Nathan Grates on Building Sand Dollar & La Casa De Juliette | Pouring Stories Ep.18

🎙 Pouring Stories Ep.18 - Giambrone sits down with Nathan Grates, co-owner of The Sand Dollar LV, Sand Dollar Downtown, and La Casa De Juliette, to talk about the grind behind building three of Las Vegas’ most respected cocktail and live-music destinations.

From brutal late nights as a beverage manager to wild college bar shifts, Nate opens up about the real costs of success: Physical, emotional, and financial. We dive deep into cocktail competitions, sobriety in the industry, Las Vegas dram shop laws, and why authenticity beats hype every time. If you care about Las Vegas bars, cocktail culture, or the business of hospitality, this episode is pure gold.

💡 Why Watch / Listen
✔ Inside story of The Sand Dollar Las Vegas-from concept to cult status
✔ Brutally honest look at the hospitality industry: burnout, sobriety, and creative passion
✔ Cocktail nerd talk: Trinidad Sour, additive-free spirits, and Martingale Cognac
✔ Lessons on entrepreneurship, partnership, and staying authentic in a world of influencers

⏰ Chapters & Key Moments
00:00 Intro Teaser
01:04 Ole Bison Bourbon - Tasting room with Jeremy Wilkinson
02:30 Building a foundation
04:19 Beverage Manager Hell - “It Destroyed Me Physically & Emotionally”
07:55 First moments bartending - “Is this legal?”
11:26 Enthusiasm for bartending
12:18 Cocktail Competitions (Presentation)
14:18 Cocktail Competitions (Scoring bias)
15:45 Over-drinking & Sobriety in the beverage industry
18:35 D.U.I., Taking their Keys, & Dram Shop Laws in Las Vegas
22:45 Davey’s Locker
24:40 Bartending a College Bar - “I overserved everybody”
27:20 Media Dinners!
29:46 Concierge
31:31 Trinidad Sour - What did G do wrong?
35:00 G realizes his mistake!
37:00 Additive Free in the news!
42:55 Ghost Busters
44:10 Corrected Trinidad Sour (after 2 bottles of ango)
45:54 La Casa De Juliette
50:00 No Smoking at The Dollar!
52:25 Girls love the most horrific content - Last Podcast on The Left
55:10 Nate & Jamison - Origins of true partnership
1:08:00 Born to work - It’s how you’re raised
1:14:00 10 Years of The Sand Dollar (Cancelled Comp?!)
1:26:00 Additive vs. Additive Free
1:28:10 Martingale Cognac
1:31:00 Guillaume Vallet - Louis XIII
1:32:00 “Certain cultures are notoriously poor at making beer”
1:33:50 Vegas Brewers
1:37:00 People who talk but never do
1:38:30 Bringing authenticity to content creation

🍹 Featured Drink – Trinidad Sour
The Giuseppe Gonzalez recipe:

1.50 oz Angostura Aromatic Bitters

1.00 oz Orgeat

0.75 oz Lemon Juice

0.50 oz Rye Whiskey

Shake with ice, double strain into a Nick & Nora, garnish with a lemon peel.

🎧 Pouring Stories
Hosted & produced by Michael Giambrone & Kyler Fleming
Executive Editor: Kyler Fleming

Follow for more conversations with bartenders, spirits pros, and the people shaping cocktail culture.

For more info on Nate's venues click the links below.
https://lacasadejuliette.com/
https://thesanddollarlv.com/