The Life Aquatic

The red-and-blue contrast makes the ultimate summer fun colors, while the sweet-and-sour magic taste is perfectly balanced. It’s the most fun way to drink an Amaretto sour variation.

First impression?
Step through the door and you're inside the estate of a particularly well-traveled eccentric—heavy woods, plush leather-wrapped bar top, luxurious booths, semi-private seating nooks, and an atrium garden that feels entirely incongruous with the strip mall reality outside. The space occupies 3,400 square feet across five distinct areas in the historic Artifice building, and each one has its own character. The vibe is 19th-century explorer club, but the crowd is very much contemporary Las Vegas.

Cool. So who's there?
Over 4,000 people applied for membership before the bar even opened, which tells you something about the anticipation. Members get access to the upstairs area, its Juliet balcony, priority reservations, an interesting roster of community member-only activities, and a menu of their own. Non-members drink at the main bar with everyone else—which is a fine consolation. The crowd is well-dressed, cocktail-literate, and squarely downtown: Arts District regulars, industry people, and a growing number of visitors who've done their homework.

How are the drinks?
Juyoung Kang's menu is globally inspired and built around storytelling—"every menu I create follows a theme, providing a deeper layer of perception," she has said. The Tom Kha Fizz—a savory Ramos Gin Fizz riff built around the flavors of tom kha Thai soup, with gin, lime, spices, and bird's eye chili—is the current standout. The menu changes with the seasons and the story Kang is trying to tell, which means there's always a reason to come back.

Did the staff do you right?
The bar operates primarily on reservations, with limited walk-in availability—which means the staff-to-guest ratio stays favorable and the service reflects it. This is a room where the bartenders know the menu deeply and want to talk about it. Let them.

Wrap it up: what are we coming here for?
For a cocktail experience that would hold its own in any serious drinking city in the world, inside a room that happens to be in downtown Las Vegas. The Doberman is proof that the Arts District is building a real bar scene—one that doesn't need the Strip to validate it.

Head downtown to Doberman Drawing Room, where they serve up some of the most unique, tasty cocktails in the city. The bar recently released a new menu inspired by the fictional worlds created by moviemaker Wes Anderson. The whimsical menu layers ingredients and technique to create one-of-a-kind sips like The Life Aquatic, Isle of Dogs, The Royal Tenenbaums and more. The bartenders walk you through why each cocktail’s flavor matches up with the movie it’s named after—it’s quite the cocktail experience.

Melon Milkis. While Doberman Drawing Room has some of the most creative cocktails in the city (the bar is helmed by world re-noowned mixologist Juyoung Kang), it also showcases delicious non-alcoholic drinks like the Melon Milkis. It’s made with rice milk, coconut, lime, honeydew and soda and is garnished with amade-in-house rice cracker dusted in shichimi togarashi.

 Doberman Drawing Room, Corner Bar Management’s social club in the Arts District, will bring the spirit of the Kentucky Derby to life with “Derby at Doberman,” a lively afternoon affair featuring live music, themed cocktails, a curated culinary spread and a charitable raffle from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 2. Derby-inspired attire is required, with a dress code enforced for the event. Tickets, starting at $85.91, are available on Doberman’s website.

Behind the bar, award-winning mixologist Juyoung Kang will present an open bar of Derby-inspired cocktails, offering refined interpretations of race day staples. Selections will include the Thoroughbred Julep, made with Old Forester bourbon, crème de cacao blanc and mint; Contender, featuring Woodford Reserve bourbon, Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva rum, banana and Angostura bitters; and Run for the Roses, crafted with Herradura Reposado tequila, hibiscus, orange and lime, each priced at $20 . For a zero-proof sip, the 2 Minutes will feature Earl Grey tea, hibiscus, orange and lemonade, priced at $16. Guests who upgrade their experience will also enjoy a savory buffet curated by Executive Chef Isidro Marquez-Castillo.

