with generous pours of wine (glasses run about $7). While the young chefs don’t always hit the nail exactly on the head, at a mere $12, it’s a hell of a lot better than anything that was offered on my college campus. For that, you can thank chefinstructor Justin Kingsley Hall, who oversees the kitchen at these events. What Hall brings to the classroom is professional cooking experience—including at Comme Ça, both in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, as well as various restaurants in Florida and California—and a growing star status within the Las Vegas culinary underground. In recent months, Hall has catered events with the Goodwich’s Josh Clark, lent a hand with the food at UNLVino, cooked at the Further Future festival and joined chef Brian Howard at Life Is Beautiful and New York’s James Beard House. According to local food impresario Jolene Mannina, “Justin is behind the scenes but is known in the chef community, and has been the go-to person when chefs need additional hands.” But what Hall has not been able to do lately is run his own professional kitchen. The cause is a medical condition. Damaged cartilage in his breastplate, undi-
DRINKING
➜ WHILE DISTILLERS NATIONWIDE
fght for market share of an audience thirsty for high-quality spirits, a growing number of Nevada distillers are making a move to slake that thirst. Book a tour and taste for yourself! Verdi Local Distillery In a tiny 1940s ranch-style house just a mile from the California border, Jeremy and Katey Bauman opened their 744-square-foot micro distillery—possibly the world’s smallest—one year ago. The couple welcomes guests to sample their spirits following a brief tour; note the local brewery collaborations in the barrel room, and the pressurized stainless-steel casks of whiskey pulling color and favor from the handharvested and charred local mahogany staves sealed within. Work your way from the apple cinnamon- and lemonfavored white corn whiskeys before moving on to the Yeti Jackalope Gin and Mahogany Whiskey. Save the white whiskey favored with Nevada-grown Basque garlic for last; it’s meant to pair with the couple’s own bloody Mary mix recipe. And if offered the experimental charred pine whiskey, say yes. VerdiLocalDistillery.com. Branded Hearts Distillery Stop in at the right time and you just might catch Ryan Cherrick out back hand-charring barrels while Josh Nichols stands ready with the water. Open
since April, theirs is the state’s sixth craft distillery as well as its newest. A tour from either quickly reveals how far their research into distilling and heritage grains has taken them. In the bar up front or the new lounge in the distillery itself, sample their complex “whiskey lover’s rum” made from dark panela (an unrefned sugar) and their single malt. Ogle the experimental barrels of fourgrain, bourbon and a second singlemalt—they might just give you a taste. BrandedHeartsDistillery.com. Seven Troughs Distilling Co. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Las Vegas Distillery owner George Racz in support of favorable craft-distilling legislation for Nevada is UNR engineering professor Thomas Adams. Now putting out some 15,000 cases per year from a tiny industrial space in Sparks, Seven Troughs is a history buff’s dream come true. Everything here is made according to late 19th-century practices. Grains from within 45 miles of the distillery are partial mashed in open barrels, their essence captured in fame-fred stills. Of note, the Old Commissary Whiskey is made with foor-malted barley according to a 153-year-old recipe, and is named for the state’s frst federally licensed distillery at Fort Ruby. Adams also produces a vodka, two moonshines, a small-barrel bourbon and Black Rock Rum, which is popular among the Burning Man set. 7TroughsDistilling.com.
The Depot Craft Brewery & Distillery Located in the heart of Reno, in the painstakingly restored brick train depot, this combination restaurant, brewery and distillery has the fashiest setup of the lot—a gleaming copper-clad Italian still that makes all the basics: a clean house vodka, perfume-y High Country Gin, award-winning Silver Corn Whiskey and a young bourbon aged in small charred, honeycombed barrels in the station’s climate-controlled attic. But it’s distiller Brandon Wright’s Blue Corn Whiskey that shines brightest. According to staff, “illegal” 500-milliliter bottles were accidentally approved (they shoulda been 750 milliliters), so pick one up for $28 before they’re gone. TheDepotReno.com. Frey Ranch Estate Distillery Farthest afeld, in rural Fallon, ffthgeneration Nevada farmer Colby Frey and family are still putting out one of the most delicious and character-driven vodkas to touch ice. But the family is growing steadily with the addition of its frst gin, eventually to be followed by an aged gin and even an absinthe. It will be years still before Frey’s whiskeys— bourbon, rye, single malt, oat—come to market. But bars all over the state already have been quick to adopt the gin, which is made from estate sagebrush and Rocky Mountain juniper. In Las Vegas, try it at Oak & Ivy in Downtown Container Park. FreyRanch.com.
VegasSeven.com
Clockwise from top left: The still at Depot, Frey Ranch gin, charring barrels at Branded Hearts, experimentation at Verdi Local and partial mashing at Seven Troughs.
One of these legislative sessions, someone in state government will get around to signing the proposed bill that will make the Picon Punch the official cocktail of Nevada. And no one will be more thrilled than the folks at Louis’ Basque Corner on the corner of Fourth Street and Evans Avenue in Reno. Southern Nevada operates more on Red Bull and vodka than this antique tipple, but history is what has made it so popular in the heavily Basque-settled northwest corner of our state. First off, despite being pronounced like the word “pecan” (the “PEE-kahn” version, not “pee-CAN”), there is no trace of that nut in this drink. Rather, Picon refers to a venerable brand of French amer (a bitter, similar to the Italian amaro), from which the drink takes its name. Although Picon brand amer is a little tricky to find these days, Torani amer is readily available, or you can even make your own. To prepare the cocktail, fill a 5-ounce Picon Punch glass (a.k.a. an Irish coffee glass, if you’ve ever been to San Francisco’s Buena Vista Cafe) with ice. Add 2 ounces of amer and a splash of grenadine (or pomegranate syrup). Top with club soda, stir and “bless it” with a float of ¼ to ½ ounce brandy (patriarch Louis Erreguible’s choice is Korbel; he’s French Basque—go figure). Express the oils from a narrow swath of lemon rind on top, drag it around the rim and drop it into the glass (watch a video at VegasSeven.com/ PiconPunch). As Jack Lyon, the bartender at Louis’, will tell you about drinking Picon Punches, “It’s like breasts: One is not enough, but three is too many.” Approach with caution and reverence. Topa! – XW
|
Northern Nevada’s diverse distilleries make the spirits of the West By Xania Woodman
THE PICON PUNCH IS OUR STATE COCKTAIL (AT LEAST IT DAMN WELL OUGHTTA BE!)
November 26–December 2, 2015
Fresh Off the Still
[ SCENE STIRS ]
49
MARKETPLACE
MARKETPLACE
MARKETPLACE
MARKETPLACE
MARKETPLACE
Don’t feel trapped at your next event. Work parties don’t have to be stufy parties. At Springs Preserve, you’ll fnd uniquely inviting indoor and outdoor venue options on our lush 180-acre campus. The delicious full-service catering and ambient environment will create an atmosphere they won’t forget. Conveniently located near downtown Las Vegas at U.S. 95 & Valley View Blvd. | 702.822.8779 | springspreserve.org