YEE: Time For Cheers @ Container Park

The last Elite event of the year and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it. We started with a whiskey pairing from Oak & Ivy. I will admit I am more of a mixed drink fan but it was very interesting to learn about whiskey, the process, and how to properly smell and taste it. I can’t lie, the best part of the whiskey sampling was cleansing the palate with the JinJu chocolates. I had heard and seen about JinJu from reviews and photos on IG but never tried them before. Not only are they beautiful but they taste amazing. This will be on my list of go to gift items going forward.
The second part of the event consisted of offerings from Perch. The beef Carpaccio salad was my favorite and I will be ordering that again next time I am there for lunch. The spicy shrimp pasta was also good. Honestly, i’m not sure there is a bad item on the Perch menu! The drinks at this table were more my speed. My favorite was the Boozy Eggnog Boilermaker — — props to Nate with assisting in the creation of that one!
Although Perch is on my lunchtime list being that I am downtown, Oak & Ivy was new to me, and although I may not be a huge whiskey fan I understand they have a nice variety of crafted cocktails and I look forward to visiting.
Thank you to Nate, Oak & Ivy, Perch and JinJu for an educational and tasty event!

I was lucky enough to attend my second YEE this year and this laid back version was awesome. It gave me a chance to talk to people much more than the last one.
Perch is a super cute restaurant that I will be heading back to, their brunch and happy hour offerings are fantastic.
The Beer Carpaccio was fantastic, some of the best I’ve had, loved that it was thin sliced.
The spicy shrimp pasta dish lacked the kick I was looking for but the rest of the dish was on point.
We moved onto whiskey tastings and lessons, which was fantastic and helped me understand why I like the whiskeys I do.
Great way to end the year!

The last Elite event of the year, and I would be lying to everyone if I didn’t tell you I left this event feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Partially from the Unilocal love, and our super involved CM Nate. But also the fellow Elite company, and the whiskey! How liquor went from harsh and strong, to tasting like crème brûlée, still excites me.
We all showed up VERY bundled up ready to freeze our butts off, however some strings were pulled and we got a couple of tables inside the Perch. One section was Oak & Ivy, and one section was The Perch. Regardless of which table you started at, you were greeted with alcohol.
I first started at The Perch table where we sampled beef carpaccio and spicy shrimp pasta. I am not a raw meat person, but I was one of the only people at the table with beef still left on their plate. Which tells me it was a good version of the dish. I of course tried it, and it was decent. But I don’t have anything to compare it to, so I am not a fair judgement of what was served. Now the pasta, I know what that is supposed to taste like and it sure hit the spot.
When the chef brought it out, he explained there was a little sriracha added to the cream sauce for spice. It was light, I personally could have taken more spice. However the overall flavor of the dish was excellent. I would order this in a heartbeat! I was also very impressed with the service of the staff at the Perch. They did great catering to us needy Unilocalers.
Next we did a switch. I am happy I got the table with the food first once I seen the whiskey that Oak & Ivy was pouring us. Oh man, this was not a simple tasting! These were nice 3 oz pours, oh and did I mention THREE OF THEM! We had an amazing mixologist who truly knew his stuff, and had a passion for liquor, how it was made, the flavor, and how to enjoy it. I could have listened to him talk for hours. I really loved how educated he was on the craft. I will personally be taking a trip to Oak and Ivy to pick his brain about Vodka. Yes, Oak & Ivy is a whiskey bar. But they have a full bar of their favorite liquors for people like me.
Overall, what a way to end the Unilocal Elite Year! I really look forward to more fun times like this with my fellow Unilocalers. Thanks to Unilocal,Nate, Oak & Ivy, The Perch, and everyone who attended this event!

