Venetian Resort Mixologist Juyoung Kang’s Guide to Las Vegas

If anybody knows about good cocktails in Las Vegas, it’s Kang. One of her favorites happens to be one she pours every night: the Penicillin. It’s a whiskey-based drink with lemon and fresh ginger that was invented by her colleague, Sam Ross, and it’s available at all three of the Cocktail Collective bars. Other spots in Las Vegas to get great cocktails: The Chandelier and Ghost Donkey at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Mr. Coco at Palms, and The Underground, a speakeasy below the Mob Museum downtown.

Knowing how to make the most of limited time in Sin City can be a challenge. “I’ve lived here for years and I’m not sure I’ve seen everything there is to see,” Kang says. In addition to the city’s casino resorts, Kang highlights nearby Hoover Dam and Lake Las Vegas as local destinations worth prioritizing (if you have a car).

The Las Vegas food scene is growing and changing constantly. “One new restaurant pops up and there are 20 other new ones coming up behind it,” Kang says. “It’s gotten to the point where it’s hard to choose where I go on my days off.” Recently, Kang was “blown away” by a meal she had at Vetri Cucina, an intimate Italian restaurant at the top of the Palms. She also cites the burgeoning Arts District as a good neighborhood for a great meal. Another favorite of Kang’s is Chinatown. “People go there because it’s the only place where restaurants are open all night,” she says. “The reality is that some of the restaurants actually are really good, too.” Specifically, Kang says Chinatown is the site of her two favorite omakase dinners in town: Kabuto and Yui. “These meals are so incredible, so intimate. You can’t have the same experience on the Strip.”

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Most visitors to Las Vegas never leave the Strip—understandable, considering how much is there. Still, Kang says some of her favorite parts of the city are elsewhere. “Summerlin, to the west, and Mountain Edge, just south of there, are both super popular neighborhoods with great restaurants, bars, and more,” Kang says. In Summerlin, Kang shops downtown, where there's nearly 200 shops. In Mountain Edge—her own neighborhood—she loves a tiny bakery called Coco Donuts. “The owner is Korean and she always has sugar donuts, which I like. They stay soft the next day. That’s so rare!” Other worthy highlights on the West Side include City National Arena, where the Las Vegas Golden Knights practice, and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, where Kang often walks her dog. Blue Ribbon Sushi, Hearthstone, and other restaurants inside Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa also are notable.

People always seem to ask Kang where to capture a sense of Vegas from the Rat Pack-era of the 1950s. Her answer? Downtown. “You’re always going to meet characters down there,” she says. “Old-school casinos like the El Cortez are great because you can’t find anything like it anywhere else around town.” As for drinks, some of her downtown favorites include her old haunts of Commonwealth and the Laundry Room, as well as Corduroy. Another can’t-miss spot: Atomic Liquors, the oldest free standing bar in the city.