When the fun stops.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhat was once a special, unique experience is now something that feels more mass-produced, ordinary and easily replicated.<\/p>\n
To put it simply: The Verbena has been diluted.<\/p>\n
MGM Resorts is using what are called “packers,” companies that package, bottle, label and sometimes blend liquor on behalf of a brand.<\/p>\n
In the case of the Verbena, a packer (in this case, St. Bart’s Brewing Company in Napa) mass produces the drink, despite the bottles proudly claiming “Handcrafted.” That word doesn’t mean what they think it means.<\/p>\n
Packers don’t muddle, they meddle.<\/p>\n
The Verbena has now been labeled “Verbena Yuzu Margarita.”<\/p>\n
The drink now contains rum, despite the fact margaritas don’t contain rum.<\/p>\n
Here’s the back of the bottle of the Verbena mixer.<\/p>\nJust let the robots do everything, already.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThey really have to say “Rum with natural flavor”? What does that even mean? Real rum is rum-flavored. Is this like how Velveeta is made of “cheese food”?<\/p>\n
People often complain about how big corporations are affecting the Las Vegas experience, well, this is an obvious situation where they have every right to complain.<\/p>\n
MGM Resorts would say, as mentioned, this bottled version of Verbena ensures every customer gets the exact same product. Bartenders don’t have to know how to make it (they also don’t have to spend time stocking or fresh-squeezing lemons) and using a packer means the ingredients can be adjusted to lower costs.<\/p>\n
Lowering costs means those savings can be passed along to customers! Everyone wins!<\/p>\n
Just kidding. Man, you are gullible. Higher margins mean happier stockholders. Oh, and we’re pretty sure lots of palms are greased in packer contracts, with everyone involved getting kickbacks for their stellar cost-saving abilities. Note: This is pure speculation. This isn’t our first rodeo, lawyerwise.<\/p>\nYou never forget your first, but your tenth is a lot more fun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWe don’t fault MGM Resorts or the bigwigs at Cosmo for trying to find ways of cutting costs or doing quality control, but mucking with a beloved cocktails needn’t be one of those ways. Commoditization erodes the value of brands. It sacrifices long-term equity for short-term gains, or as our fellow kids say, “Stepping over Bitcoin to pick up Hawk Tuah Coin.”<\/p>\n
Some things in Las Vegas should be treated as sacrosanct: Anything neon. The Bellagio fountains (looking at you, F1 grandstands) and Conservatory. Chelsea at Oscar’s. Valeria at Golden Gate. Tacos El Gordo. Free parking at Circus Circus. Vegas Vic and Vegas Vickie. Plastic straws. The Peppermill. Elvis weddings. The million-dollar display at Binion’s. The “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign. Cheap hot dogs at Casino Royale.<\/p>\n
Ruining the Verbena isn’t ruining everything, but the list of unruined things seems to be getting shorter by the day.<\/p>\n
Update (10\/9\/25): We heard from Mariena Mercer Boarini, creator of the Verbena (now Wynn Resorts Mixologist), and she gently informed us we’ve been sharing the wrong Verbena recipe for, oh, 12 years. We fixed the recipe in this story for posterity.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Verbena at Cosmopolitan is arguably the most famous cocktail in Las Vegas. Sorry, was. Past tense. That’s because Cosmo (operated by MGM Resorts) no longer makes this drink featuring a Szechuan “buzz button.” Bartenders pour it from a bottle, pre-mixed. And the recipe was changed. It’s yet another example of squandering a beloved asset […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,39,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vegas","category-las-vegas-bars","category-las-vegas-wtf"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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