Joining the choir here, I’ve not much to add aside from this was an exceptional first Elite event for me. Having moved to Vegas 4 months ago from NC, I’ve barely gotten out of my own neighborhood, let alone branched into new social circles or discovered the full range of restaurants and other businesses out here. In that vein, what a welcome this was!
Service was inviting and super courteous, the food attractive in its preparation, and the whole spread was diverse and flavorful. I RSVP’d for that awesome eggnog concoction and whiskey tasting, but everything impressed. In fact, even the Unilocal fingerless glove holiday gift has been worn on several occasions already, including when I work from home with the heat off to save on that electric bill so I can have a little extra play money. For. Just. One. More. ‘Nog.
And that whiskey tasting! I was blown away, no joke. Whiskey sour has been my go-​to drink for years when stouts aren’t on the menu. However, I never really knew what I was drinking. «Would you like this whiskey, or that whiskey, sir?» I don’t know, gimme what’s cheap! Like ordering «red wine,» but not distinguishing which type or from what vineyard. Ever had a muscadine red from NC? Having learned the hard way, it is not the same as European or even Californian reds.
How can one know the flavor comparisons without a legit tasting and an expert at the helm guiding you through? One cannot. Aces to Tater.
I left this event fat, happy, educated, and with new friendly connections. That’s a success. Thank you, Nate, for rounding out an excellent Unilocal year. Cheers

Sorry I’m so tardy on this review!
So I was kinda bummed that this would be an elites only event as I usually come with my husband and I feel kinda weird about going out by myself. However it turned out to be a great idea because I actually came out of my shell a little and met some new people!
Nate took care of us and moved the oak and ivy portion indoors to the perch so we didn’t have to stand in the 40 degree Vegas winter. I started out with the perch selections… the beef carpaccio was excellent and HUGE and the shrimp sriracha pasta was good… for shrimp pasta. The cocktails, on the other hand, were awesome. The gin drink was my usual herby refreshing drink that I always love. I would have never ordered an eggnog boilermaker, but it was also really good and I loved the inventive presentation!
On to the oak and ivy portion of the evening and Chris was awesome. He explained whiskey in general and got into some cool specifics on the ones we were tasting. Even was happy to help me find a good whiskey to surprise my husband.
Overall a fun event with fun people and great drinks. Thanks to everybody who put it on… planning to hit oak and ivy tonight!

Oh, it’s 40 some odd degrees outside? Oh, this event is outside? Hey hunnie, should we even go? Well, I guess we can go to see how it’s like. If it’s too cold, we can just leave.
When we braved the winds, the cold, and got to Container Park — it was breathtaking. for all that walking we did to get there or, you know, it was pretty. Container Park was decorated with Christmas lights and it was wonderful to walk through and see it all. We went straight to the Perch and to our surprise, the whole event was moved indoors. That was music to my ears!
Our first table was the whiskey table where we got to try three different types of American whiskey, learn about them, the differences, and then stuffed our faces with some chocolates from Jinju. Now, I’m not a whiskey drinker so I can’t say that I LOVED it a lot but I do appreciate learning about them, which is why I wanted to come in the first place. We got to try a sweet, spicy, and bitter whiskey. The chocolates from Jinju was definitely our saving grace from the bitterness we taste from the whiskey.
Then afterwards, we got to switch tables! Swappity swap! We got to experience the food table! Here, we got to try two drinks and two dishes from the Perch. We had a cranberry-​gin-​rosemary concoction as our first drink and it was light and refreshing compared to the whiskey. We got to try their beef carpaccio, which was very nice. I liked the arugula and the balsamic but the balsamic was a little on the heavy side — it made it hard to be able to taste the beef for what it is. The second drink we got to try was a bourbon eggnog. It was very yummy but a little too strong for my taste buds and it was the first time I had any form of eggnog! The second dish we got to try was their spicy shrimp pasta. The pasta was well put together but the seasoning is a little off. It was almost bland to my taste buds.
We got treated to some Unilocal swag! Fingerless gloves and a candy cane for the holidays! The gloves are perfect for winter and with it being fingerless, you can still text on your phone HAHA!
Thanks to Nate, Christ from Oak and Ivy for the Whiskey 101, and definitely thanks to everyone at the Perch for letting us do the event indoors, not to mention the food and drinks! Perfecto ending to 2015! We shall meet again in 2016! Happy Holidays!

