Vegas Day Drinkers - Episode 38 - Origins: Two Bartenders, Three Decades, One Vegas Story

Vegas Day Drinkers - Episode 43 - The Cups Runneth with Burrows and Bourdain

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2429000/fan_mail/new] Pour yourself a tipple of a tuath of Jameson Black Barrel and get ready for episode 43 — Vegas Day Drinkers is here. We open with love: happy birthday to Raffo and continued healing vibes to Steve Kay. Then we get into it — the passing of legendary TV director James "Jimmy" Burrows, the man behind Cheers, Friends, Frasier, Will & Grace, Taxi, and basically every sitcom that defined American television from the '70s through today. We walk his entire career arc and the landmark legacy he left for LGBTQ representation on network TV. We break down the Stanley Cup chaos (Tortorella out, Ryan Craig in, Kelly McCrimmon making moves), check in on the World Cup one week into the first-ever 48-team, three-nation tournament — including the Tartan Army overtaking Boston and Europeans discovering Buc-ee's, Waffle House, and "free" soda refills. Plus the origin story of our Challenge Coin and what we're building with it. And the big one: Bourdain Day, this Thursday, June 25th at the Huntridge Tavern. We retrace every Vegas spot Tony visited across No Reservations and Parts Unknown — from the Double Down Saloon to Lotus of Siam to Huntridge itself. Bourdain Day is presented by The Vegas Day Drinkers in collaboration with Jameson Black Barrel. Donations benefit the Anthony Bourdain Global Cuisine & Culture Legacy Scholarship at the CIA. Sign up now → https://bourdainday.vegas [https://bourdainday.vegas] Our Motto: Sip Socialize Shine!

Skip The Couch - These Are Vegas' Best World Cup Watch Spots

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2429000/fan_mail/new] The World Cup is coming, and if you're in Vegas, you don't want to be watching it alone on your couch. We hit the pavement to find the best spots in town to catch every match — the places with the right crowd, the cold pints, and the kind of atmosphere that turns a group-stage game into an event. In this one we break down our six picks: The Irish Spot, Hofbräuhaus, Jackpots Bar and Grill, McMullan's Irish Pub, Crown and Anchor, and Wahoo's on Sunset. Whether you want a proper pub roar, a beer hall full of strangers who'll be your best friends by the second half, or a neighborhood spot where the regulars already saved you a seat — we've got you covered. Find your match-day home before kickoff. Join the conversation in the Vegas Day Drinkers Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vegasdaydrinkersclub [https://www.facebook.com/groups/vegasdaydrinkersclub] And get more of our coverage in the newsletter, The Vegas Handshake: https://thevegashandshake.com [https://thevegashandshake.com] Sip. Socialize. Shine. Our Motto: Sip Socialize Shine!

Vegas Day Drinkers - Episode 42 - Throwing Cecils and Vegas 86'd On The Most Important of D(Day)s

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2429000/fan_mail/new] This episode lands on the most important of D's — D-Day. Throwing Cecils and Vegas 86'd raise a glass to honor Corporal Jack McGowan Kay, the boys of the Greatest Generation, and everyone who served. We're also sending healing vibes to Steve Kay out in Bowmansville — get well, friend. Keep hammering. From there we run the Vegas board: VGK back in the Stanley Cup Final, Illenium at Toshiba Plaza, and Knicks–Spurs in the NBA Finals. Shop Talk brings the local flavor — The Hat opens in Las Vegas, Able Baker expands with The Bomb Shelter, and Stage Door hits 50 years. On the labor and gaming front, we dig into Sphere worker protections and Sigma Derby galloping from The D over to Golden Gate. County Commission's busy too: Formula 1 locked through 2037, Flavor Flav's SHE Weekend, and the ongoing airport DBE negotiations. Plus — where's the beef? Or maybe the better question is what's IN the beef? Then we get into the big one: the future of the Strip. What a potential MGM sale and tightening corporate control could mean for creativity, competition, and the old-school Las Vegas vision we love. And don't forget — Bourdain Day, June 25 at Huntridge Tavern. Grab your free ticket at bourdainday.vegas Pour one and pull up a stool. Let's get into it. Our Motto: Sip Socialize Shine!

