I have a soft spot for what I call the “airport Old Fashioned” — made with regular ice, maraschino cherries, an orange slice, and a squirt of soda water. If I’m lucky, I can upgrade the whiskey to something that wasn’t pulled off the bottom shelf of a grocery store. I consider it a bonus if the bartender pours in a touch of artificially colored “juice” from the plastic cherry container.
It does the job between flights — but I’d rather reserve low expectations for the pace of TSA security checks.
So with an eye for something better, I checked out Sidecar, a first-of-its-kind passenger lounge by American Express, modeled after a vintage speakeasy at Harry Reid International Airport 🍸
🥃 First Impressions
From the green tile and bright marble to heavy drapes and brass accents, Sidecar has the aesthetics down. In the true spirit of a speakeasy, it’s exclusive — and you need the "password" of an American Express card (platinum or above) to enter. The food and drinks are free, so if you’re a frequent traveler, the annual fee could be worth it. (I might make up the cost in cocktails alone over a few business trips.)
The Continental (rye and cognac with cinnamon bitters) easily trumps my “airport Old Fashioned” — stirred in an old-school mixing glass and garnished with a fresh-sliced orange peel. The wines, curated by sommelier Helen Johannesen, favor small-production vineyards and Old World regions. How often do you find a bordeaux blanc or chilled lambrusco at the airport?
Kwame Onwuachi’s cucumber salad. (Rob Kachelriess/City Cast Las Vegas)
😋 Food Before Flying
The food is the biggest surprise, featuring global flavors and recipes designed by a quartet of James Beard award-winning chefs.
- Kwame Onwuachi’s new Vegas restaurant opens at the Sahara later this year, but you can get a taste of his Afro-Caribbean cuisine with a crushed cucumber salad, topped with rice pearls and chili honey infused with sumac and fermented scotch bonnet chilies.
- Sarah Grueneberg of Chicago’s Monteverde put together a chicken parm “slider,” wonderfully overstuffed with a full breast, crispy pepperoni, and a housemade sauce of oven-roasted tomatoes, basil, and fennel seeds.
- The French background and Southern heritage of Mashama Bailey (whose Savannah restaurant, The Grey, is expanding to Paris soon) is on display with an egg combo of mushrooms and mustard greens with black garlic aioli.
- Mike Solomonov of Philadelphia's Zahav puts an Arabic spin on avocado toast with harissa and labneh (yogurt with a cheese-like texture) on brioche bread.
Like most bars billed as speakeasies these days, Sidecar is secluded, but not impossible to find. Look for it on the upper level of Terminal 3 near the D gates — perfectly positioned to thumb its nose at the Capitol One Lounge on the opposite side of the foyer.
- The fitness center may be closed, but City Cast Las Vegas has more secrets to share at the Las Vegas airport. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]
