It can be difficult to know where to go for cocktails on the Las Vegas Strip; mainly because the choice is so wide and you could spend a good chunk of your evening just wandering in and out of bars and casinos looking at price lists and combinations. What we were looking for (apart from awesome drinks, obviously), was a pleasant and not too crowded environment, a good variety and a decent price.
We'd visited a few restaurants the previous night and found the differences between the prices (even within a few metres) were quite stark.
We decided to head to The Tropicana Hotel and Casino after finding out they had a range of frozen cocktails, which sounded like just the thing to keep us cool in the desert heat. The Tropicana is a well-established casino on The Strip and the Chill'm Cocktail Bar is just a short distance past the gaming tables at the front entrance.
The colourful Tropicana Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip
Frozen cocktails are very popular in Las Vegas (as they probably are everywhere that sells them) and it is a common sight on the nearby streets to see people with massive plastic cups or moulded plastic containers in the shape of the Eiffel Tower, for example, wandering happily down the sidewalk. They may be happy because they can actually take their drinks outside with the as it's legal in Las Vegas, or it's possibly just because they're half way through a 40oz margarita and have a touch of brain freeze. Who knows?
Anyway, from the great selection at Tropicana, I opted for a 24oz frozen concoction containing a range of berry flavoured vodkas and fruit juices. Les opted for a tropical fruit mixture, which very much smelled like a shower gel I used to love.
Despite what the song says, the drinks aren't actually free. They are amazing, though.
Each 24oz drink, served sensibly in a large reinforced cup with straw, was priced at $18. Refills requested using the same cup were offered at a lesser rate. There was a choice of 5 or 6 frozen drinks, but the bar also stocked all the usual beers and spirits you'd expect to find.
The area is quite small, with seating around the main bar area, and a few tables dotted around, but then again, it is on the casino floor, so has to be accessible and open plan.
We had really friendly service, as I tend to find I get all over the US anyway, and it's a really lovely little spot for a night out. You can, if you have the capacity that I lack, try out ALL of the cocktails and then spend the next day desperately trying to recall which one you liked best, or simply order different ones each and then share them. The latter might help you avoid a massive hangover and, therefore, give you more time the next day to try out cocktails somewhere else. This is always a good idea in my book.
