A Trip To France Via Vegas
Daniel Boulud is an award-winning chef from Lyon, France, who has restaurants in New York, Boston, Miami, Toronto, London, Singapore and Las Vegas. For those of us in Hawaii who frequent the ninth island, Boulud’s db Brasserie is a must-stop, not just for its food, but also for its extensive drink menu.
There are more than 300 selections of wine. While I enjoy my wine, I’m primarily a cocktail girl, so when I visited db Brasserie on my recent Vegas trip, I had to order my fair share.
The menu is broken up into five sections: light and bubbly, floral, classic, smokey and sweet. My personal favorite was a smokey cocktail called the El Heisenberg (pictured), which features Monte Alban Mezcal, agave syrup, mole and citrus bitters, brandied cherries and a blue ice sphere.
The ice sphere was a highlight, because as it melted, the drink slowly transformed, taking on a sweeter flavor. By the time it was completely melted, I had an entirely different cocktail than what I started with.
Warren Kawaha, head bartender at db for seven years and a Hilo native, says the ice spheres are unique to db Brasserie, and not many bars have started this trend yet.
Kawaha recommends the Ex-Pat. “It’s the most popular cocktail,” he says. “We make our own ginger spheres — ice, ginger, vanilla bean, and we put Maker’s Mark over it. When it melts, it teases the cocktail with flavors of ginger.”
One of Kawaha’s signature creations is the Persephone, which he says was inspired by its Greek goddess namesake and has chai tea, simple syrup, vodka, pomegranate liqueur and lemon juice to balance the sweetness.
If you are more of a traditional cocktail drinker, db Brasserie has what you want, too. “We do twists on sidecars, and bee’s knees,” Kawaha says.
Next time you are in Vegas, find db Brasserie, located in The Venetian, and get to ordering one of these cocktails (or all of them). Make sure to ask for Kawaha, as well. “I would love for Hawaii travelers to come and stop by and have some of my cocktails,” he says.
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