Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/65124
Reinventing the Cocktail in Vegas A t the time it was built in 1989 at a cost of $630 million, The Mirage was the most expensive casino-resort in Las Vegas. But times have changed. And with six fi ne dining restau- rants, ten themed cocktail lounges and numerous other outlets on property, Peter Brattander, Director of Beverage for The Mirage, had a challenge to reinvigorate their drinks program. "What do you do when you're a 23-year-old restaurant on the Strip in competition with newer, dare I say hipper, casino resorts?" he asks rhetorically. "You reinvent your cocktail pro- gram to make it—and your establishment—unique." Working his mixologists and consulting fi rms such as Dress the Drink, Brattander has created outlet-specifi c cocktails for each of The Mirage's restaurants, as well as core cocktails that can be ordered property-wide. Garnishes have become an important part of Brattander's reinvigorated drinks program. "I believe you taste with your eyes fi rst." —Richard Carleton Hacker funkin Long Island Ice'd Tea 4oz funkin Sour Mix 1/2oz Tequila 1/2oz Gin 1/2oz Vodka 1/2oz Rum Top with Cola Peter Brattander, Director of Beverage for The Mirage. You I Spirit I funkin I The Perfect Cocktail Tel: 800 380 4413 info@funkinusa.com may 2012 / the tasting panel / 21 PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MIRAGE