Caesars Palace’s New Lobby Bar
Photo Courtesy of Caesars License Company, LLC
While the end of daylight saving means it gets darker faster, it may not be such a bad thing — now you can start imbibing as soon as you get off work without any of the guilt. We have a slew of old sudsy standards that we love around the country, but here are four new ones that we’re truly excited to raise a glass to this fall:
The Betty
When this new Chicago spot opens the week of Thanksgiving, you can bet the foodies that flock to the Fulton Market district will descend en masse here, too. Why? Aside from its cool vintage vibe and emphasis on bourbon, bourbon cocktails and more bourbon, it will be one of just a couple bars in a neighborhood flooded with splashy, chef-driven restaurants. Yes, there will be a small-plates menu of charred endive, clams and other items designed to hold its own against the neighborhood hotspots (Cemitas Puebla, Little Goat Diner), but the main floor’s high-top tables and the upstairs lounge are made for lingering longer than dinner lasts.
MO Bar + Lounge, Photo Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
MO Bar + Lounge
You’d be pressed to find better views of Miami’s skyline and the Biscayne Bay than through the panoramic, floor-to-ceiling windows at this new bar inside the sleek Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Mandarin Oriental, Miami. (Tip: You’ll want to snag a seat by the window for killer sight lines of the city’s twinkling lights.) Chic and contemporary, the lounge has 76 seats and a cool center bar that can accommodate 14. But this is no staid hotel bar. The menu is filled with colorful, festive cocktails such as the caipirinha (cachaça, fresh whole lime, Demerara sugar) and the Hemingway daiquiri (rum, Maraschino liqueur, grapefruit, lime), and live Latin tunes keep revelers in celebratory spirit every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.
Lobby Bar at Caesars Palace
Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace isn’t known for its restraint, and the Lobby Bar’s million-dollar renovation is a perfect illustration of this fact. This summer the huge space got a major face-lift, with gold accents, Romanesque styling details and big comfy new chairs for guests to sink into. Part of the cocktail menu was designed by Tony Abou-Ganim, a renowned Vegas-based mixologist, and it is as robust as the bar itself. It includes two $50 drinks — Tennessee Highball No. 2 and The Chairman’s Manhattan — that are made with Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select. Complimentary snacks are served in stunning Nambé bowls.
Terry’s Restaurant & Lounge
Inside Cypress Inn, a Spanish-Moorish-style boutique hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea, you’ll find this charming lounge. Come December 1, the place will undergo a speedy makeover, set to be complete just four days later. While the vintage, Old Hollywood vibe at Terry’s will remain, the space will get a serious injection of fresh glamour. The ceiling will be covered in a silver wallpaper treatment, new booths with tufted gray leather will be installed with luxe accent pillows, and new black-and-white artwork of the inn’s famous owner, Doris Day, will be hung on the walls. And though the locally sourced menu and Monterey County-flavored wine list promise to be updated, too, one thing will remain intact — the restaurant’s much-beloved classic cocktail culture.
