Every Day I’m
Trufflinʼ A sip of
something savory
FREE March 23–29, 2017
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W HAT TO DO
AF T ER DARK By Kimberly De La Cruz
FRIDAY 24
TASTE: Sip on a complimentary glass of wine and
Panic! At the Disco
indulge in Ethel M’s chocolates while taking in views of the Strip on the High Roller at A Chocolate Experience With A View. 5 p.m., $52, at The Linq, caesars.com
HEAR: Former Canadian ska group King Appa-
ratus’ frontman Chris Murray brings his take on reggae beats and melodies to Backstage Bar & Billiards. 8 p.m., $8–$10, 601 Fremont St., backstagebarlv.com
DANCE: If you like a little reggae flavor in your EDM,
there’s one place to be tonight: Intrigue. Dillon Francis makes it bounce behind the booth with his brand of moombahton. 10:30 p.m., $25–$45, inside Wynn, intriguevegas.com
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HEAR: Skip the formal wear for this homecom-
ing—wing those eyes and lace those Chucks— Panic! At The Disco is at Mandalay Bay Events Center. 7 p.m., $40–60, inside Mandalay Bay, mandalaybay.com
TASTE: “Shiny New Toy” has a whole-new mean-
ing as an adult. We’re talking booze, and it’s the name of the latest beer being released by CraftHaus Brewery. Taste it at the Henderson brewpub tonight. 5 p.m., 7350 Eastgate Road, Suite 110, Henderson, crafthausbrewery.com
EXPERIENCE: Take some time off from adulting at
Zappos’ Fandom Nights: Booze & Boards Tabletop Party. Games and popcorn included. 6 p.m., $5, 300 Las Vegas Blvd. North, zappos.com DANCE: WHAT? Lil Jon is going to be spinning at Jewel? OKAY! 10:30 p.m., $20–$30, inside Aria, jewelnightclub.com
PHOTO BY SHERVIN L AINEZ
THURSDAY 23
KEVIN HART SUN, APR 30 • 11AM ACM POOL PARTY FOR A CAUSE
COLLEGE EDITION
HISH MARCH 25
MARCH 26
MARCH 31
JAMIE IOVINE APRIL 14
MAY 12
21st Birthday Bash
APRIL 2
APRIL 8
APRIL 9
KID INK MAY 13
MAY 14
REHAB@HRHVEGAS.COM | 702.693.5505 | HARDROCKHOTEL.COM | REHABLV.COM /REHABLV #REHABLV
MAY 21
JUNE 2
SATURDAY 25 HEAR: Weezy F. Baby is back in town, and the “F” is for “fulfill a life dream of seeing Lil Wayne at a rooftop nightclub on the Strip.” It’s going down—or up—at Drai’s. 10:30 p.m., $40–$60, at The Cromwell, draisnightlife.com TASTE: Pinkies out, everyone. It’s time to get fancy (and a little tipsy) while you taste and learn about E. Pira & Figli wines from Barolo, Italy at Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar. 4 p.m., $65, 4480 Paradise Rd., ferraroslasvegas.com LAUGH: Nick Swardson makes the short trip from Reno 911! to The Mirage for another installment of the Aces of Comedy series. Okay, that Comedy Central show hasn’t been on for years, but we’ll always remember him in short-shorts and roller skates. 10 p.m., $54–65 , mirage.com DANCE: Kaskade is back for “A Little More” of his Hakkasan Group residency this weekend, this time bringing his house-heavy beats to Omnia. Hear his latest single, “Beneath With Me” featuring deadmau5 and Skylar Grey, to know what your ears are in for. 10:30 p.m., $20–$30, inside Caesars Palace, omnianightclub.com EXPERIENCE: Open up your YouTube app immediately and start to perfect those “Time Warp” moves—the Rocky Horror Picture Show is back at The Sci Fi Center with its live shadow cast. It’s just a jump to the left! 10 p.m., $10, 5077 Arville St., thescificenter.com
SUNDAY 26 DANCE: Let it reign—there’s a king vs. king getdown at Oddfellows with a Michael Jackson vs. Prince set. 10 p.m., 150 Las Vegas Blvd. North, oddfellowsvegas.com
TUESDAY 28 Nick Swardson (above) and Diplo
TASTE: It’s possibly the worst day of the week, so sip on a little something to get you to Wednesday at Gordon Biersch’s happy hour featuring $3 beers. 3 p.m., 3987 Paradise Rd., gordonbiersch.com
MONDAY 27
PHOTO CREDIT GOES HERE
DANCE: Dip it low at one of the hottest places to be on Monday nights in Las Vegas. Diplo is going to make the weekend last one extra day at XS. 10 p.m., $20–$30, inside Encore, xslasvegas.com
WEDNSDAY 29 TASTE: Sample some of Colorado’s finest brews at
PKWY Tavern’s New Belgium Craft Beer Dinner. 7 p.m., $35, 9820 W. Flamingo Rd., pkwytavern.com