The K Pop Shaped Economy of Las Vegas

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2429000/fan_mail/new] Welcome back to the Vegas Day Drinkers podcast. Episode 41 — "The K-Pop Shaped Economy of Las Vegas" — is a full pour. We start with the elephant in the city: BTS. The seven-member K-pop juggernaut just wrapped four sold-out nights at Allegiant Stadium on their ARIRANG World Tour, and the boys didn't just play shows — they reshaped the whole town for a week. Pop-ups, branded activations, packed hotels, and a purple ocean of fans pouring money across the valley. We break down what a single K-pop residency does to the Las Vegas economy, and why the title of this episode says it all. Then it's into the rink: the Vegas Golden Knights are headed to the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, with Game 1 on June 2. We size up the matchup and what a Cup run means for the city. From there we head to Europe for the UEFA Champions League clash between PSG and Arsenal, plus the looming World Cup and how local bars and pubs are scrambling to pull in viewers and turn match days into business. Then we sober up for the heavy stuff. We dig into Western states' water rights, Bureau of Reclamation pressures on the Colorado River, and the real possibility that Las Vegas may one day lean on desalination. We also unpack Tilman Fertitta's roughly $17.6 billion deal to take over Caesars Entertainment — owner of Caesars Palace and a chunk of the Strip — and what that shakeup could mean for the city. Finally, the big one: our first hosted and sponsored event. Bourdain Day, June 25, 2026, at the historic Huntridge Tavern, in collaboration with Jameson Black Barrel. Come raise a glass with us. Pour something, pull up a stool, and drink the day with us. Our Motto: Sip Socialize Shine!

Vegas Day Drinkers - Episode 40 - Two Sticks W/ The Spirit of Amber Is The Yellow of Your Energy.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2429000/fan_mail/new] Two videos hit YouTube this week. One said Vegas is about to break because the airport's too full. The other said Vegas is dying because the tourists aren't coming. Both went viral. Both can't be right — except they kind of are.  In Episode 40, we dig into the Spirit Airlines collapse and the Harry Reid International math problem nobody wants to talk about: 58.4 million passengers in 2024, a hard ceiling at 63–65 million projected to hit by 2030, and a relief valve at Ivanpah Valley that doesn't open until 2035 at the earliest. Meanwhile Sphere, F1, Super Bowl, WrestleMania, and the new MLB stadium keep stacking demand on top.  We also raise a glass to Brian Wolfe — a consummate bartender with deep craft knowledge from Paradise Cantina and Tenaya Creek — and use it as a jumping-off point to talk go-to shots through the generations: Red Headed Sluts, German Chocolate Cake, Pineapple Upside Down, Green Tea, and what's actually moving across the bar today.  Plus: - DBE talk at the County Commission  - Meeting Brett Barry at Armadillo Inn and Rustic Tap House  - A deep dive on Leroy and Lewis BBQ in Austin, TX  - Shout out to Tony and his wife from KC who sat with Darren and me recently  - The Lotto Store in Primm is closing  - VGK in Round 2 vs the Anaheim Ducks (good luck, but not too much, Mrs. Starkey)  - Bourdain Day, June 25th at Huntridge Tavern — sponsored by Jameson Black, proceeds to the CIA scholarship fund in Anthony Bourdain's memory  - Urban Slang of the Week: "liberty cabbage" Sip. Socialize. Shine. ——— Bourdain Day info, The Vegas Handshake newsletter, and more: https://thevegashandshake.com  Join the Vegas Day Drinkers Facebook community   Follow on TikTok: @vegasdaydrinkers Our Motto: Sip Socialize Shine!