Blending Doberman’s creative, social atmosphere with race day energy, the afternoon will feature live jazz from Patrick Hogan and a three-piece band, alongside a charitable raffle benefiting L.E.A.N. (Local Equine Assistance Network), helping provide care, rehabilitation and sanctuary for rescued horses. Guests will have the opportunity to contribute to a local cause while entering to win a curated lineup of prizes, including tickets to “Hansel & Gretel” at The Smith Center, a chef’s tasting menu for four from Executive Chef Isidro Marquez-Castillo and participation in a horse bidding raffle.

The Doberman is one of the few (if not the only) social clubs in the Arts District, and its mix of antiques, vintage books, surreal art, and taxidermy is the perfect backdrop for Burners to reminisce about the Playa over fancy cocktails. You don’t need to be a member to visit, but members do get special perks, like guaranteed reservations or the use of a private loft with a juliet balcony so you can survey the scene from above. A central bar divides the room into separate moody dens, so it's easy to dodge your ex if you see them. If you’re hungry, you can eat charcuterie out of a hollowed book and kettle chips with onion dip and caviar, but the cocktails, like the creamy Melon Milkis, are the real stars.

The Doberman is one of the few (if not the only) social clubs in the Arts District, and its mix of antiques, vintage books, surreal art, and taxidermy is the perfect backdrop for Burners to reminisce about the Playa over fancy cocktails. You don’t need to be a member to visit, but members do get special perks, like guaranteed reservations or the use of a private loft with a juliet balcony so you can survey the scene from above. A central bar divides the room into separate moody dens, so it's easy to dodge your ex if you see them. If you’re hungry, you can eat charcuterie out of a hollowed book and kettle chips with onion dip and caviar, but the cocktails, like the creamy Melon Milkis, are the real stars.

Juyoung Kang

Partner and Head of Beverage, Doberman Drawing Room 

BIG: How did you first get started in the beverage alcohol industry? 

Juyoung Kang (JK): I started when I was 19 after answering a newspaper ad with my sister, which led to my first serving job in Philadelphia at a private members-only club. 

BIG: Did you have a mentor in the industry? Have you been a mentor to others? 

JK: I’ve had many great leaders who paved the road for me. I learned valuable lessons about how to become a leader and great bartender. The lessons I’ve learned were so profound and impacted who I am today, and I have been passing them on to whomever wants to listen. I hope those who have learned from me consider me a mentor, but that’s not a title I can bestow upon myself. 

BIG: Have you faced challenges as a woman in a leadership position in what’s still a male-dominated industry? 

JK: As humans, we face challenges every day in an industry where both good and evil exist. As women, we face these challenges more often, especially when pursuing leadership roles. It comes down to how we defend our seat and respond with grace that sets apart those who truly belong, which is usually undeniable. 

I’ve faced challenges where being a woman, and a minority, led others to question whether I could rise to the occasion. Not because of my talent, but about whether I could handle the workload, as women are often thought of as weaker in strength, endurance and loyalty. There was also plenty of mansplaining along the way, but I met it all by working harder, faster, stronger and more effectively. 

BIG: How has your company benefited from having women at the table making decisions? 

JK: Having a perspective from women is crucial. We represent a demographic in consumerism that affects the longevity, adaptability and innovation of products. I believe my company has benefited from having me at the table because I have a viewpoint that transcends the present case. Women are natural planners. We create critical paths, multitask with ease and organize across multiple categories. 

BIG: Do you think the beverage alcohol industry has improved as far as women and gender inclusion in the past five years? 

JK: There has been some improvement, but I don’t think hiring someone because they’re a woman and sitting back to see if she sinks or swims is progress. While some places have given women platforms and guidance to advance, others have set them up with no mentorship or plan for growth. Women leaders also need to do more to create opportunities for other women, while also encouraging and mentoring other women. However, women entering the industry must be proactive and believe they can be taught to advance. Inspiration only works for those open to taking it in. 

BIG: What advice do you have for other women looking to get into the beverage alcohol industry? 

JK: Be open-minded to the pathway presented to you. It may not seem like something in the beginning, but that’s where you gain knowledge and technique, and become well-rounded. Sometimes learning outside your immediate role can later prove to be the exact skill set you need. 

