The Dorsey Lounge Replaces Bourbon Room at Venetian

By Scott Roeben, on December 28 2016
3 min read 5 comments
Las Vegas Las Vegas Bars

A swanky new lounge has opened at Venetian, The Dorsey.

The new lounge sits in the former Bourbon Room space. Bourbon Room was a lounge themed to complement the hotel’s departed show, “Rock of Ages,” which relocated to Rio Las Vegas. “Rock of Ages” closes, once again, on Jan. 1, 2017.

There will be a quiz.

The Dorsey Venetian
The Dorsey. Just the right amount of fancy.

The Dorsey does a 180 from the “rockin’ loud” Bourbon Room, delivering a more refined experience in well-appointed surroundings. (The 180-degree change is punctuated by the fact the bar no longer has video poker.)

The Dorsey Venetian
The Dorsey cost $2.5 million and was worth every penny.

The Dorsey’s signature cocktail menu is replete with unique libations “designed by award-winning barman Sam Ross of New York City’s Attaboy fame.” We are clearly a dim-witted muttonhead because we have no idea what an “Attaboy” is or why it’s famous. However, we can attest to the fact Sam Ross knows his hooch.

We tried the Banana Hammock and our socks were blown.

Off.

Related: Punctuation is hard.

The Dorsey Venetian
The Banana Hammock features two rums, lime, banana, orgeat and cinnamon. It was infinitely better than it sounds. Especially the orgeat thing. Which you’ll be Googling in three, two…

Here’s The Dorsey cocktail menu in a resolution that won’t make you squint like an albino in a tanning booth. Here are more cocktails (including “Stirred & Boozy,” “Shorties” and “Punch Bowls”). Look here for the champagne, wine and beer.

Signature cocktails run in the $18 range, which may cause some Las Vegas regulars sticker shock. But $18 is the new $8, so it’s best to just settle in and enjoy the creativity of the cocktails.

Or the ambiance.

If you get our drift.

The Dorsey Venetian
Your elevated heart rate is duly noted and completely warranted.

The model-servers are friendly and helpful, as are The Dorsey’s bartenders.

The Dorsey is 4,500-square-feet, in case square footage somehow adds to your enjoyment of a lounge. You freak.

The space is warm and as comfortable and sophisticated as The Dorsey’s news release claims. There’s a lot of oak and brass and leather and marble.

There are two areas in The Dorsey that provide a semi-private feel, the Cage and the Library.

The Dorsey Venetian
If you guessed this isn’t the Library, you’re right. Your future as a detective is assured.

The Library, lined with hundreds of books, has a sweet fireplace. It blows smoke and it lit in a way that makes the smoke look like fire. It’s cozy, trust us.

The Dorsey Venetian
You remember books. It’s how people occupied themselves before memes and Facebook stalking.

The walls of The Dorsey are lined with digital displays featuring the work of a number of artists whose names we don’t recognize, such as Marilyn Minter, Poyen Wang and Jason Salavon.

The Dorsey is on par with Clique at Cosmopolitan and Skyfall Lounge at Delano.

The Dorsey Venetian
Beyond its dreamy bar, The Dorsey also has a DJ booth. We won’t hold that against it.

If you’re looking to knock something back on the cheap (ditto slamming or chugging), this probably isn’t the place. The Dorsey is, however, a place with an air of class, memorable cocktails and waitresses who will make you feel like the most interesting, attractive person in the world.

The Dorsey Venetian
Let’s infuse something, already.

The Dorsey is open nightly from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. It’s located just off the main floor of the Venetian’s casino, near the hotel’s restaurant row.

The Dorsey at Venetian