Event went on without a hitch, but thank Unilocal we were inside the whole time! It was really cold and a little too breezy outside and part of the event was meant to be on the rooftop of Oak and Ivy but thankfully Nate kept us in the warmth of Perch. Both our Oak and Ivy rep Chris and the servers at Perch did a fantastic job keeping us busy tasting whiskey, food, and cocktails.
Now I’m not a whiskey lover or anything so I can’t really judge the whiskeys but I tried my best to really savor the experience — that being said, the surprise chocolates from Jinju really saved my taste buds as personally I just found the alcohol so strong and bitter even though I was trying a corn heavy whiskey. Still, I learned more than I ever had about how to enjoy and taste whiskey/​scotch/​bourbon than I ever have before so now I’ll know for when I try it elsewhere.
As for the food, I enjoyed the carpaccio but I did feel like there was a bit too much balsamic on it which covered up the taste of the beef. The shrimp pasta was also reasonably tasty but lacked salt on a significant level. Whether or not this is because of a bit of mass production or not, I still enjoyed the flavors they were trying to put forth. As for the cocktails, I thought both were excellent and very enjoyable with uniqueness in both of them.
We got a bit of Unilocal swag, including a cool little set of finger-​less gloves, one of the few articles I still hadn’t received up to that point.
Thanks to Nate, as he did a great job organizing this event as juggling between two different tables was easier than expected. I got to catch up a bit with other Unilocalers and a number of us jumped over to Oak and Ivy after and got to see some apple get torched in a drink.

With very cold temps this evening, I was a bit nervous at first to head outside to Container Park for this event but Unilocal came through!
We all met at Perch and were able to partake in the planned arrangements indoors thankfully!
The bartender from Oak and Ivy greeted us at the first table to go over our Whiskey/​Bourbon tasting we had planned! I enjoyed learning all about the various types of whiskey and how and why each had a different taste — I hadn’t thought about the chemical makeup of the alcohol because I stray from hard liquor but learning helped a ton! Chris was very knowledgeable and good at teaching us! The pairings with dark chocolates from JinJu were perfect! They added a sweet kick in between tastings and brought out the flavors even more!
At the Perch offerings table, I was floored by the tender love and care taken with the rosemary and cranberry mixed drink, beef carpaccio, shrimp pasta, and ‘egg nog bomb’ we were able to try! The head chef came to the table to talk about the offerings and the staff was very welcoming to have us in their restaurant!
I’ve Loved Oak and Ivy since before this visit so we’ll definitely be back there, but I was happy to try Perch so that we can make it back to sample more of their menu especially brunch!
Thank you Nate and the Unilocal crew for our last event of 2015 — Cheers to what 2016 will bring us in the Vegas Valley with Unilocal

Once upon a time, on a cold winter’s night…
The Downtown Container Park looked like a ghost town, not a single soul in sight…
We all gathered inside The Perch, not knowing what to expect, but when things got underway, this Unilocal Elite Event was in full effect!
Chris Gutierrez from Oak and Ivy got things started with a trio of American whiskey, giving us the 411 on each bottle from smelling, tasting, swirling, savoring, and the how, why, and where to each of them. We also had fun trying to pair chocolates from Jinju Chocolates with each sip. We were definitely warmed up after a few sips!
Swapping tables with a bunch of Diamonds, the next table featured drinks and bites from The Perch. A drink with no name containing St. Germain, Cranberry, and Egg Whites got things started along with a delicious Beef Carpaccio with Micro Arugula and Balsamic Reduction. Team Perch followed up with some Penne Pasta and Shrimp in a Sriracha Cream Sauce and our finale was a holiday rendition of an Irish Car Bomb, but with an Eggnog-​ish concoction and bourbon in an egg shell!
We sipped, savored, and socialized until the end… BIG MAHALOS to Nate, Tiffany, Patrick, Chris from Oak and Ivy, and Team Perch for a perfect end to Unilocal Las Vegas 2015! ALOHA!!!
Shaka Meter: \uuu/​\uuu/​\uuu/​\uuu/​\uuu/​5

