Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/948966
44 / the tasting panel / march 2018 LAS VEGAS AN INTERVIEW WITH LAS VEGAS RISING STAR EMILY YETT OF PRIMROSE story by Richard Carleton Hacker T he real and surreal often intermingle in Las Vegas, but rarely with such grace as at Primrose in the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino/Park MGM. Juxtaposed on each side of the French-inspired bistro's foyer, the upbeat music of The Bar and the tranquility of the Garden Room find common ground in Beverage Program Director and Assistant Restaurant Manager Emily Yett's Provence-inspired cocktails. An award-winning mixologist, Yett also created the onboard cocktail menu for Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas on its maiden voyage from Paris. The Tasting Panel recently sat down with the woman bringing the south of France to Sin City. Richard Carleton Hacker: How did you adapt your eclectic cocktails to the French Provence theme of Primrose? Emily Yett: We have separate cocktail menus for breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner. I intertwined Mediterranean flavors with some popular Las Vegas cocktails, such as the Dirty Martini and the Marguerite, and merged them into one. The Di Coco is sort of an Aperol spritz versus a Piña Colada: You have Aperol and pineapple juice shaken together and topped with layers of fresh coconut water and Plantation Pineapple rum. It's easy-drinking, light, and refreshing. What are three of your most unique cocktails? Our Smoked Bijou with Bombay Sapphire East, Dolin Rouge, Chartreuse, and orange bitters is smoked in orange wood and presented in a clear smoking box. Our Aristocrat, made with Hennessy V.S, Calvados Daron, Lillet Blanc, Bénédictine, and Angostura bitters, comes garnished with an apple slice and a plume-like flower. One of our most popular cocktails is the Moulin Rouge, a deconstructed Old Fashioned made with 10 Year Old Bulleit Bourbon, Lillet Blanc and Rouge, and Angostura bitters. What else do you do that's different? A lot of my cocktails are not served with straws, because you need to experience what they taste like from the top to the bottom. I want you to go through all of those layers. Emily Yett is the Beverage Program Director and Assistant Restaurant Manager at Primrose in Las Vegas. With A European Twist For more on Primrose, visit montecarlo.com. PHOTO COURTESY OF PRIMROSE