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[ DRINK THIS ]
Savoring the Savory
A
A flavorful journey to the earthy, fatty, salty side of cocktails
t the mere mention of “savory cocktails,” your mind might instantly flip to scenes of Sunday Fun-Day Bloody Marys. Maybe a spicy jalapeño margarita with lots of salt, on the beach. And, of course, Grandad’s beloved Gibsons. The lion’s share of the cocktail canon is dedicated to the sweet, sour and bitter side of things, but that’s not to say there’s no room on the bar for earthy, meaty, fatty, salty and umami. “I believe that you should have one savory cocktail on the menu—maybe two—depending on how large your menu is,” says
Constantin Alexander, beverage director for Hakkasan Group North America. Alexander is a particular champion of savory cocktails and actively creates space for them on his menus throughout the group’s brands, including Hakkasan, Herringbone and Yauatcha. What can be tricky about savory cocktails is finding ones prepared with ingredients that are cocktailready—that is, destined for the glass rather than the saucepan. Ever had a pizza-inspired cocktail made with tomato sauce straight from the jar? It’s an experience you won’t soon forget. Certain ingredients, such as peppers, vegetables and herbs, need to be handled with care. The best example, however, is the TRUFFLE. Not the chocolate kind, but the prized bulbous fungus that grows
near the roots of certain oak trees. The aroma is pungent and lingering, and on the palate, the effect can be almost eternal. At Nora’s Italian Cuisine on West Flamingo Road, mixologist Adam Giles uses Black Moth truffle-infused vodka to harness all the desirable truffle notes without beating your palate up with a bushel of them. “The trick is to not mask the ingredients or the flavors, but bring out those flavors to promote the original product or the base spirit,” Giles says. With that in mind, he serves Black Moth up as a bone-dry martini (no vermouth) garnished with a slice of fresh black truffle. “The chilled product by itself gives you a lot of truffle flavor; we also paired it with our truffle fries.” (See the following page for the full story.) Real truffle oil, wielded carefully and sparingly, can also be divine. At Herringbone in Aria Resort & Casino, bartenders atomize a mist of the highest-quality truffle oil over the top of the Truffle Shuffle, a riff on an Old Fashioned made with orange aromatic bitters, butterscotch reduction and rye that was created by Alexander and his right-hand man, chief mixologist Tim Weigel. Nostalgic name aside, the drink was a top-seller when it debuted on the opening menu at the Las Vegas restaurant, and continues to have a devoted following today at the Santa Monica location. Meanwhile, over at Hakkasan Restaurant, one of nine new drinks Alexander and Weigel have added to the cocktail menu this month showcases another savory ingredient, SESAME OIL. The Savory Minute also introduces Las Vegas to bacanora agave spirit and Calpico Japanese milk soft drink. “Most people are not adventurous enough to try a savory cocktail,” Alexander says, laying the challenge before you. “With the Truffle Shuffle, I would classify it as a little bit of a sweeter cocktail even though it has a savory component, the truffle oil. But the Savory Minute is 100 percent a savory cocktail, which is why we put the word ‘savory’ in the name, to make sure people know what they’re getting into.” At The Cosmopolitan, property mixologist Mariena Mercer loves working with sesame oil. On the current menu at Vesper Bar, you’ll find her creation, Wabi-Sabi, a play on the Penicillin made with Akashi Japanese Whisky, Bärenjäger, fresh ginger, lemon, matcha tea pow-
