We’ve honestly lost track of how many years we’ve covered the Bar & Restaurant Expo in Las Vegas since I was first introduced to the event by our contributing editor, Michael Perlis.
When we were consulting for bars/restaurants/wineries, I attended the classes at the expo to share what I learned with my clients and write about for our website. When we retired to Las Vegas, Eddie and I started attending the show just to see the latest drinks and gadgets, sharing what we learned on social media and the website.
Though we didn’t attend the Keynote Sessions this is what was offered at the 2026 expo: Mike Cessario, Founder and CEO, Liquid Death; and Roy Choi, Chef, Author and Co-Founder, Kogi Truck. And the expo floor itself is always buzzing with people from all over the U.S. that want to learn and discover. There are back of the house (kitchen) and front of the house (dining) solutions from point of sale solutions (POS machines that servers can use to collect receipts at the table) to swizzle sticks, management training, menus, dehydrated fruit wheels, non-alcohol drinks, low ABV drinks, canned cocktails, spices, foods, breads, and fruit purees. There is both food and drink offered in the Japanese section, cocktails at The Bar in the center of the floor, and an area just for teas.
Below I’m sharing my social media from the days we covered, with shout-outs to the brands we enjoyed most and how to find them on Instagram. Below that is information on what I’ll be covering next.
Opening Night Party
What have we discovered so far at the 2026 Bar and Restaurant Expo? After checking in and getting our badges, this is what we enjoyed at the opening night party at the Ayu Day Club in Resorts World: Cocktails made with Ole Smokey Moonshine in both Blackberry and Salty Caramel flavors, Noche Vida Tequila, Losophe Margarita and Mojito bottled organic cocktails, Cava de Oro Tequila and their Adictivo Whiskey distilled from corn and aged in tequila barrels, and Icy Island canned cocktails from Smirnoff Ice! Can’t wait to see what day one on the Expo floor will show off today! Join us!
#BarAndRestaurantExpo #BarShow #RestaurantShow #EmergingBrands #EveWine101 @OleSmokyDistillery @AyuDayclub @ResortsWorldLasVegas @NocheVidaTequila @Losophe @CavaDeOro @AdictivoWhiskey @SmirnoffUSA @barandrestaurantexpo
Day One of Expo and Second VIP Party:
This was “the milestone 40th Year of the Bar & Restaurant Expo, produced by Questex Hospitality Group” and I was thrilled to cover it! Going backwards from the parties at RedTail by ZOUK and FUHU at Resorts World where, yes, I was on the Crown Royal throne gazing up at my king – lol! Then back to our day at the expo where I added AI to the “Most Interesting Man in the World” with Dos Equis; a wide range of great tasting RTD cocktails; my fave table was filled with whiskies from Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp by the World Whiskey Society; Proof Artisan Distillers gin and whiskies; the Wismettac table with Sake and whisky; El Dorado aged rum; cocktails from “The Bar”; and the new Mesquite Smoked Malt from Bulleit Bourbon! Read the full coverage April 17 on Eve’s Wine 101!
#BarAndRestaurantExpo #BarShow #Expo #LasVegas #WorldWhiskeySociety @DosEquis @WorldWhiskeySociety @ProofArtisanDistillers @WismettacAsianFoods @ElDoradoRums @BulleittBourbonWhiskey @FuhuLV @RedtailLV @BarAndRestaurantExpo
On day two of the expo, I connected with brands that were agreeable for me to do full reviews on some of their bottles. In the next few weeks, once I’m done reviewing bottles from the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America convention, look for articles on:
The Deacon, a blended scotch whisky from Islay and Speyside, so there’s a bit of distinctive peat. Distributed by Sovereign Brands.
@DeaconWhisky on Instagram
From Wismettac Asian Foods I will be reviewing a Junmai Daiginjo (very finely milled rice) Sake, a strawberry-flavored Nigiri (unfiltered) Sake and a rice wine with natural Yuzu juice (lemon-orange fruit) flavors.
@WismettacAsianFoods on Instagram
https://www.facebook.com/wismettacsake
The new Ole Smoky Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey that’s barrel aged for four years, and one of their popular flavored whiskies: Salted Caramel.
@OleSmoky on Instagram
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards since 2022 (submit via https://proofawards.com) Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits. Follow on Instagram and Facebook.
