Las Vegas Resort Offers Exclusive Cigar Lounge

Heads up, cigar aficionados! Las Vegas’s only cigar lounge connected to a Strip resort restaurant is located on the second floor of Andre’s Restaurant & Lounge at Monte Carlo Resort and Casino. With a collection of more than 140 Cognacs, Armagnacs and Scotches, as well as premium cigar varieties, the collection is the largest of its kind in Las Vegas and is ranked third in North America based on its sheer size.

Among the cigars, the Lounge’s most popular seller is the Montecristo No. 2. Another popular cigar is the Padron 80th anniversary 1926 Perfecto. Hand-rolled treasures also include Fuente OpusX and Ashton VSG.

As for the Cognac, Armagnac and scotch collection, most are available by the half pour, glass or bottle, with some dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The highlight of the collection is Chef Andre’s series of vintage Cognacs from the Jacques Hardy Private Reserves. (In fact, Chef André’s cognac collection contains the largest selection of Hardy Cognac outside the family’s collection.) The series includes the Jacques Hardy Cognac, Private Reserve, Vintage 1777 priced at $35,000 per bottle. (Good to know: We hear that this is one of four bottles left in the world.) André’s collection also offers three full sets of the Erté Courvoisier Cognac Collection – each consisting of eight bottles (not just the more easily attainable seven).

(A little-known fact: The Courvoisier Cognac company commissioned famous Russian-born artist Erté to complete one-of-a-kind work for eight Cognac collectibles. The first Courvoisier bottle, intended for release in 1988, however, was denied distribution by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms because Erté’s Art Deco imagery depicted a naked woman. Courvoisier released the remaining seven in the collection, each with 12,000 in distribution. They were finally able to release the first “trouble maker” as their eighth bottle in 1994, but did so as a very limited release of just 4,000 bottles. Just a few hundred Cognac collections in the world possess the entire eight-bottle Erté set.)

Best of all, Andre’s Cognac Specialist Patrick Trundle is available to pair cigar choices with the Cognac, Armagnac and single-malt scotch/scotch whiskey selections.

The lounge can seat up to 36 guests—great for a bachelor party, we say. And for non-smokers in the party, the lounge has a high-tech ventilation system that keeps the air clear. In addition to the lounge, the second floor of Andre’s has additional private dining salons and a semi-private wine room.

Top tip: The Lounge is also home to the popular Whisk(e)y Wednesday event series, which showcases one flight of five selected whiskeys, changing monthly. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and runs until closing.