I’m not joking when I say I crossed my fingers and toes to get into this event! Not only was it the last YEE of 2015, but it was with one of my absolute favorite bars — Oak & Ivy (I can’t believe I haven’t written a review for them yet, hold tight it’s coming!)
Nate emailed all of the attendees the afternoon of the event warning us that it was going to be COLD… yet I don’t think a single Elite elected not to show — we have some touch cookies for Unilocalers! In the end the entire event was held indoors, which was a fabulous surprise!
We started the evening off being separated into two parties — one began with whiskey tasting from Oak & Ivy, while the other began with drinks and eats from Perch. I couldn’t have been happier with who I was paired with, as I knew almost everyone at my table — although I did feel a bit bad about not getting much of a chance to meet new Elites.
Not even 40 degree weather could hold me back from my whiskey! The night was a real treat! We had a flight of 3 different American made whiskeys: 1^st — Buffalo Trace, then Redemption, and finally Bullet Rye. It was simply amazing to learn the history of whiskey making and the differences between US whisky and other countries. For example, did you know that in the USA you are only allowed to use a barrel one time? Most other countries buy our barrels after we’ve used them… which is why import scotch is actually lighter in color than American Whiskey, even though it may be aged longer. Chris the head bartender at Oak & Ivy did an excellent job of describing the tasting notes and explaining the best way to experience whiskey. I was in love from start to finish, and was shaming those that didn’t finish drinking their flights.
Next my group moved to the tasting table for Perch, and it was not a disappointment! I have frequented Oak & Ivy, but had no idea that Perch was a sister company with the same owners, and also didn’t know they served alcohol! I was absolutely in for a treat! The beef carpaccio was amazing on it’s own with balsamic vinegar and arugula. I will be back for that dish alone! And the pasta dish was also amazing, although my portion was a bit cold by the time I ate it. I won’t hold that against them though, I still devoured it and the shrimp was wonderful! As for the cocktails, I didn’t think I would like the Unnamed drink — gin, cranberry juice, egg whites and rosemary, because I’m not typically a fan of gin — but the rosemary took over my senses and I was in heaven! The Egg Nog drink was a real trip — never in a million years did I think I’d shoot anything from an egg shell, but after one it left me wanting more! What a fun and unique experience! I wish both drinks were on their menu so I could come back and try them again!
The service was excellent, and the company was fabulous. As with most Elite events, I cannot give any less than 5 stars! Nate, thank you! You are going out of 2015 with a bang! And a special thanks to Oak & Ivy as well as Perch — you were amazing hosts! xoxo #ThisIsWhyIYelp

This was a nice, low key event to close out the year. It succeeded in getting me back to Downtown Container Park – somewhere I hadn’t visited in a very long time. It also succeeded in introducing me to a couple of neat businesses I never knew existed.
I use the term «neat» not by coincidence. I enjoyed sampling the three whiskeys in official neat tasting glasses. The exaggerated tulip shape of the glass is perfect for enhancing the aromas of the whiskey while suppressing the alcohol burn. It definitely allowed me to appreciate the bouquet, to borrow a wine term, but I’m not sure the shape is ideal for actual drinking. (That doesn’t mean I’m not buying a couple stat).
In any case, the head-​bartender-​mixologist-​whiskey-​aficionado dude (forgot his name) was a fantastic guide. His passion for American whiskey was evident and I am definitely coming back soon to check out Oak & Ivy. Due to the cold weather, the entirety of the event actually took place inside The Perch and that was our group’s second «stop.» By the way, apologies to the other group that we ate all of the JinJu Chocolates. We had no idea there weren’t more. In case you were wondering though, they were delicious.
Even though The Perch only served a couple of small dishes (Beef Carpaccio and Shrimp Scampi), I was completely satisfied. Along with the two unnamed cocktails to go along with the food, it was a tasty preview of what they have to offer.
Thanks to Nate for a fun event to close out the 2015 Elite calendar. Thanks to Oak & Ivy, The Perch, and JinJu Chocolates for the hospitality.

