How do you like your martini? Shaken or stirred? Dry or wet? Olive or twist?
National Martini Day is on June 19.
If you're in Las Vegas, there is no better way to celebrate than with a customizable martini at Rouge Room, a new sophisticated restaurant and lounge from the hospitality brand Wish You Were Here Group. I visited The Connaught Bar in London, which is one of the best bars in the world, said Julien Calella, vice president of beverage for Wish You Were Here Group.
The bar uses different infusions that guests can add to a martini. I thought that was cool and wanted to create my own version. Centering the menu around the martini also had to do with what Rouge Room represents. it's a dark, intimate Parisian-inspired lounge with a red velvet interior, he said. It has a 1950s-style vibe. Cocktails from that time, such as a martini, were very classic.
Calella came up with the martini cart service concept where guests can customize their martini and enjoy a table side experience. Guests are given a feature card to select their type of spirit (vodka or gin), he said. ‚There's also an educational piece to learn all about the different styles, such as the dry martini, wet martini or vesper martini, aka The James Bond Martini, as well as the garnishes and infusions.
Calella created homemade infusions with 12 different ingredients for guests to make their own martini flavor, ranging from strawberry and sage to peach and lavender.
If a guest says that they are interested in peach and lavender, the bartender will allow them to smell each flavor infusion on a perfume swatch, Calella said. This gives the palate an idea of what it's going to taste like.
Rouge Room Details
Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa,
11011 W. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89135,
rougeroomlv.com,
@rougeroomlv
Photo credit: Al Powers
