I mean, how can you not want to sit at Alvin Smith’s bar? “I operate off of love,” he says. “I feel like if you add a little love to everything you do—I know it sounds super corny—but if you add a little love to everything, like the cocktails that I make or my conversation, it just makes it better. The world needs more love right now.”
Smith is the bartender at the newly opened Velvet Bar at Westgate Las Vegas, the property’s new upscale, intimate bar and lounge with impressive craft cocktails. However, he’s bartended all over the property since joining Westgate seven years ago. “This is the first job that I can honestly say I love what I do,” Smith said. “It doesn’t feel like a job. I thoroughly enjoy what I do.”
Before he got into the industry, he spent more than a dozen years as a security guard and corrections officer. “I wanted to be in a job where I didn’t need to tell people what to do anymore,” he says. “I wanted a job that was fun, enjoyable, and bartending seemed right up my alley.” Especially since both his parents were also in the industry—his mom was a cocktail server and his dad was a pit boss. “It’s kind of in my blood,” Smith says.
So he began his bartending career 10 years ago, and says he couldn’t have made a better decision. “I love people,” Smith says. “I am a huge people person. I love meeting people from all walks of life and hearing their stories. It never gets old. To be a good bartender you have to love people, hands down.” And trust us, Smith practices what he preaches, and you’ll know that the minute you sit at his bar.
Libation: Art of the Deal
Every cocktail at Velvet Bar was inspired by a notable who frequented the property. The Art of the Deal is inspired by Elvis Presley’s manager, Col. Tom Parker. (Read about his history on the menu). It’s made with bourbon, muddled strawberries, lemon, simple syrup and Chalk Hill pinot noir with a strawberry-Aperol float.
Benefit: Make sure to ask the bartenders about the story and history behind the Velvet Bar name.
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