Project management helps run a program. Science classes help with creativity and technique. Spin classes help keep you fit but also help with endurance for the day-to-day activities of the bar. It’s about changing your perspective to see how everyday occurrences and interests can be applied to your work. Just because we learned about shapes in kindergarten doesn’t mean we don’t recognize them in the present moment (for example, a demitasse spoon vs. a soup spoon). 

Doberman Drawing Room has officially opened in the Las Vegas Arts District, adding a richly layered cocktail lounge to Corner Bar Management’s portfolio. Created by nightlife visionary Ryan Doherty and award-winning mixologist Juyoung Kang, the 3,400-square-foot bar feels like stepping into the estate of an eccentric explorer—moody, maximalist, and filled with artifacts from around the world. Kang’s globally inspired cocktail program is equally transportive, with signatures like the Tom Kha Fizz (a Ramos Fizz reimagined with tom yum spices and coconut), the pepperoncini-spiked Peter Pepper martini, and Nine Countries, a mezcal and yuzu-koshō sip that nods to Japan’s historic provinces. Elevated bar snacks and refined bites—from Berber-spiced chicharrón to Royal Osetra caviar—round out the experience, while rooms like the Blue Room, Library, and Attic reveal layers of design storytelling.

Next door to Fremont East, travel to the Arts District to the new kid on the block, Doberman Drawing Room for its weekly happy hour experience, Doberman Till Dusk (5-8 p.m.). Enjoy reduced pricing on specialty cocktails and an elevated stylish spin on the typical happy hour.

Doberman Drawing Room made a splash in April when it became the first cocktail bar in Vegas to offer a $3,000-per-year membership option. Of course, non-members are welcome, too. Inside the antique-filled space, which features red velvet banquettes, a wrought-iron chandelier, and a mounted deer’s head, guests can enjoy highly inventive concoctions like the Sahara, a boozy riff on horchata (made with cantaloupe, hibiscus and roasted peanuts), as well as a chili-infused Tom Kha Fizz.

If you’re looking for the cool new cocktail spot that seems more secret than known, make a reservation at the new Doberman Drawing Room in the Arts District. The vibes and décor are beautifully bougie and the cocktails are some of the best in the city, thanks to world-renowned mixologist Juyoung Kang. The cocktail-driven lounge has a whole book of specialty cocktail options, so take your time to peruse each page and get ready to take a taste journey.

At Doberman Drawing Room, a moody cocktail bar and members club that feels like an old mansion with curios from another era, famed mixologist Juyoung Kang is serving show-stopping drinks like a sweet, savory, spicy and creamy tom kha fizz and the Marilyn and Madness combo with two different Rosa vermouth cocktails side-by-side. (For a extra hit of cheekiness, see if you can find the photograph of Corner Bar Management boss Ryan Doherty in an antique cabinet.)

You can also come here for martinis with caviar-stuffed olives and the Nine Countries cocktail that merges mezcal with yuzu kosho. Like New York’s celebrated Double Chicken Please and buzzy Los Angeles newcomers Daisy Margarita Bar and Bar Benjamin, Doberman is adept at creating drinks that taste like dinner and also drinks that taste like dessert. If you want to eat here for real, tinned mussels and sea salt kettle chips with terrific sour cream and caramelized onion dip are nice ways to start. You can get caviar with your dip, too.

There’s no denying that the Arts District has become a vibrant neighborhood filled with exciting galleries, restaurants, and bars. And one of the latest newcomers to the area is Doberman Drawing Room. A project by nightlife entrepreneur Ryan Doherty (of excellent Downtown spots like the Laundry Room, Commonwealth, and Lucky Day) and award-winning mixologist Juyoung Kang (who was the opening bartender at the Laundry Room), this bar and members’ lounge is arguably one of the finest in the city. The eclectic 3,400-square-foot space is filled with antiques, a hobby of Doherty’s, that range from stuffed animals to a vintage Stevens Organ & Piano Co. piano. Red velvet and leather banquettes call for intimate gatherings while the main room has an eccentric vibe of huntsmen lodge meets medieval garden. And when it comes to the cocktails, be prepared for some surprises. Whether it be the inventive Tom Kha Fizz inspired by the classic Thai coconut soup; the very drinkable Big in Japan, a refreshing clarified milk punch concoction that Kang has brilliantly made vegan with the use of soy milk; or the smoky and spicy Nine Countries, where mezcal is paired with honeydew and yuzu kosho, you really can’t go wrong.

