A James Beard Semifinalist Is Opening a Mexico City-Style Cocktail Bar | Eater Vegas
"A forthcoming reservation-based cocktail bar from chef DJ Flores slated to open this March in the Las Vegas Arts District, taking over the space of the former Garden gay bar (3555 South Las Vegas Boulevard) with a small patio and a renovated interior featuring dark woods, velvet seating, and cream-colored flooring. Flores says, “I’ve always envisioned having a cocktail bar,” and adds, “I travel to Mexico City and they have a bunch of theWorld’s 50 Best Barsthere. That’s one of my goals — to be one of those.” He’s brought on cocktail veteran Lu Lopez (the Venetian) to run the program; Lopez, who apprenticed with Attaboy’s Sam Ross and served as corporate mixologist for Wakuda and managed Electra and Rosina at the Venetian Resort, will oversee cocktail development and hospitality. Lopez emphasizes service and atmosphere: “With Mexico City, they’re so incredible at the consistent guest experience,” and “It’s the way that they go about interacting with guests, the way that they make the drinks, the lighting, the music, the smell that makes it feel special.” Seating will be reservation-based (a rarity in the Arts District), bartenders will interview guests and often make off‑menu, personalized cocktails, and options may include coursed service (for example, starting with a low‑ABV drink and ending with a dessert cocktail). All syrups will be made in-house — from the simple syrup to the grenadine, orgeat, and falernum — and Lopez is focused on precision techniques: “That way, the cocktail gets just a little colder as it comes to your lips,” referring to pulling frosty coupes from the negative two-degree freezer. Sensory details are intentionally highlighted — the smell of citrus zest in the air, the sound of chunky ice cubes in shakers — and theatrical techniques include cracking and separating eggs to shake whites into creamy whiskey sours and using a diner-style milkshake machine to evenly froth Ramos Gin Fizzes. A house example that may appear is the Midnight Panther, described as “a take on a margarita with passionfruit, lime, and Aperol, and a touch of chili salt.” The menu will be a departure from Flores’s restaurant work, offering bar bites such as steak and caviar alongside late-night “guilty pleasure” fried foods, with instrumental music and East Coast hip-hop creating a cool, moody ambiance." - Janna Karel
