The Food and Loathing podcast caught up with legendary bartender Dale DeGroff just hours before his appearance last weekend at The Vault, where he served as the inaugural guest for Bellagio’s new Liquid Legends series.
A Bartending Legend
DeGroff, often referred to as the “King of Cocktails,” is widely credited with helping spark the modern cocktail renaissance during his tenure at New York’s Rainbow Room in the 1980s. At a time when bottled sour mix and neon-colored drinks dominated bar programs, DeGroff reintroduced fresh juices, classic recipes, and historical context—approaches that helped reposition bartending as a culinary craft rather than a novelty.
“When we reopened the Rainbow Room, there really wasn’t a playbook,” DeGroff told the Food and Loathing podcast. “We went back to the classics, because that’s where the answers were. Those drinks had survived for a reason.”
The Bellagio Connection
That philosophy helped shape an entire generation of bartenders, many of whom went on to influence cocktail programs across the country—including Las Vegas. DeGroff has long had ties to the city, and to Bellagio in particular, through his friendship with Tony Abou-Ganim, who built Bellagio’s original cocktail program when the resort opened in 1998.
“Tony took what we were doing in New York and showed how it could work at scale,” DeGroff said. “Bellagio proved that serious cocktails didn’t have to live only in small rooms.”
That history made DeGroff a natural choice to open Liquid Legends, a yearlong guest series curated by Bellagio that brings influential bartenders, writers, and historians behind the bar at The Vault. Each guest collaborates on a limited-run menu inspired by pivotal moments in cocktail history, with the visiting figure appearing in person for a two-night engagement.
The Evolution Of Cocktails
Over the decades, DeGroff has watched bartending evolve from a revivalist movement into a mature, globally recognized discipline. While techniques have become more refined and ingredients more diverse, he said the core principles remain unchanged.
“I like to think of cocktails the same way chefs think about sauces,” he said. “Once you understand the foundations, you can improvise endlessly. The danger is forgetting that it’s still supposed to be fun.”
Liquid Legends
DeGroff’s menu at The Vault revisited cocktails that appeared on his Rainbow Room menus across multiple decades, placing classic drinks in a contemporary setting designed to encourage conversation and storytelling rather than speed or spectacle.
The Liquid Legends series will continue at The Vault throughout 2026, with upcoming appearances by Robert Simonson March 5–6, 2026, followed by historian David Wondrich August 6–7, 2026. Each collaboration pairs the guest’s perspective with The Vault’s archive of rare spirits and modern interpretations of historic recipes. Seating is limited, and reservations are required. Additional information and reservation details are available through Bellagio and The Vault’s official social channels.
You can hear the entire interview with Dale DeGroff on the January 23 episode of the Food And Loathing podcast.
