Mash-Up

Ice is back! Sort of. New Year's weekend, Empire Ballroom will unveil "Ice Presents Prime Time," a Friday and Saturday dose of house music filling the pre-afterhours void left by Ice's closing in October. Prime Time will kick off at 11 p.m. beginning on December 29 with DJ Danny Howells and December 30 with Sander Kleinenberg. After the initial weekend, all locals get in free before 2 a.m., and ladies will get in free all night long, except for uber-exclusive events. At least 10 of Ice's former team members will participate in the new partnership, from management to go-go dancers and service staff. Further merging the two entities is Empire's acquisition of all Ice sound and lighting equipment, furniture and even the 18-foot stripper pole, which will make appearances on special nights. Given that Ice has won the Club World Award for "Best Sound System" two out of the last three years at the Winter Music Conference, rest assured that Empire is making a sound investment. Says consulting partner Gino LoPinto, "House music's back and it's gonna stay. It's a beautiful thing."

Technically, It's Happy Three Hours

We all love happy hours, but perhaps no one more so than the guys behind SpyOnVegas.com. The party-photo site launched its Open Bar: A Revolutionary Take on Happy Hour on Monday, November 13. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., locals can mix, mingle and imbibe at a different hot spot each night, with open bars sponsored by different vendors. By the time you read this, you'll have already missed Belvedere at Stack, Cruzan Rum at Firefly and Grey Goose at Rouge-but you can still hit Pyramid Hefeweizen at Steiner's Pub and Level Vodka at the District's Kennedy. Check out SpyOnVegas.com and look for the purple links for next week's lineup.

The Tin Man Cometh

Master mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim will be on hand Tuesday at the Museum of the American Cocktail inside Commander's Palace to help bartenders take their skills to the next level. Abou-Ganim created Bellagio's cocktail program for its 22 bars when the luxury casino-resort first opened. Today he runs his own consulting firm and has seen his creations featured in magazines such as Vanity Fair and Playboy and in numerous books and TV shows. He picked up the gold medal for the U.S. in 2003 at the Bacardi Martini Grand Prix. In other words: He knows his stuff. The demonstration will be at 7 p.m. in the Desert Passage restaurant, but you have to be a member to attend. Fees start at $35, but if you're in the industry, you can write off a chunk of it.

"Will everybody in Vegas start wearing peach because he's here? I don't think so. But maybe a few will."

Illusionist Penn Jillette comments on his new Rio roommate, Prince, in the LA Times.

Blue Zen

Tao, $10

Ingredients

1 ounce Bacardi Limon Rum

1 ounce Malibu Rum Liqueur

0.5 ounces Blue Curacao

Splash of pineapple juice

Splash of sour mix

Mix, strain and serve up. Garnish with pineapple wedge and coconut shavings.

We just had to pull on a sweater for the first time this fall, and we’re not happy! What better way to forget about the upcoming winter than slipping into a tropical-tasting cocktail like Tao’s Blue Zen? Just don’t forget to lick that last trace of coconut from your lips, or you’re liable to have someone offer to do it for you.