der, house-made coco-chai syrup and coconut cream, topped with a drizzle of sesame oil. Creamy and complex, the drink is a downright conversation piece, with a savory, culinary nose and a challenging flavor journey. The oil will stay on top and contribute only aroma … unless you stir it in. Then it contributes to the mouthfeel, much like another savory ingredient: BUTTER. Mike Doyle, Breakthru Beverage Group beverage development specialist, has of late been spreading the gospel of “fat-washing” spirits (that is, infusing it with clarified butter or browned butter) to give them an incredibly rich texture. “One of my pet peeves is when bartenders do not properly skim and strain their spirits after fat-washing,” Doyle says. “Having bits of fat— however small or imperceptible—in a cocktail is lazy.” To stay on Doyle’s good side, fat-washed spirits should be strained through an unbleached coffee filter or 100-micron Superbag. Along the same lines, Doyle was reaching for richness when he created a luxurious coconut milk and turmeric cocktail for Downtown’s Turmeric: Flavors of India called Milk & Honey. Says Doyle, “I was trying to hit some savory notes, but still not scare folks off.” If exotic, savory spices such as turmeric are your jam, you can find Mercer’s spicy signature elsewhere on property at The Cosmopolitan, where The Casablanca Cooler at Rose.Rabbit.Lie. uses the North African spice ras el hanout, and the Keep Calm & Curry On at The Chandelier’s 1.5 level bar is made with cardamom-infused verjus, garam masala and curry leaf-infused tequila. So, what’s left in our savory pantry but SALT? A necessity of life, salt is not often employed as a cocktail ingredient outside of the rimmed margarita or Bloody something or other. One of the most polarizing of savory ingredients, salt creates an explosion of flavor interactions. At The Dorsey in The Venetian, Sam Ross’ Salted Kingston Negroni has a saline pop that will make you salivate even more than the navy-strength Jamaican rum, Gran Classico Bitter or sweet vermouth. Just a pinch of salt opens up a dialogue between the brain and mouth that usually goes unspoken. What is that? Salty? Sweet? BOTH?! Yes, says The Dorsey’s lead bartender Juyoung Kang. “It’s the balance your taste buds crave.” 7 Ma rch 23 -29, 2017 vegasseven.com
CL SMOOTH MAR 23
COOLIO MAR 30
DOORS OPEN AT 10:30PM. FOR RESERVATIONS
702.262.5279 luxor.com/nightlife Schedule subject to change without notice.
[ DRINK THIS, TOO ]
NOW, ABOUT THAT VODKA By Xania V. Woodman Photography Anthony Mair
The happy result of its creator Paul Amin’s attempt to
preserve a gifted bumper crop of black Périgord truffles in vodka, Black Moth Truffle Vodka (blackmothvodka.com) is delightful and intriguing, whether mixed into myriad cocktails or served chilled on its own. After a decade of tinkering to create a proprietary manufacturing technique, Amin’s final product equates to approximately $25 of organic truffles macerated in each bottle of five-times distilled wheat vodka base that has been filtered three times to remove color and particulate while leaving behind a creamy mouthfeel and mellow, earthy flavor that lends itself well to savory drinks and even culinary applications.
TRUFFLE HUNTING
Around the Valley, you can discover Black Moth at Nora’s Italian Cuisine, Sage in Aria, Mon Ami Gabi in Paris Las Vegas, Delmonico Steakhouse in The Venetian, Hugo’s Cellar in the Four Queens, 1923 Bourbon Bar in Mandalay Bay, Franklin in The Delano, Fleur by Hubert Keller at Mandalay Bay, Firefly, Honey Salt, Zest at Southern Highlands Golf Club, Urban Turban and Hakkasan Restaurant in MGM Grand as of April 1.
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The Black Moth Martini
As served at Nora’s Italian Cuisine, $14 Pour 3 ounces of Black Moth Truffle Vodka ($90 at Total Wine & More locations) into a mixing glass. Add high-quality ice and stir with a barspoon just until the spirit is well chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a thin slice of fresh black truffle to complement and enhance the natural flavor of black truffle in the vodka. “We found that the best way to introduce Black Moth to people was to serve it stirred as a martini using only the vodka, to show how smooth and wonderful it tastes by itself,” says Adam Giles, mixologist for Nora’s Italian Cuisine. “It’s not your average stirred vodka martini.”
