This dragon-fruit-enhanced riff on a Margarita was created by Mariena Mercer Boarini for Overlook Lounge at Wynn Las Vegas, one of 31 venues for which she oversees the drink programs at the enormous Las Vegas resort.
A Tommy’s Margarita at its core, with tequila, lime juice, and agave nectar, this riff adds an unexpected ingredient: dragon fruit syrup, which lends the drink a lovely pink hue and subtle flavour. The garnish gets its own unexpected addition: a dusting of what she calls Electricdust, “a flavor and sensation-enhancing dust that is fueled by the buzz button to take your palate on a journey of flavour,” as she puts it, and which is available for purchase online in a variety of colours (for this drink she uses blue).
She used the flowers in her legendary Verbena during her days helming the drinks program at The Cosmopolitan; replicating their sensation through a new drink at a new property prompts reflection. “I came up with the Verbena 13 years ago,” she says. “Creating the Cleo helped me stop and think about how far I’ve grown as a mixologist since then.”