This Doberman bites. With flavor.

Doberman Drawing Room, the downtown Las Vegas cocktail lounge meets social club, has launched a menu of bar bites and snacks to complement its inventive beverages. Look for warm tangerine and rosemary olives, Berber-spiced chicharrón and maple-candied pecans. Kettle chips are graced with ancient sea salt and served with caramelized onion dip. For a lift of luxe, add Royal Osetra caviar.

Tinned fish is accompanied by warm sourdough swiped with crushed purple chilis and French butter. A Charcuterie Library for Two showcases a hollowed vintage book. A “page” from the book is set alight, burning away to reveal a spread of fruit, cheese, meats and house preserves. On the sweet side, brown butter and Swiss chocolate chip cookies are paired with limoncello sugar.

Mixologist Juyoung Kang is upping the ante for creative cocktails in Sin City at Doberman Drawing Room, a new social club that opened in April in the downtown Las Vegas Arts District. Kang’s menu highlights globally inspired original drinks with an eye toward health and wellness and influences from the culinary world. Signature creations include the Howling Wolves, a blend of Nikka From The Barrel Japanese whisky, Lustau Amontillado Los Arcos Sherry, house-made cantaloupe cordial, and Supasawa acid mixer, garnished with Togarashi, and the Bird’s Eye View, mixing bird’s eye chili-infused, Campari, Cocchi di Torino vermouth, Liber & Co. Passionfruit syrup, and coconut water (cocktails are $16-$28). Operated by Corner Bar Management, the bar is designed to evoke a home estate.

In the burgeoning Arts District, Doberman Drawing Room, a taxidermy-adorned craft-cocktail bar, opened in May with a strong collection of drinks from mixologist Juyoung Kang. One drink, the Pillow Book, is made with vodka, nigori sake, strawberry, sumac, lemon and egg white. Another, the zero-proof Coffee Cheesecake, is a rich and creamy take on the classic espresso martini with a surprising twist: parmesan.

This mashup of cocktail lounge and social club brims with “beautiful chaos,” as owner Ryan Doherty puts it. Stuffed animal heads, stacks of vintage books, gilt-framed reproductions of paintings by Goya and Chardin, brocade-swaddled fauteuils, stained glass, putto heads in the manner of Della Robbia and more. Who collected this trove? An adventurer? An English second son for his set in Albany? The stories flow. So do superlative cocktails from Juyoung Kang, a top Vegas mixologist. Among her signature sips: a Peter Pepper martini (gin or vodka) with lemongrass shochu and a Bird’s Eye View with a bitter aperitif, vermouth, passion fruit, coconut and a singe of bird’s eye chili heat.

A martini doesn’t always mean alcohol — something mixologist Juyoung Kang at Doberman Drawing Room has embraced with flair. The Arts District’s newest hideaway offers a coffee cheesecake espresso martini that skips the liquor but delivers on flavor with a blend of malt, coffee, and honey. This mocktail is dusted with nutmeg and finished with a surprising sprinkle of Parmesan cheese for a salty, yet creamy infusion. Of course, this drink can be made boozy upon request. In between sips, check out the century-old chandelier and custom stained-glass windows. While membership comes with perks, cocktails can be enjoyed even without paying the $3,000 annual fee.

Las Vegas-based Corner Bar Management has launched a bar called Doberman Drawing Room in the city’s Arts District.Doberman Drawing Room opened its doors on 30 April.

Mixologist and partner Juyoung Kang, previously of Fontainebleau Las Vegas, heads up the bar programme. The menu is shaped by her ‘globally inspired, deeply intentional approach to cocktails’.

“Doberman represents the next evolution of cocktail culture in Las Vegas,” said Ryan Doherty, founder of Corner Bar Management. “It’s a place for people who appreciate the art of a good drink, and even better conversation. With Juyoung’s leadership and vision, we’re excited to offer something that feels both timeless and entirely new.”