Wynn Magazine - Las Vegas
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/81170
BACK STORY IN THEDRINK mixologist, Patricia Richards. BY ROBERT HAYNES-PETERSON R 118 WYNN unning a bar program at any resort is no small task. Balancing the palates of an international clientele while providing drinks for everything from a swim-up party bar to elegant fine dining requires finesse. For Patricia Richards, mas- ter mixologist at Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, the challenge is magnified exponentially. "I oversee the beverage programs for 25 bars and restaurants," says Richards. "Everything from Italian to pan-Asian, steakhouses to seafood, and the casino floor. In addition, I do customized cocktails for banquets, events, and conventions. I don't know of anyone who does what I do." She's not boasting—despite having earned the right to do so after receiving numerous awards and accolades through the years—just stating a fact. Richards, who emphasizes fresh, natural, and house- made ingredients, is everywhere. When not down in the test kitchens supervising the production of syr- ups, infusions, and prebatched cocktails for quality and consistency, she's creating dozens of original recipes and switching up seasonal offerings. "By the time I get through with everyone's fall/winter menus, it's time to start all over again for the next season," she says with a smile. "While our guests are celebrating the new year, I'm getting into the mind-set for summer pool menus." Twenty years ago, her job (if it existed, which it didn't) might have been significantly easier. Drink requests were fairly simple—margaritas, whis- key sodas, cosmopolitans—and the roster of booze brands focused on a dozen mainstream labels and basic options. Today, thanks to our greatly expanded culinary palates and the burgeoning craft cocktail movement, even casual drinkers might seek out ultra-premium spirits, revived pre- Prohibition drinks, and the latest and greatest trends. "I tend to get a little more 'geeked out' in the restaurants, where there are food pairings going on and seasonal menus," says Richards, "but even on the casino floor we offer our Signature Sips." Cocktails like the Pear-a-Sol (Parasol's signature cocktail with Absolut Pears vodka, Belle de Brillet pear liqueur, fresh pear purée, and fresh sweet-and-sour mix) or Richards's White Cosmopolitan ("four years before Bethenny Frankel marketed her Skinnygirl version") are delivered table-side along with vodka sodas and mojitos. Because Richards takes pride in her original cocktails, she believes that "inspiration must come from everywhere." She got her start in the hotel industry 26 years ago: cooking, serving, and working banquet events, which included designing buffets. When Wynn launched she came on The Kumquat Collins and its creator, Patricia Richards board as a bartender at Parasol Up. Before long, Richards was promoted to master mixologist, a new position at the resort. "I go through a lot of food and beverage magazines, both to keep up with what's going on in the indus- try and for inspiration," she says. "I always return to a book I love called The Flavor Bible, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, but I make my own recipes—period. That's just an integrity thing for me." Richards recently took an interest in incorpo- rating kumquats into drinks. "I knew they worked well with vanilla, and I thought the citrus notes found in Tanqueray 10 and the floral notes in Kaffir lime leaves would work really well together," she says. "Now the Kumquat Collins is a rocking cocktail. That's how the creative process works for me." When you order your margarita, rest assured it features only premium 100-percent agave tequila, fresh sweet-and-sour mix, organic agave syrup, and Cointreau rather than triple sec. But when you're ready to branch out, Richards and her team have you covered. "While the craft cocktail movement is still fairly new across the country, people are asking for innovative drinks," she says. "Ten years ago, they might have ordered apple martinis and lemon drops, but today our Signature Sips are among our top 10 ordered consistently." Those who are on top of the latest craft cocktail or speakeasy-style drinks will be pleased to know that Richards is as well. "Barrel-aging cocktails is very popular right now. You age the entire cocktail to produce a rich, deep, round drink. I'm looking at that right now," she says. "Also, the latest thing is carbonating cocktails directly, rather than adding sodas or tonic water. For us it's all about finding the balance between our large- scale demands, creating high-quality cocktails, and finding just the right bar or restaurant within the resort to serve it. People come to Las Vegas for new experiences, so it's up to me to create cocktails that will wow our guests and keep them coming back for more." n Behind the scenes with Wynn's master PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX KARVOUNIS