Award-winning mixologist Mariena Mercer (whom we first met when she was the “Tequilla Goddess” at TI’s restaurant Isla) is famed for creating the “Verbena” cocktail at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas’ Chandelier Bar. Word of mouth has propelled the drink to over $10M in sales, despite it’s never actually appearing on a cocktail menu. The Verbena’s secret ingredient is its “buzz button” – a Sichuan flower bud that creates a tingling sensation in the mouth.
Mercer has taken that same ingredient to create a colorful product she calls Electricdust. Bar professionals and consumer fans alike have used it both in drinks and as a garnish/decoration, and even (in the case of LA’s Village Bakery and Cafe) used it in cookies.
We love the product because it’s unique, just like its creator, and because it’s produced by a local Las Vegas female-owned business. If you’d like to give it a try, she sells it both by the packet and as a deluxe sampler kit which we think is perfect for gift-giving, obvi. Click here to check it out.