LAS VEGAS’ FIRST STATE-LICENSED CONSUMPTION LOUNGE HAS AN UPSCALE HAPPY HOUR VIBE — AND A DJ BOOTH

THC-infused drink, anyone?

Las Vegas is a city that sells itself with a suite of excitements most tourists can’t get at home: gambling, celebrity chefs, topless showgirls, and, most recently, legal cannabis.

But there was one issue: With cannabis consumption restricted to private property, there was no place for visitors to get high. Thankfully, that’s now changed. It’s only taken seven years since legalization for all of the involved government agencies to create the hoops — and for the businesses to jump through — but, finally, the city’s first-ever regulated consumption lounge has opened its doors.

Smoke & Mirrors, just a five-minute drive from Resorts World, has a high-end cocktail lounge vibe: Hostess stand, DJ booth pumping chill beats, black-clad waitstaff gliding between tables, decor that leans into velvet, brass, and ferns. The walls are adorned with Vegas-inspired artwork and, of course, mirrors.

As for the smoke, while the unmistakable scent of marijuana is certainly present, it’s not overwhelming. “There was a lot of thought that went into this kind of mid-mod appeal,” says Christopher LaPorte, managing partner at Reset, a consultancy firm specializing in cannabis hospitality. “You’re surrounded with good sounds, good sights, and good people.”

Inside, the crowd is more high-end happy hour than basement stoner and it’s clear what etiquette dictates: You have to limit your photos to close-up selfies and table shots — no one wants to be the accidental photobomb with a bong in your background. There are tourists adding a novel curve to their Vegas bender, conventioneers with badges still dangling around their necks, locals sipping drinks at the bar.

The state of Nevada doesn’t allow alcohol to be served in dispensaries, but Smoke & Mirrors has an assortment of coffees, 11 mocktails, and non-alcoholic beers — all of which can be infused with 2.5 to 5 milligrams of THC. The zero-proof drinks are made with non-alcoholic spirits and possess the sophisticated flavor profiles and presentation of traditional cocktails, just with a different kind of buzz. The Godfather — named for longtime local politician and cannabis advocate Tick Segerblom, not Don Corleone — is a blueberry-basil daiquiri, while the High Ground is an unboozed gin Mule with green tea and rosemary.

The other side of the menu (literally) offers cannabis in its more traditional forms with an array of pre-rolls, flower, and wax to choose from, and that all includes the use of papers, pipes, or bongs.

And if you’re an uncertain newbie or indecisive connoisseur, your waiter — erm, budtender — is there to answer any questions. They’ll take your order and bring it directly to your table along with any paraphernalia. But remember: Transactions are cash-only and, as you would anywhere else, tip your server. “It’s like going into your local bar, just bring yourself and we’ll provide everything you need,” explains LaPorte.

While Thrive Dispensary is right outside the door, you cannot bring cannabis products in or out of Smoke & Mirrors. It’s quite the departure from the dispensary-adjacent consumption lounges in California, where you can smoke whatever you’ve got. However, that privilege comes with its own pitfalls: Those spaces also tend to have decor that ranges from basement to waiting room, and the refreshments (if you can even call it that) are limited to a water cooler.

Smoke & Mirrors aims to be the first in a new wave of high-end cannabis cocktail lounges, “We just want you to be proud of being a cannabis smoker and have a nice place to hang out,” LaPorte says. “We’re getting people from the ages of 21 to 65–70. People are like, ‘There’s finally a place for me.’”

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2024-04-19T16:14:49Z dg43tfdfdgfd