Gary Zbilski Makes a Mean Scorpion
Gary Zbilski has stories to tell.
Like the one where a loyal customer…who wishes to remain anonymous but whose initials are Ed Lobus…put a live goldfish from the flaming firepool (where he had dumped them days earlier) and surreptitiously slipped one into his boss’ scotch and water.
Lots of things like that happen at the Fireside Lounge at the Peppermill….although to read about more of them, you’ll have to wait for ELV to finish (and publish) his article about the place in VEGAS magazine.
In the meantime, you should plan on hitting the flaming firepool pit for one of his classic Scorpions this year, as the Peppermill is celebrating its 40 anniversary on the Las Vegas Strip.
The drink is a modest affair — containing as it does fresh squeezed juice, 2 shots of cherry brandy, 2 shots of vodka and 2 shots of dark rum — guaranteed to warm you up as quickly as the cozy booths surrounding the fire.
You might find yourselves standing up to drink one, however, as those two foot straws can be troublesome.
Back in the 80s, when ELV discovered this place, the straws were a lot shorter….and were being used in the back booths for all kinds of things.
Lucky for all of us, both ELV and the Peppermill survived.
PEPPERMILL COFFEE SHOP AND FIRESIDE LOUNGE
2985 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702.735.4177
Restaurant reviews, quips, picks and pans-with some seriously salivating history-from the man who eats his way through Sin City every day.
January 18th, 2012 at 3:10 pm
On my very first trip to Vegas, The Fireside Lounge was the first place I wanted to visit. I got one of those famous Scorpions and sat down to drink it. A couple of drunk locals took one look at me and said “You must be from Texas.” I asked them how they knew…..they said it was because of the big straws.