I’ve noticed lately that a lot of the coolest bars in Las Vegas have a tendency to hide. Whiskey aficionados have to scale a steep, narrow and somewhat hazardous (if you’ve been drinking) staircase in the Freakin’ Frog bar in order to discover the Whisky Attic. You’re most likely to stumble upon the entrance to the Artisan Hotel and its gorgeous lounge if you get lost on your way to a strip club. And anyone who’s tried to find their way into the Downtown Cocktail Room probably didn’t realize on the first try that that silver, handle-less slab is, in fact, the entrance.
And if you were to drive east down Flamingo, just past Koval, turn onto the narrow lane just beyond the AM PM, pull around into valet parking in front of the Platinum Hotel and stroll into a lobby you wouldn’t likely visit if you weren’t a hotel guest, you’d find, off to your right—on the other side of a decorative shelf adorned with ornate vases—a bar called Stir.
I passed the entrance once, looking for it. Then again, my girlfriend passed it once as well, and she’s the one who told me where it was. But with a little determination, I finally managed to reach this nifty little gem of a mixology bar.
By my third visit, I’ve got the route down. And it’s certainly worth a third visit, because Stir is more than a token hotel bar. In addition to offering more than 20 wines by the glass and 200 by the bottle, Stir has an extensive assortment of original cocktails incorporating a variety of homemade cellos.
Now, you may be familiar with limoncello, but mixologist bartender Jeremy and property beverage manager Niles Peacock apply the same preparation techniques to such flavors as ginger, bubblegum, vanilla bean, Kaffir lime, lemongrass and basil and honey, and those are just the ones they’ve made up so far. I sidle up to the bar and order a Jack and Coke, and Jeremy whips up its cello-influenced equivalent—a concoction of bourbon, Pepsi and ginger cello with a crystallized ginger garnish. To say it has bite would be an understatement.
“Our specialty cocktails are so good, people keep walking off with our cocktail menus,” Jeremy says with equal measures of pride and irritation.
For a moment, I consider whether or not I should admit that on my last visit, I, too, surreptitiously removed one of the cocktail menus from its padded holster (for reference, in the name of journalistic accuracy).
“Really? Wow. That’s crazy,” I say instead.
To quickly change the subject, I grab the other menu and peruse the list of “edible martinis.” Served in a martini glass-shaped dish over a fishbowl of ice, these appetizers include various combinations of foods like prosciutto, fondue, marinated olives and grilled bread.
But in spite of all these classy trappings, looking around the sleek, modern room, I find that most of the elegant, padded red chairs are empty. Aside from the hotel guests and a few regulars from the nearby Howard Hughes Center, not many people know about the bar, and the thin crowd gives the place a very casual, relaxed feel. And honestly, that’s the way I like it. Chain bars and casino bars are fine if you’re looking for a rowdy evening, but it’s the well-kept secrets like Stir that I find myself returning to again and again. There’s just something more intimate about a bar you had to work to find, where you’re surrounded only by others who had to work similarly to find it. Between the soft beat of the lounge music and a few sips of my ginger cello and bourbon, I quickly ease into a lovely state of mellow. Dare I say ... a cello mellow? Probably not.
It may take a little effort, but Stir is well worth finding. Besides, after sampling a few cellos, home might prove just as difficult to find.
Stir
211 E. Flamingo Road
365-5000