Inside the Cosmopolitan’s crystal cocoon, cocktails change seasonally. “I’m still trying to define that in Las Vegas,” chuckles Property Mixologist Mariena Mercer. Without obvious weather, seasonal flavors need a lighter touch and a broader definition. Here are three fresh obsessions (all $16) at the Chandelier.
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The Forbidden Fruit
Teeling Whiskey, Stillhouse Apple Crisp Moonshine, Noilly Prat Ambré, cassia-cardamom tea syrup, apple juice, tarragon: Caramel and honey tones in Noilly Prat’s “geeky vermouth” hug the sweet apple of Stillhouse to fill your head with flavor before you sip. Add the tea syrup’s spicy wallop and the rich backbone of Irish whiskey, and this drink is layer upon layer of golden.
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The Infinite Playlist
El Dorado 12-Year-Old Rum, Amaro Meletti, spiced chai masala tea syrup, chocolate mole bitters: Mercer has been listening to the Smith Westerns, and you can taste indie jangle in this Old Fashioned twist. The rum has rye-like depth, but it’s the softly bitter mystique of Amaro Meletti that imparts everything from saffron to violet in a drink that’s normally a little more buttoned-up.
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Devil May Care
Hangar One Chipotle Vodka, house-made Bloody Mary mix, fresh cucumber and dill, sriracha gastrique: The Bloody Mary gets a refined, gazpacho-ish treatment, chipotle vodka’s smoky bite cooled by fresh cucumber. Kicked with essences of white wine, rosemary and capers, it’s the non-meal Bloody of your dreams—and an escape from seasonal cocktail overload.
The Chandelier Cosmopolitan, 702-698-7000. Top level, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; middle, 6 p.m.-4 p.m.; bottom, 24.7.