For The Love Of Cocktails Gala Brought High Spirits To Vegas

Brittany & Adam

“For The Love Of Cocktails” celebrated its fourth year with a grand gala event in Las Vegas last night, featuring over 60 mixologists from across the city.

In partnership with MGM Resorts International and the United States Bartenders’ Guild, award-winning spirits consulting firm BACK BAR USA hosted this year’s event on Friday, May 19, at Alain Ducasse’s Skyfall Lounge, located on the 64th floor of Delano Las Vegas. Hundreds of guests sipped on over 30 specialty cocktails, all created using one major spirit or ingredient. Over 60 bartenders and mixologists throughout the community volunteered their participation for the event, including lead mixologists Derek Baumgartner from Lago by Julian Serrano at the Bellagio Las Vegas and Derek Crow from Libertine Social at Mandalay Bay Las Vegas, also featuring Sefedin Zenuni from Bardot Brasserie at Aria Resort and Casino and Cesar De La Roca from Skyfall Lounge at Delano Las Vegas. Other highlights included passed bites by Rivea Executive Chef Bruno Riou and live entertainment, all set to the backdrop of stunning views of the Las Vegas Strip.

During the ceremony, BACK BAR USA’s founder and chief creative officer, Tim Haughinberry, presented the crowd with a proclamation from the Clark County commission, designating May 19, 2017 as ‘For The Love Of Cocktails Day’. The gala concluded with members of BACK BAR USA offering a $21,000 check to Tony Abou-Ganim’s Helen David Relief Fund, a non-profit organization that assists female bartenders in need of breast cancer screening services. “For The Love Of Cocktails” has donated the proceeds to the Helen David Relief Fund for the past four years, having raised over $50,000 to date.

For more information, visit www.BackBarUSA.com.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mona Shield Payne Photography