article & photos by Richard Carleton Hacker

You can find anything you want in Las Vegas – romance, excitement, and the best drinks in the world.  When asked to pick my favorite libations and match them with cigars for this month’s column, I decided to go straight to one of the largest purveyors of spirits in America (and the most cigar-friendly city on the world), the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.  There I met with Jamie Smith, Food and Wine Director for the MGM Mirage entertainment complex.

“We’ve probably got the greatest spirits lists in Las Vegas,” Jamie said with no degree of modesty as we sat in the Zuri lounge, known for its fusion cocktails.  “How do we do it?  It’s no secret – all you need is money.”

Richard Carleton Hacker (l.) shares a story with MGM Grand wine director Jaime Smith (r.).   It’s always happy hour at Zuri’s fusion bar at MGM Grand.

Indeed, with 12 restaurants ranging from Joël Robuchon at the Mansion to Wichcraft specialty sandwiches, any libation is only a waiter away.  In fact, I found one of my favorite cognacs, Hennessy Paradis Extra, in the shadowy coziness of the Joël Robuchon at the Mansion lounge, just off to the side of the elegant dining room  (more about that next month).

Since 1765, Richard Hennessy and his descendants have been amassing the largest reserves of eaux-de-vie in the world; some go back to 1800.  It is from these liquid treasures that Hennessy Paradis Extra is created, a blend of 200 different cognacs, ranging in age from 25 to 125 years.  The result is an essence of meatiness, thick with floral oak.  When I spotted the distinctive pear-shaped bottle in the bar lounge, it was like seeing an old friend, and it called out to the Matasa 30^th Anniversary Fonseca cigar residing in my leather case.

Diego in the MGM Grand is known for its fine Mexican cuisine and its backbar stocked with over 100 tequilas.  Richard Carleton Hacker (l.) enjoys an El Tesoro Margarita during a meeting with Mandalay Bay’s Director of Beverages Joshua Summer (r.) and Diego’s assistant manager Matt Holder (c.).

I found another acquaintance at the MGM Grand’s upscale Mexican restaurant, Diego, which specializes in wood-fire roasted salsas and other regional cuisine in tapa-sized servings.  Diego boasts a brightly colored and eminently photogenic bar, host to 94 tequilas (not bad, considering there are only 125 tequila producers in Mexico).  That’s where I found El Tesoro de Don Felipe reposado.  Although Diego also stocks El Tesoro’s Platinum (blanco) and añejos, it is the reposado that – in my opinion - highlights the best of all three.  This 100% agave azul distillation is made the old way, baking agave in brick hornos (ovens) for 72 hours – not pressure-cooking them for 120 minutes like many others. After crushing the soft pulp with stone wheels, the resulting mash is pot-distilled, then aged six to eight months in bourbon casks, which lends a tinge of color from the char.  The result is a subtle smoothness that demands a snifter rather than risk being lost in a cocktail. For a cigar? What else but a Te-Amo Maduro, a Mexican puro with a decidedly spicy tang.

However, a cocktail – specifically a martini - is what both Plymouth gin and Jean-Marc XO vodka require, depending on whether you are a pre-1960s purist (gin) or a cold war refugee (vodka).  James Bond specified both in the same glass.  Plymouth’s thick botanicals and Jean-Marc’s nine distillations and micro-oxygenation enable either to shun the need for vermouth.  Serve them chilled and straight up, with a Zino Platinum Scepter cigar, introduced at the Bellagio two years ago.
 

Craftsteak at the MGM Grand boasts more than 100 single malts, so general manager Alexandre Gaudelet had no problem producing a bottle of Bushmills 21 Year Old Irish single malt when Richard Carleton Hacker (r.) requested it.

Another favorite spirit is also best served neat.  Although rare, I knew who would be pouring it.  Craftsteak at the MGM Grand is famous for its aged steaks and in-house humidor, and its backbar, home to over 100 singe malts.  But the one I had come for was Bushmills 21 Year Old – the oldest Irish malt whiskey from the oldest Irish distillery. Half of the triple-distilled whiskey has been aged in used Wild Turkey barrels, half in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks.  Then they are combined and aged for two more years in Madeira barrels.  The result is a fruity flavor laced with burnt raisins and hazelnuts that explode with an intense finish. Craftsteak’s General Manager, Alexander Gaudelet, embellished this extraordinary whiskey with an equally extraordinary ice cube – 2 inches square with a 3/8-inch hole, made by Craftsteak’s Japanese Hoshizaki machine – which keeps the whiskey cold with a minimum of melting.

As I savored the single malt, I lit up a muscular Garo 10^th Anniversary Habano and marveled at how sophisticated Sin City has become in providing the pleasures of spirits and smoke.
 

El Tesoro’s colorful new packaging compliments the festive drinks that can be made with it.	The famous 2-inch square Hoshizaki ice cube…made in Japan…with a 3/8 inch hole in the center to slow down melting, and found only in Craftsteak restaurant at the MGM Grand.
The Jean-Marc XO is not a Cognac, but an ultra-premium vodka distilled nine times, using four different types of French wheat. On the other hand, the Hennessy Paradis Extra is a top-of-the line Cognac with more than 200 different eaux-de-vie, some as old as 125 years.