There are no televisions at Class Cocktails & Vermuteria. No video poker machines, either. Just 48 seats, approximately 140 cocktails and a bartender with very strong opinions about what you should be drinking.
At 1118 S. Rainbow Blvd., Slovakian-born Jozef Letasi has created the kind of bar he spent years looking for in Las Vegas. After nearly two decades in the hospitality industry, he grew frustrated with a cocktail culture that often valued spectacle over substance. A trip to Turin, Italy, where he immersed himself in the world of vermouth, helped clarify what he wanted to do differently.
“We created this bar for ourselves,” Letasi says.
He and business partner Raj Singh spent two years transforming a former storage space with yellow walls and a popcorn ceiling into a cocktail bar with Belgian wallpaper, local artwork by William Carr and hand-blown glassware. The understated exterior — an almost unmarked door in a strip mall shared with Best Shoe Repair and Blue Haven Pools — gives little indication of what's inside.
During construction, Letasi and Singh kept noticing the same numbers on the car clock: 4:44. Letasi took it as a sign. Now, Class opens at 4:44 p.m.
Letasi doesn't play politics with his spirits. That means personally tasting and selecting every bottle behind the bar rather than stocking spirits simply because distributors want them there. Some 60 gins share the spotlight with an extensive assortment of vermouths, many unfamiliar to American drinkers.
The aim is to introduce customers to the possibilities of classic cocktails, not overwhelm them with smoke, fire and elaborate presentations. “I don't need that show around it,” Letasi says. “It speaks for itself.”
The latest cocktail menu includes the Class C (a play on “classy”), Letasi's dirty-but-not-dirty martini. Two Japanese gins bring contrasting flavors — one salty, made with ocean water; the other floral, with notes of sakura blossoms. Swedish aquavit adds an herbal dimension with caraway and dill. The cocktail evolved from a drink made for a regular guest, which says a lot about Letasi's approach to hospitality: Get to know your customers, remember what they drink, and give them a reason to return.
There's more in the works. Letasi recently secured an off-premises license to sell vermouth for home consumption and is developing an expanded vermouth bottle-service experience. He's also building a for-the-trade educational calendar of master tastings, classes, and appearances by bartenders from around the world.
In a city where bar conversations often compete with television screens, Class is a return to the pleasures of sitting down, ordering something well-made, and talking to the person beside you.
Class Cocktails & Vermuteria accepts reservations for larger parties; smaller groups and bar seating are welcome on a walk-in basis. Make your reservation here.
