Las Vegas Weekly

November 5, 2012 · 9:49 AM

Weekend Hangover: the comfort of Comme Ca’s bar

By Brock Radke

It's Thyme for Bourbon, according to Comme Ça bartender Nate Propst.

Photo: Brock Radke

I think the first trip to the understated bar at Comme Ça came about because we were looking for a quiet spot in the Cosmopolitan, a booze-soaked nook where we could relax, imbibe, have a little conversation, and open the designer toy blind boxes purchased at the Kid Robot store on the second floor. Little did we know this would become a ritual; I can’t remember a time when I was at Cosmo and didn’t swing through here for a drink.

The French brasserie’s cocktail menu has been big on Prohibition-era drinks since the place opened. Like others who have discovered these fantastic concoctions, I quickly latched on to the Hemingway Daiquiri, a simple classic, the Aviation with its gin-lemon-crème de violette combo, and the steadiest of all, the Penicillin—Scotch, more fresh lemon, ginger and honey. This is real medicine.

But now that fall is here, the best season to be in Vegas, it’s time for bourbon, and so we must drink Thyme For Bourbon. Early this year, Comme Ça added a selection of cocktails created by its very own mixologists, and that’s when Nate Propst lowered the boom. Bourbon—he uses 12-year-old Elijah Craig—plus simple syrup, (even more!) fresh lemon juice, crème de cassis and a decorative sprig of thyme to top things off equals the most refreshing, rejuvenating beverage imaginable. It’s not the only drink here that you’ll fall in love with, but it’s the right one right now.

At first, we had a hard time accepting that Comme Ça—in a restaurant, in a casino, on the Strip, miles from home—has become our favorite neighborhood bar. But now we’ve found peace with it. It wasn’t that hard, actually.

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