Las Vegas Weekly

A brand Noir year

Noir Bar debuts a new menu and a new look

Formerly the Sapphire Flyer, now the Violette Femme. Still delicious.

Andrew Pollard

The December departure of bartender/mixologist Ken Hall from Luxor's Noir Bar for Aria's Haze Nightclub and The Deuce Lounge (congrats!) — which itself comes on the heels of Noir's Trevor Thorpe heading to San Diego's Keating Hotel (congrats to you, too!) — has left Noir almost entirely in the hands of one man.

But after an in-depth tasting of Andrew Pollard's new 2010 menu, I can assure you that Noir is in very good hands.

The bartender/mixologist is one of the winningest cocktail competitors in Vegas this past year, a United States Bartenders' Guild member with a superior palate, an eye for stylish garnishes and a quiet confidence that has brought him accolades from Leblon Cachaça, the USBG, Bombay Sapphire, Domaine de Canton and more. Pollard this month launched Noir's new 2010 menu as a solo effort.

Among the 14 sophisticated cocktails are classics like the Blood & Sand, classic adaptations like the Bramblin' Man, Sage Lemon Drop, Five Spice Sidecar and the Hot Mule, and new originals like the Sweet Sesame, Dragonfire and Cocojito.

Photo: Xania Woodman

Fruit, spices, liqueurs, oh my!

Also included are two of Pollard's award-winning cocktails: the Brazilian Wax (formerly El Calor del Brasil, winner of the USBG Leblon Caipirinha Competition) and the Violette Femme (formerly the Sapphire Flyer, winner of the 2009 Bombay Sapphire GQ Most Inspired Bartender Competition), both of which were featured in Las Vegas Weekly.

While you're there, be sure get an eyeful of the sexy new back bar, tricked out with curvy glass apothecary bowls of all the good things that go into Pollard's cocktails; rumor has it that even more changes are on the horizon for the tiny bar.

We haven't quite made it through the entire new menu quite yet, but we're looking forward to that tasty milestone as well as another Sweet Sesame, please.