WHEN THE SUN COMES UP
THE PARTY DOESN’T END By Kimberly De La Cruz Get an adult beverage, find a lounge chair and join the three California surfers who make up WeAreTreo at Liquid Pool Lounge to officially get the weekend started. 11 a.m., $10–$20, at Aria Resort & Casino, liquidpoollv.com
THURSDAY 23
Strip down and lose those tan lines at Bare Pool Lounge, where tops are optional. Kid Conrad is going to be spinning while you relax, unwind and let it all, um, hang out. 11 a.m., $10–$20, at The Mirage, barepoollv.com
FRIDAY 24
At Daylight Beach Club, Jerzy is gonna be slinging beats left and right to get the (soon-to-be) summertime vibes flowing. 11 a.m., $20–$30, at Mandalay Bay, daylightlasvegas.com
SATURDAY 25 All of this sun and warmth are bringing out the hottest DJs in Las Vegas. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be out, too, especially when Diplo provides the jams at Encore Beach Club. 10 a.m., $20–$75, at Encore, encorebeachclub.com You survived the week, now see if you can survive DJ Carnage and the fiery pool party that goes down at Marquee Dayclub. 11 a.m., $19–$33, at The Cosmopolitan, marqueelasvegas.com
SUNDAY 26 Party it up at the Valley’s original dayclub while splash-dancing to DJ Jazzy Jeff’s tunes at Rehab Beach Club. 11 a.m., $10–$20, at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, rehablv.com You’ve heard Machine Gun Kelly’s “Bad Things” collab with Camila Cabello on the airwaves. Hear him spit his rhymes live at Drai’s Beachclub. 11 a.m., $20–$30, at The Cromwell, draisbeachclub.com You can’t stop the weekend from ending, but you can definitely stop it from ending badly. At Wet Republic’s Endless Sundays, the hottest DJs and the coldest drinks come together beneath cabanas and around the pool to form one of the sexiest daytime parties. “When people visit Vegas, they dread going back to reality. So we created a kind of ‘last hurrah’ party that closes out the weekend with a bang,” says Sal Wise, Hakkasan Group’s executive director of nightlife marketing. Um, more like a pop. There’s Champagne to drink, Champagne to spray and even Champagne to shoot. “Sometimes, competitions form between different cabanas and bungalows on who can spray the most Champagne. They’ll think, ‘Oh they bought 50 bottles to spray? We want 100,’” Wise says. “Everyone is just drenched in Champagne.” So why don’t you go, see Cash Cash and buy yourself a bevy of bottles to show everyone you can ball? 11 a.m., starting at $20, prices may vary, at MGM Grand, wetrepublic.com
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FIVE YEARS OF DAYLIGHT The beach club at Mandalay Bay promises another season of fun
P
ool season is back in full swing in Las Vegas, and Daylight Beach Club at Mandalay Bay is ready to turn up the heat. Last year J. Cole headlined a sold-out Memorial Day bash, comedian Kevin Hart celebrated his birthday and bachelor party onstage with hip-hop artist Lil Dicky, and Disclosure brought the party for an epic Electric Daisy Carnival week. The club looks to step it up a notch this year with new residencies from acts such as hip-hop artist Tyga, themed parties and the return of the crowd-favorite Eclipse night swim.
HERE ARE A FEW THINGS TO CHECK OUT AT DAYLIGHT BEACH CLUB. MARCH WAS ONLY A WARM-UP Daylight kicked off 2017 with a sneak peek on March 10 featuring sounds by residents Kid Funk, DJ E-Rock and DJ Neva. March 25 will mark the beach club’s official grand opening weekend with a jam-packed EDM and hip-hop lineup. Tommy Trash will take the stage Saturday for a headlining set accompanied by Cut Snake and Sam Blacky. The talent doesn’t slow down from there, with Metro Boomin, Duke Dumont, Sage the Gemini and DJ Crooked performing in following weekends.
VIP GETS MORE EXCLUSIVE
A DIVERSE LINEUP
Daylight ups the ante for the VIP beach club experience by adding two new pools for those staying in the designated cabanas. As for the south and west cabana guests, a private 245-square-foot pool is available, while a 448-square-foot pool services the north cabanas. VIP tables start at $500. For those looking for a little more privacy, the club boasts two VIP bungalows also with private dipping pools as well as prime views of the 1,400-square-foot stage. Leave it to Las Vegas to allow guests to reserve their own pool at a pool party.
