Get to know your favorite residents, artists, athletes, and comedians when they Check In at Wynn Las Vegas.
Host Valerie Lee checks in with Mariena Mercer Boarini, Wynn Resorts Master Mixologist – North America, who shares the magic behind the cocktails found throughout Wynn Las Vegas.
“I always say magic is everywhere you look for it. That’s my mantra in life. If you're always looking for magic, you're always finding it. I like to [use magic] in these different, interesting ways, and hope people discover it,” says Mariena Mercer Boarini.
As part of her role at Wynn, she oversees the beverage program and more than 30 different menus. Additionally, Mercer Boarini leads the beverage program at Encore Boston Harbor and supports all future developments in North America.
“I've always been a very curious person. I was a curious kid, I'm a curious adult. I'm always looking to make something unique or novel and very different,” she says.
Born and raised in Las Vegas, Mercer Boarini is so Vegas that she was named after a bygone casino, the Marina.
“I have two baby boys that are third generation. I've chosen to raise my family here. I love Las Vegas,” she says. “There are places like Wynn and Encore with amazing restaurants and a spa, and all the creature comforts. But then there are beautiful mountains like Red Rock where my husband and I got married. It's just a great place to live and to raise a family.”
During the pandemic shutdown, Mercer Boarini came up with her greatest invention yet, Electric Dust, a beverage accessory that is used to enliven cocktails.
“[Electric Dust is made of a] flower called a buzz button, a natural alkaloid that speeds up your salivary glands and turns you into a super-taster,” she explains, noting that being a super-taster is a real thing. "It’s a person that has more densely packed taste buds than others so they taste at a higher intensity."
Give Electric Dust a lick and your tongue starts tingling as you discover amazing flavors.
“I realized that no one was using this ingredient in any other way than fresh, so I created a process to make it shelf stable. Then, my husband and I wrote a patent on it, so we're patent pending. From there, I kept creating different products and having special clients like theme parks and others that I do interesting and fun things for. It's nice to have that part of my creativity as well.”
In addition to Electric Dust, Mercer Boarini has a line of edible perfumes. “They complement the cocktails at Overlook Lounge. Each one of the cocktails has a spritz," she says. "They're all named after glamorous locations. I have one called Milan, when I was doing that, I thought, 'What does Fashion Week smell like?' 'What does a supermodel smell like?' I was thinking maybe beautiful hair products and perfume, so lots of florals, rose, jasmine, vanilla, and maybe a cheeky cigarette, so I finished off with some smoke."
By creating flavor through aroma, Mercer Boarini offers an extremely unique experience with every sip of her drinks.
Mercer Boarini shows Lee how to make the Monaco from Aft Cocktail Deck.
“Aft Cocktail Deck is a bar on the Lake of Dreams. It's truly magical. It is inspired by a luxury yacht. It's very experiential," she says.
The Monaco is a play on a spritz with lemon and basil vodka and elderflower liqueur. It is then garnished with Electric Dust.
Mercer Boarini also includes another special ingredient: butterfly pea flower. "It's a flower from Thailand that has a very low pH balance. Whenever it hits anything acidic, it does this really beautiful color change," she says. "I love art. I think cocktails should be art.”
Mercer Boarini finishes off the Monaco with a seaside perfume. "It is inspired by all of the elements when I go on vacation to the ocean — the aromas of the sea," she says.
TRY MARIENA'S COCKTAILS AT THE BARS AND LOUNGES THROUGHOUT WYNN AND ENCORE.