‘Cocktails and Cuisine’ at 2009 Vegas Uncork’d

When wine and spirits consultant Steve Olson took the stage at Friday’s ‘Cocktails and Cuisine’ event at Wynn’s Encore, I knew we were in trouble. The spunky, aptly-named ‘wine geek’ announced from the stage that we’d be having six cocktails during the two hours of the presentation. Ouch. As his sidekick, and master mixologist in his own right, Tony Abou-Ganim moved from guest to guest, pouring an intoxicating Latin drink into empty glasses, I was glad I had downed a large breakfast.

During the event, Tony and Steve, along with fellow mixologists Francesco Lafranconi and the Wynn’s Patricia Richards, demonstrated how to make a number of cocktails. Guests were able to mingle and interact with the masters as they poured, muddled, and mixed at their own ‘mixing tables’, with each drink paired up with fabulously decadent small bites created by chef James Benson.

Six cocktails? Two hours? We were all good friends after that! Remember – ‘We’re not drinking, we’re learning!’


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~Jennifer Heigl