Another great ending to the year. Nathen busted out another awesome event.
So first, hats off to The Perch and Oak & Ivy. It was colder than the dickens and they accommodated the groups nicely by actually having us indoors. That was really helpful considering the Las Vegas Christmas winds. brr…
Our group was set up with The Perch offerings first. My pictures should speak for themselves, but there were two plates and two cocktails. The beef carpaccio was delicious as was the shrimp pasta. The cocktails were great… the first was a cranberry gin, which as a gin person I thought that it was a little light on the gin side, but very refreshing. A good starter. The other cocktail was an eggnog drink as a seasonal which is rumchatta, bourbon and heavy cream. RIDICULOUS. This is an off menu item, but wow. Crazy good. They need to think about adding that to the drink menu.
The whiskey tasting was interesting to say the least. Having gone through wine tasting before, I was expecting to spit, but… why when it was only a little bit?
We tasted Buffalo Trace, Redemption and Bulleit which went from bourbon to a rye based. Very educational and the guys at Oak & Ivy really know their stuff. Taught you how to try smell the different aromas and how they interacted. Very fun.
In usual fashion, we did an after-​party for YEE at Oak & Ivy. Saw old friends, met some new, and all and all was a great way to close out the year! 2016 Unilocal Elite here we come!

Ah, the last YEE of the year.
A bittersweet evening!
I haven’t been to many events this year, for lots of reasons, but this one was definitely a highlight, and a great way to close out the year!
I’d never been to the Container park, other than right out front before Alibi over the summer, so I was REALLY excited to try out The Perch and Oak & Ivy. We were supposed to switch locations with our groups, but since it was RIDICULOUSLY cold outside, we stayed inside the Toasty warm Perch, and just switched tables. Way to look out for us guys!
I was in the «diamonds» group, so I started with The Perch offerings first.
We sampled a delightful gin cocktail: Cranberry Juice, St. Germaine, Gin, and apparently a touch of egg white to make it nice and frothy, garnished with rosemary. I’m not a gin drinker, but I could have had these all night! Really tasty.
After this drink, we tried the Beef Carpaccio, which was really beautifully plated: Thinly sliced raw beef, with shaved parmigiano, and a balsamic glaze over micro arugula.
I’m a big fan of Carpaccio anyway. I didn’t want to start eating it at first, because it was too pretty. I’m glad I dove in though, because it was really delicious.
Next, we tried the Spicy Shrimp Pasta (which I think I mislabled on Instagram last night. OOOPS! I’ll have to fix that.) Shrimp cooked to perfection, served with an aldente pasta and cherry tomatoes in a Sriracha cream sauce: THIS was delightful. I’d go back just for this dish. In fact, I can’t wait to take my husband to The Perch to try out the regular sized portion!!!
After the delicious food, we were given another cocktail: An Eggnog Boilermaker type drink… I was a little wary about this one, but after having one… I’ll take a dozen!
Basically, this was Rumchata (YUM) and heavy cream with an eggshell in the drink with a shot of bourbon inside the eggshell. You pushed the egg down into the drink to mix, and then had the option to either sip or «chug» through the straw. I, of course, chugged. What a tasty little drink! I’d definitely enjoy another one of these, any day of the week.
After The Perch’s offerings, we switched tables for the pièce de résistance: The Whiskey tasting.
I love me some good whiskey. Although I’m more of a fan of Scottish Whiskey (Scotch), I do enjoy a good American Whiskey from time to time, and its been a long while since I’ve had a good one.
Chris, or Tater, from Oak & Ivy, really knows his stuff. He gave us a rundown of what makes Whiskey Whiskey, and the differences between bourbon and rye. He showed us the proper way to sip (and «the chew» which I was familiar with from my Scotch drinking)…My favorite was the super spicy rye.
All in all, it was a great night.
There was a good mix of old faces, and new. I loved having the chance to chat with so many great people.
Thanks to The Perch, Oak & Ivy, and Nate for a stellar end to 2015. *raises glass of Rye* May next year bring even more adventures!!!

