Focus Venues: Best Collections of… Vodka, Whiskey, Tequila, Cognac, Draft Beer

When it comes to excess, there are few better places to find it than here in Las Vegas. However, it’s not only excessive amounts of gambling, money and food that can be found here, as the city is also home to some of the world’s largest – and many would argue best – collections of alcoholic favorites like cognac, vodka and tequila, as well as classic macho favorites whiskey and good, old-fashioned draft beer.

While the Strip calls itself home to most of the collections in our list, one has to travel east to UNLV – right across the street from it, in fact – to find the Freakin’ Frog, which plays host to the largest whiskey collection and also boasts a rather impressive collection of bottled beer. Wherever you go to seek out your beverage of choice, though, just know that whether it’s in a fancy French Restaurant in the Mirage or some strip mall real estate by the university, while these venues will give spirit neophytes a great introduction, these venues are for serious aficionados. Sure, common folk might be awestruck by bottles of cognac worth thousands of dollars apiece, but only those truly in the know are apt to plunk down the big bucks to give it a try. And fine alcohol, my friends, is meant to be tasted.

Cognac: Andre’s French Restaurant

When it comes to focus, there are few individuals more dedicated to quality and tradition than Chef André Rochat. Rochat has made Las Vegas his home for more than 26 years and is known as one of the culinary pioneers who has helped create the Las Vegas dining scene we know today. So, when you walk into the cognac room at Andre’s French Restaurant in the Monte Carlo, it is no surprise that you are met with one of the country’s largest and most prestigious private collections. Many of the ornate bottles lining the shelves are rare, one-of-a-kind offerings not found anywhere else in the world.

There are few rooms in the world that can boast one of the only six bottles of 1777 Hardy in existence, a part of the Collection Personnelle de Jacques Hardy, as well as three sets of the Erte Collection, each eight-bottle set worth approximately $20,000. Among the offerings that you may have the budget to indulge in are such jewels as a 1970 Tarragonne and even Chef Rochat’s own private label, 50-year-old cognac, aptly named “Andre’s Cognac.” in addition to the 112 cognacs and 42 Armagnacs, there are also rare scotches and rums, including Napoleon Bonaparte’s private rum, The Rum of Her Majesty. If the appeal of the amazing collection is not enough to get you to make the trip, the ambiance of the room will seal the deal. Nestled on the second floor of the restaurant, the small space boasts a feel that will make you feel as if you have been transported from our shiny, busy city. A cracking fireplace, elegant furnishings and warm wood tones create what may be out favorite escape in Sin City.