First things first, when you arrive at a venue to see your favorite band perform—you make a mad dash to the bar. With the opening act just about to go offstage, you order a rum and Coke and speedwalk to your seat. This is most likely what will happen at an everyday arena. But this definitely won’t happen at the new 650,000-square-foot T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. You’re going to want to savor one of the beverages master mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim has concocted for the arena’s beverage program. “Better ingredients make better products,” says Abou-Ganim of his classic frozen drinks to libations on tap.

Spend the night in a luxury suite on the suite level, which comes with a view to the arena bowl, 12 tickets to public events, VIP arena entrances, and access to the Goose Island Bar on the same level or the arena’s exclusive clubs, the Bud Light Lounge or Jack Daniels Lounge, on the main concourse level. It is here where you can experience Abou-Ganim’s punch carts (Champagne or Sunshine Sour), mojito carts, and classic cocktail trays (think Cosmopolitan or Manhattan). And for a more intimate beverage experience, which will be offered in the future, you’ll be able to make your own cocktail—with Abou-Ganim—while lounging in the suite. The seasoned mixologist will appear in a how-to video on the suite’s tablet with a step-by-step guide for making the cocktail together.

We sat down with Abou-Ganim to discuss everything from his partnership with Levy Restaurants, to the one drink he’d down on his way to solitary confinement. “The Negroni became more than just a drink,” he says. “If I were going to the box tomorrow, this would be in my hand.”

Tony Abou-Gamin

HOMBRE: What excites you the most about being involved with the T-Mobile Arena?
Tony Abou-Ganim: This is something that has never been done before—Levy’s vision in support of AEG [Live] and MGM [Resorts International] to bring the arena to life. Very rarely do you go to an arena and expect to have a fresh hand-crafted drink experience. We can build a great arena and put a great program together but it’s those bartenders night in and night out that bring it to life. That’s really where the magic happens. That’s what excites me.

H: Did you handpick all of the bartenders?
TA-G: I had a hand in the selection process and worked very diligently on the training. We had 16 hours of just tasting and mixing. I believe in building a solid foundation. This is a living thing that will continue to evolve and grow, but if you can’t execute on the classics, consistency, it’s hard to take it to the next level. I spent a lot of time invested in training and getting the right people in the right places. I can’t make every drink. I love just sitting back and watching the bartenders and watching the guests watch them.

H: What’s a drink that you did not create for the T-Mobile Arena but if you could’ve, you would’ve?
TA-G: The Negroni. If I could have created the Negroni, that would have been a great legacy. Every lounge has a slightly different menu.

Atomic Fizz

There were certain things we wanted to make consistently throughout like the Atomic Fizz [the arena’s signature cocktail is made with Grey Goose Le Citron, Aperol, agave nectar, prickly pear puree, lemon juice and sparkling water].

Margarita

And the House Scratch Margarita is the go-to drink [Tony’s signature margarita is made with Patrón Silver, Reposado or Añejo tequila, Cointreau liqueur, agave nectar and lemon and lime juices]. The Prescription Julep is a drink that’s on the menu at the Optum Lounge, and it’s a lost and forgotten twist on a Mint Julep. Something like that would have been cool to say, ‘I invented that.’ [Abou-Ganim created the modern classic rum sour, Cable Car, in 1996.]

H: Why is the Negroni your favorite cocktail?
TA-G: It’s funny. I discovered the drink in 1991 opening Harry Denton’s on Stuart Street. David O’Malley, who was the general manager, put together a list of five classic drinks and the Negroni was one of them. The first time I tried it, I was like, ‘Wow, this is terrible.’ And I spit it out. But like the Italians say, ‘You have to try it three times before falling in love with it.’ And once I stuck with it, it became a drink that nobody knew so I was on a mission to try to raise the popularity of the Negroni. I would go out and order a Negroni and the response would be, ‘We don’t stock Negroni, how about a Peroni?’ But then, as bartenders started embracing the drink, they said, ‘Do you have a preference in gins?’

And now with all of the wonderful vermouths that are available, people are making sure that you have fresh vermouth and a selection of vermouths. That’s when I started to really take it to the next level and say, ‘Well, Plymouth Gin is going to work better with Cinzano sweet vermouth than Carpano Antica Formula, but something big and juniper forward like Beefeater Gin will work better with the intensity of Antica Formula. Where for me with Bombay Sapphire, the floral and citrus notes work beautifully with Martini & Rossi Rosso.’ The Negroni became an obsession.

H: What is next for you?
TA-G: I’ve spent 36 years behind bars. I had a partnership in a place called Bar Milano in New York City that we opened in 2006. Although it’s no longer in business, I’ve always wanted that ideal Tony cocktail bar and I wanted it in Las Vegas. A couple of years back, Shawn McClain (of Sage and Five50 fame) and I did Iron Chef America together and we became great friends. We’ve wanted to collaborate on something and we finally got the opportunity to with the old Shanghai Lilly space at Mandalay Bay. We’ll be opening Libertine Social there in August. I could not be more excited. There will be two bar concepts—the front bar is going to be very social, very communal, with a lot of fun interpretations of classics and originals. And then the other bar will really be all about lost and forgotten hand-crafted cocktails that pay tribute to those bartenders that have come before us and created these drinks. We will be continuing their legacy and representing their creations. I gotta pinch myself. We’re going to bring something really special to Las Vegas.

H: Will there be food at Libertine Social?
TA-G: Oh yeah, Shawn’s food. If there’s a better chef than Shawn, I haven’t met them. His food is just amazing. Libertine Social will be fun, casual, and delicious.

H: What person would go to Libertine Social?
TA-G: We would all go there. Since moving to Las Vegas in ’98, I had been looking for that place. It’s just a place that we can all go and feel comfortable, have fun, have great food and not be intimidated. No pretentiousness, no arrogance, and you don’t have to spend $200 a person to eat there. It will be a place that you’ll want to come, bring your friends and come back again. Even if you’re a guest to Las Vegas, you make it a point to come see us. We want to build that social element where we know you by name. We want to build that social element where we know you by name.

For more information on the T-Mobile Arena visit www.t-mobilearena.com