Great food. Lots of whisky. Tons of chocolates. Great company. Nice comfy area for mingling.
This Unilocal event was tons of fun for me. Being from out of town. I got to mingle with lots of great people ive been friends with on Unilocal but never really chatted with.
Nate warned me beforehand that it was going to be cold and to dress warmly. But being from canada. 43 degrees is still nice weather. Hey we have snow people!!! So i may have looked crazy in my dress but honestly i was warm and toasty all night. And im sure that whisky really helped. Im glad nate moved the oak and ivy portion indoors at last minute bc that would of made mingling harder when you are trying to stay warm. So bonus star!!!
I was seated at the hearts table and was welcomed with glasses of whisky and four chocolate boxes of jinju chocolates. That was definitly self control not touching those chocolates for a good 20 min. Lol. After a short tutorial on whisky we sampled 3 glasses of whisky. I loved how he throughly explained the proper technique for whisky tasting and provided spitting glasses for weak drunks like me. This allowed me to throughly enjoy the taste and smells of the whisky without getting drunk. The jinju chocolates were the perfect palate cleanser inbetween sips. Personally i loved the specialty flavoured chocolates but every single piece was delicious, creamy and rich. No bitterness even with the dark chocolates. Every single piece did not disappoint.
Next we quickly switched tables for the food and cocktail portions. We started with a unnamed drink topped with egg foam. These types of drinks are all the rage where im from with the hipster cocktail bars. This was a creamy rich start to the meal. I enjoyed it.
We were then served individual plates of beef carpacio. I was surprised at how tasty the beef was. It was soft and tender and not at all chewy. It was fresh. I live in beef province with the best beef in canada. And american beef is almost inedible for me like 80% of the time. But this dish was great and i felt the portion was very satisfying as well.
We were then given individual portions of shrimp pasta. It was creamy and cheesy and very good. I liked how much they emphasized fresh vegtables in this dish. Every bite i had, had bits of tomatoes or peppers in them that kept the dish fresh and light.
The bourbon egg nog was a perfect drink to welcome the christmas season but end the last Unilocal elite event in las vegas. Smooth. Creamy and rich. It was delicious. Just like a dessert would be after a great meal. Every dish was spot on. And i did not feel disappointed at all.
I have to mention that service was top notch and the venue was awesome. I never even heard of container park but it was fun to see all the local stores. And take some nice photos before the event. The Perch venue was classic and effortlessly handled our large group with fast speedy service. It was a great chance to mingle. and i really had a lot of fun and made some new Unilocal friends.
We also left with a nice bag of Unilocal swag like some gloves and a 20% off coupon to jinyu chocolates.
Kudos to nate for being an awesome manager and for making this all happen! You are an awesome party planner!!! I really look forward to coming to the events he plans again! They are all so awesome! He definetly ended the year with a bang!

This Yee marked the last for 2015, and went really well.
It was nice and small which makes for a good social intimate setting between the two table set ups (one for whisky tasting, one for small dishes). I feel that I got to talk and meet a lot more of the other elites at this event because of it which was really nice.
The whisky tasting was pretty interesting, it was really refreshing to get a bit of a crash course education on what we were drinking. I’m glad I got to walk away learning something new although I’m not much of a whisky connoisseur myself.
The drinks:
Corn derived whisky (had a more sweet aroma) I tried to sip but it had a little bit of a harshness going down, and this was the lighter of the 3.
Corn and Rye whisky (had a bit of a pepper corn taste)
Rye whisky (this had more of a potent strong pepper or as I would describe fire taste to me haha)
The food:
Ny beef carpaccio– my favorite dish! It usually brings out the true Italian side of me. The pepper corn was a little strong in the dish, and I wasn’t too much into the balsamic glaze, but it was still really good. Probably the best dish of the night in my opinion.
Spicy shrimp pasta– I liked the shrimp in this dish but I sort of wish the cream sauce was a little bit more bold on the flavors. The cherry tomatoes in it were good though and I liked the slight heat from the sriracha in the sauce.
Thanks again Nate and everyone for organizing a really fun and chill event! It was awesome getting to be around the Unilocal family again.

