Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/898117
1 14 / the tasting panel / november 2017 I wanted this group of women to have that experience. They work long hours at difficult jobs, and if they were willing to give me their time on a rare night off, I wanted to make sure they got the full Frank Sinatra treatment. Sinatra at the Encore Hotel's Executive Chef Theo Schoenegger started us off with a pretty epic table- side risotto that did not disappoint; the hits kept coming from there, all the way to the chocolate cake shaped like Sinatra's trademark fedora. Each course was paired with a delicious cocktail created just for the night by bartender Mike Doyle. The meal closed with a toast of Jack Daniel's Sinatra Select—everyone raised their glass, and in true Frank form, cheered "ring- a-ding ding!" The meal may have ended, but the night was just getting started. The next stop was a private bar inside the Wynn Hotel—the kind of spot I could see The Rat Pack setting up shop in for a drink or two on a nightly basis. I felt compelled to order a round of drinks Frank's way—two fingers of Old No. 7, three ice cubes, and one dash of water. The ladies and I took our drinks and parked in a booth at Intrigue Nightclub. (Side note: I got my bartending start in nightclubs on the Sunset Strip many years ago, and I can assure you that what goes on inside Intrigue is nothing like my early days. It is incredible.) I can't say for sure when we got out of there, but I was thankful that casinos don't have windows as I made my way to my room. If the sun was up, I did not need to know about it. The Rat Pack may be a memory of years gone by, but the philosophy that held it together never has to end: good friends, sharing a moment in time and enjoying life to its fullest. We captured that spirit for a few hours, and I thank this group of women for the work they do—and for letting me be a part of their "Rat Pack" for a night. For more from ET's travels across the country, stay tuned for our On the Road with Jack series, and look for the upcom- ing third edition of Jack's Black Book. "The Rat Pack may be a memory of years gone by, but the philosophy that held it together never has to end." On The Road WITH JACK