Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/188061
VEGAS Where Fantasy Turns Real BROWN SPIRITS ARE BOOMING AT THE BOURBON ROOM AT THE PALAZZO by Richard Carleton Hacker / photos by Anthony Mair I n his 1889 essay "The Decay of Lying," Oscar Wilde wrote, "Life imitates art far more than art imitates life." Nowhere is this more evident than at The Bourbon Room at The Palazzo, a AAA Five Diamond, Mobil Four Star casino and resort in Las Vegas. This rollicking cocktail lounge, one of the hottest hot spots on The Strip, takes its name from the hit Broadway musical (and subsequent movie) Rock of Ages, in which much of the action both on-stage and on-screen centers around the fictional Bourbon Room on the Sunset Strip in the almost-asfictional Hollywood. But proving Wilde knew what he was writing about, The Palazzo's Bourbon Room, inspired by the play and the movie, has become a reality. In fact, it is a direct offshoot of the Rock of Ages play performed every Tuesday through Sunday night at The Venetian, just next door to The Palazzo casino. "There is one line, which we added a month after the show started," confesses Philippa Hayes, Director of Beverage for the twin casino-resorts, "where the main character, Drew, says something about meeting later at The Bourbon Room right here at the hotel." This fantasy-turned-reality cocktail lounge does not disappoint those who troupe in, for it is an oasis awaiting anyone— whether thespian, theater-goer or thirsty tourist—who favors and savors not only bourbon, but also rye and Tennessee whiskies. In fact, The Bourbon Room is home to the largest assemblage of brown spirits to be found anywhere in the majestic Venetian/Palazzo complex. "The Bourbon Room accounts for approximately 65 to 70 percent of all the brown spirits poured in both The Venetian and 114 / the tasting panel / october 2013 TP1013_104-152.indd 114 The Bourbon Room offers a number of three-drink flights, such as this one, which consists of The Palazzo's exclusive single-barrel bottlings of Eagle Rare, Woodford Reserve and Knob Creek. The cost is $15 for a oneounce pour of each. 9/23/13 10:34 PM