3 cocktails inspired by F1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix

The Las Vegas Grand Prix’s current version is substantially different than the original early-’80s race, which was held, glamorously, in the parking lot of Caesar’s Palace. For one, it features a 3.8-mile city course with DRS zones and one legendary blast down Sin City’s (in)famous Strip. With a pair of sizable straights, drivers will crest more than 215 mph at various points. Max Verstappen likes to say that the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit is a boring drive, but last year saw manhole covers ruin cars and Verstappen himself pull out a nail-biter of a win.

It’ll be very late at night (10pm PST, 1am ET) or early morning (6am GMT) depending on where in the world you’re watching, but this is Vegas — time doesn’t exist the same way it does everywhere else. It also means that there’s no bad time for a drink. Which is why we worked with, Ben Wald, the head of beverage programming and spirits for New York City’s Flatiron Room, to mix up three Las Vegas Grand Prix-inspired cocktails.

For a fun game, take a sip whenever you see Brad Pitt — as himself or as Sonny Hayes from the upcoming “F1” movie.

The Straight Shot

Between Turns 12 and 14 is the flat-out, high-speed kink of Turn 13, followed by a 1.2-mile straight (and a DRS zone). Here, drivers will tear by at more than 210 mph (338kph). “The idea of the cars being there then gone in a second makes me think of a shot,” says Wald. For this drink, Wald riffs on a classic M & M drink—equal parts mezcal and Amaro Montenegro — and notes that while you can enjoy it as a shot, you can also pour it over ice and drink it as a cocktail. “And you can batch it by mixing it in equal parts,” Wald says. Your choice of bitters can push the drink in any direction; use habanero bitters for a spicy iteration, black walnut for a richer variant, or orange for more zest.

Ingredients:

• 1 part Amaro Montenegro
• 1 part mezcal (Wald uses Gracias a Dios)
• 2-4 dashes bitters of your choice

Steps:

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled. Pour into a shot glass or over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange peel if opting for the latter.

Smoked 90

Photo by: Ben Wald

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