My first YEE was awesome! I love how intimate of a setting we were in with two groups of about 12 each it really gave the opportunity to get to know others.
First group was small plates and a few delicious drinks. The first drink was amazing, probably my favorite thing all night! It was a gin/​fizz/​egg white/​rosemary cocktail — I know that doesn’t sound like a great combo but it truly was tasty and refreshing. The first course was a beef capraccio which consisted of arugula, balsamic glaze and a raw meat — not my cup of tea but it wasn’t bad. The second dish was a spicy shrimp pasta — also not my cup of tea but i enjoyed it more than expected. The dessert drink was a cinnamon eggnog concoction that was outstanding.
Group two was more of an educational experience where we got to learn about whiskey and how it’s made and the different types of whiskey as well as tasting a few. This was something that I would have never pictured myself doing but it was fun.
Afterwards I stopped by Oak & Ivy with a few others for drinks which was a perfect end to the the night.
It was great to meet everyone, looking forward to the next event!

It was 43 degrees when we descended upon the Container Park– luckily, there was a whiskey tasting on the agenda, which helped warm us up and educate us at the same time! Friendly staff welcomed us and hooked us up with food and drinks, the nameless cranberry-​gin-​rosemary-​St. Germain concoction being my favorite. The beef carpaccio was almost too beautifully plated to eat, but it disappeared across the table in record time. I’m definitely planning to swing by again for brunch or happy hour.
The whiskey portion of the event allowed attendees to hear the history and differences between whiskey, bourbon, and scotch. It was cool to progressively challenge our palates with spicier sips (Bullet) and then return to the original (Buffalo Trace), finding it sweeter and more pleasingly aromatic. Tater was a knowledgeable teacher, and great about putting alcohol terminology into basic terms and making comparisons we could understand. I am only bummed that we were unable to meet in the Oak & Ivy proper, which remains a dark mystery– but the relocation was necessitated by the cold, and much appreciated by the desert rats.
But we all know the people are what make the event! From Tater to Chef Marvin, the various bartenders and serving staff, and our own Nate M., everyone involved with event organization was pleasant and personable. Unilocalers present included a mix of familiar faces (Lisa, Niyen, Mr & Mrs Q), some new Elites (Kevin!), a new Vegas transplant (Sarah S!), and even a Canadian Elite popping in while on vacation. Many thanks to all for making it warm and cozy in our shipping container café despite the winter weather!

This was my first YEE which happens to end up being the last YEE of the year (2015). This was a very cool and exciting event to attend. The even was held at The Perch and because it was pretty chilly outside our cool CM had a good idea on having the switch off event be held in one location instead of going back outside. This worked out great, The Perch had plenty of room to pull it off perfectly.
We had some very tasty treats to go with the tasty beverages that were served. We had a dish called the Beef Carpaccio. It had thin sliced raw beef with shaved Parmigiano-​Reggiano w/​Balsamic Glaze, served with Arugula. This was very good and with the shaved raw beef outlining the sides of the plate, it made for a delicious snack. The other tasty treat we had was called the Spicy Shrimp Pasta. It had Sautéed Shrimp, tomatoes, Arugula in a Sriracha Cream Sauce. This was my favorite treat, it had me wanting to take leftovers for home to have the next day… yes it was that Good!
For the beverages we had the Cranberry Gin Smash w/​Rosemary. This was very good and tasty, I’m somewhat of a Gin fan so it made for a delicious drink with the Rosemary and Cranberry added, I drank mine down pretty quick. The other beverage we had was a boozy Eggnog Boilermaker. It was pretty creative with have an egg shell in the middle of the glass surrounding with Eggnog juiciness. It was cool because you had to slightly push down, with your straw, on the middle of the half egg shell to get the mixture mixed in to make it a delicious delight of a drink.
And lastly we had the very so awesome American Whiskey Tasting 101. We sampled 3 different American Whiskey’s that we very good! Unfortunately I cannot recall the names at the moment but the Whiskey Expert guy was super knowledgeable on his Whiskey’s and taught us how to taste, smell, and take our taste buds on a ride on the Whiskey Express of Goodness. By the end of the night I had a new found respect for American Whiskey and all the hard work that is put into making it, it made out to be an exciting experience.