On any given Saturday guests may hear sounds from EDM favorites such as Laidback Luke, only to come back Sunday to hear hip-hop hype men such as J. Cole, who returns May 27. Expect a diverse crowd—some there to listen to rap, some preferring house, everyone looking to have a good time.
THE ARRIVAL OF LIT SUNDAYS On March 26, rapper and resident Tyga will host the debut of LIT Sundays, Daylight’s newest hip-hop party, along with a special live performance. LIT Sundays will feature a rotating roster of hip-hop artists such as Ludacris—talk about a turn up Sunday.
THE RETURN OF THE LATENIGHT SWIM Eclipse, the nighttime swim party that relaunched in 2016 after a two-season hiatus, returns this year on April 20 with Rick Ross taking the helm. Last season saw artists such as Waka Flocka, Desiigner and Pusha-T. With Mandalay Bay serving as EDC week’s official hotel partner this year and the lineup for Memorial Day weekend still a mystery, attendees can prepare for another great season at Daylight.
—Zauni Tanil
Daylight Beach Club Mandalay Bay Thurs.–Sun., 11 a.m.–6 p.m. daylightvegas.com Instagram: @daylightvegas Ma rch 23 -29, 2017 vegasseven.com
[ HEAR THIS ]
IN THE MONEY
DJ trio with serious musical talent ups the ante in the club By Jason R. Latham Photography Kin Lui
SAM FRISCH IS STANDING on the ledge of
Hakkasan Nightclub “Cash Is King” Friday, March 31 Friday, April 14 Thursday, April 27 Friday, June 2 Friday, June 16 Saturday, June 24 Thursday, July 13 Thursday, July 20 10:30 p.m., $20–$30 inside MGM Grand hakkasanlv.com Instagram: @hakkasanlv
Hakkasan’s DJ booth with a bass, strumming the riff from The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” The beat gets louder when he’s joined by two drummers, snare and bass, respectively. Video screens behind Frisch flicker with static before his Cash Cash bandmates, brothers Alexander and Jean Paul (J.P.) Makhlouf, join him on the ledge. The drum beat transitions into the group’s 2013 smash “Take Me Home” and J.P. shouts an emphatic “Hello, Las Vegas!” into the microphone. If there were a crowd here, they’d be screaming their hearts out. But this is a 10:30 a.m. dress rehearsal, a chance to run through the opening number before Cash Cash’s show at the MGM Grand nightclub. The trio and its production crew seem pleased with the setup. Frisch has plenty of room to strut the edge of the DJ booth without slipping off, the drummers are in sync and there are no complaints about the video or lights. That leaves one last thing to practice, a mid-show acoustic number with Frisch on guitar and J.P. on vocals, paying homage to one of the group’s favorite ’90s bands. “It’s a good switch up,” Frisch explains. “If people are getting a little too much bass to the face, this will get them right when they want to sing along.” It’s also another break from the traditional DJ mold, but the song selection shall remain a secret. We don’t want to spoil the entire show, right?
CREATIVITY IS KING
If you’re asking why a DJ trio is opening their show with a live drum and bass performance, the answer is: Why not? Las Vegas nightlife has (thankfully) evolved in the last 10 years from celebrity guests who just wave to the crowd from their VIP booths to resident DJs putting on electrifying performances. But even that runs the risk of going stale if the formula isn’t tweaked. For Cash Cash, their Hakkasan residency needed something that would grab the crowd’s attention immediately and give everyone something to talk about on their way home. “In the club we try to play everything, and then we were like, ‘Why don’t we actually play something?’ J.P. says. “We’ve played [instruments] before as a band, but never in a club. … If it goes over well, we’ll try different songs and maybe incorporate more live music down the road.” Those live performances aren’t the only thing poised to separate Cash Cash from their DJ brethren. The residency theme—you may have seen it on billboards—is “Cash is King.” That means when the trio takes the stage, Hakkasan will be decked out. Giant dollar-bill cutouts will be passed around the club as makeshift selfie stations, with air cannons firing dollar bill confetti and money guns shooting Cash Cashthemed dollar bills into the crowds. That’s right: Cash Cash is going to make it rain. “I think it’s awesome,” J.P. says. “In Vegas, cash is king. It’s as simple as that.” 7
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