Hi, I’m Brian — welcome to my site!

I love cocktails. I love cocktail bars. And I really love tiki bars.

This site has been kicking around in my head for years — partly inspired by the long-gone but legendary “Critiki,” which rated tiki bars on the TiPSY scale (Tikis Per Square Yard). I wanted to bring that same playful, passionate spirit back, but focused squarely on Las Vegas.

Originally from Michigan, I spent 25 years in Seattle before finally making the leap to Las Vegas in January 2025 — after dozens of visits that always ended with, “If I lived here, I could do so much more…” And now I do. The sun is unreal, the people are warm in every sense of the word, and the bar scene? It’s absolutely stacked.

Vegas locals sometimes forget just how world-class this city really is. We’ve got a dazzling surplus of cocktail bars, tiki bars, dive bars, gay bars — and in the middle of it all is a seriously creative drink culture, especially in the Arts District. With cheap living, steady tourism, and wild ambition, people here take risks — and some of those risks pay off big. I’ve found at least four bars in the Arts District that rival the best in NY, LA, or London (and, sorry Seattle, blow most of your bars out of the water). I’ll name names soon.

Of course, with so many bars chasing attention, not everything hits. It can be hard to tell the difference between a great bar serving $22 drinks and a mediocre bar charging the same. That’s where this site comes in. With enough research (and your feedback), we can start to separate the contenders from the pretenders — and figure out which places truly deserve your dollars.

This site is all me. I don’t know the bar owners (yet), I pay for my drinks, and I show up like any other guest. My general rule: I won’t post a full review until I’ve been to a bar at least three times and tried around six drinks. If I’m obsessed early, I might drop a teaser in The Tiki Room section.

Yes, I’m queer — and yes, that colors everything I write. I pay close attention to whether a space is genuinely welcoming to LGBTQIA2S+ folks, because a good bar isn’t just about drinks — it’s about vibe and inclusion. Most of this site is me talking, but you might meet a few of my even gayer alter egos as we go.

This isn’t journalism — it’s opinion. Honest, evolving, enthusiastic opinion. I’ve been told a million times I should do a podcast or a YouTube channel about bars. Maybe someday. For now, this is where I pour it all out. Reviews might change over time, and if they do, I’ll add notes at the bottom with dates so you can track the journey.

Got a favorite bar in Vegas I should check out? Drop me a line: vegascocktaillounge at gmail dot com

So glad you’re here. Let’s drink!