Daniel Parlin — RyeCentral Lab Mixologist
Daniel “Danny” Parlin
Las Vegas, Nevada
Twenty years behind the bar in Las Vegas and the founder of Vegas Shakers, a mobile bar company — building every drink around the guest in front of him, not the recipe in his head.
Available for
Danny's Approach Behind the Stick
After more than twenty years behind the bar, Danny builds drinks around the guest in front of him rather than the recipe in his head. His order of operations is fixed — balance first, then flavor, then showmanship — and so is the standard. Whether he’s making one drink or running a bar program for hundreds of people at a Vegas Shakers event, it doesn’t change.
The working toolkit is broad — shaken, stirred, built, smoked, batched and low-ABV — but the test he applies to all of it is simple. Every ingredient should have a job, none of them should be shouting over the rest, and the drink should be approachable on the first sip and interesting on the last one.
How Danny Found Rye
Danny came to rye the way a lot of bartenders do: through a Manhattan. He reached for Rittenhouse, stirred it with sweet vermouth and bitters, and “that peppery edge made the whole drink snap into focus.” From there rye turned up in more of his drinks — a classic Sazerac, a whiskey sour — and showed him how well it handles both spirit-forward and citrus work. “Bourbon may be the easy introduction,” he says, “but rye is the bottle that keeps me curious.”
His favorite bottle is Pikesville Rye: “a confident 110-proof backbone,” with the spice, oak and touch of sweetness kept in balance, and enough character “to make you slow down and pay attention.” Behind the bar the split is practical — Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond for stirred drinks, Old Forester Rye when something gets shaken, and the Rye Manhattan as the classic he reaches for first.
Danny’s Signature: Copper & Gold
Rye, lemon and Demerara over a big cube — a three-part sour where balance does all the work
Ingredients
- 2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
- ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
- ½ oz Demerara syrup
Method (Danny’s words)
“Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake hard until well chilled. Strain over a large cube in a rocks glass.”
RyeCentral Lab Tested
Danny’s Lab-Tested Cocktails
Lab-tested builds that match how Danny works — the classic that brought him to rye, and the sour family his signature belongs to. Click either to read the full guide.
Rye Manhattan
Rye Whiskey Sour
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Free membership unlocks My Rye Profile for personalized recommendations, free home whiskey tasting events, and a $10 welcome coupon for barware, glassware, clothing & home goods. Your join also counts toward Danny unlocking his signature cocktail page in the Cocktail Station — 50 signups needed.
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Every signup through Danny’s link counts toward unlocking his signature cocktail page in the Cocktail Station. They get the $10 welcome reward, Danny gets the credit.
Available for
Bookings · Collaborations · Consulting
Get in Touch with Danny
Booking a wedding, a corporate event, a tasting or a pop-up bar through Vegas Shakers? Drop Danny a note, or find him on Instagram, LinkedIn and Bartender Atlas.
Email lands in Danny's inbox directly. Allow a day or two for a reply.
In Danny’s Words
Q. What makes a good cocktail?
Balance above all. Every ingredient should have a job, and none of them should be shouting over the rest. A great drink is approachable on the first sip and interesting on the last one.
Q. Why do you do what you do?
The moment someone tries something I built for them and their face changes. After 20+ years, that still doesn’t get old. Every guest is a new puzzle: what do they actually want, and how do I get them there?
Q. Where do we find you when you’re not behind the bar?
Out exploring what Las Vegas bars and restaurants are doing, or working on Vegas Shakers. Otherwise I’m with the people who keep me grounded, my son, my girlfriend and her two dogs, or staying active with Pilates and running. I travel whenever I get the chance.
Q. What’s your advice for someone starting behind the bar?
Learn balance before flash. The show means nothing if the drink isn’t right.
Community Reviews
Worked with Danny? Tell us how it went.
Booked Danny or Vegas Shakers for an event, sat at a bar he was running, or built his Copper & Gold at home? Leave a rating and review — verified RyeCentral Lab entries are tagged.
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What Danny Brings Behind the Stick
- Twenty-plus years behind the bar; head bartender and founder of Vegas Shakers
- Balance first, then flavor, then showmanship — in that order, every time
- Every ingredient has a job, and none of them shouts over the rest
- Techniques in regular rotation — shaken, stirred, built, smoked, batched, and low-ABV
- Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond stirred, Old Forester Rye shaken, Pikesville to sip
- One standard, whether it’s a single drink or a bar program for hundreds
Danny's Mission Behind the Bar
Danny’s reason for doing the job is the moment a guest tries something he built for them and their face changes — after twenty years, he says, “that still doesn’t get old.” Every guest is a new puzzle: what do they actually want, and how does he get them there? His advice to anyone starting out says the rest: “Learn balance before flash. The show means nothing if the drink isn’t right.”
Here’s to your and Danny’s next Rye discovery! 🍾
Explore the rye reviews and cocktail builds Danny is pulling from
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Meet the rest of the roster in the mixologist directory, or learn how to become a freelance mixologist.
Profile compiled from Danny's application · RyeCentral Lab Mixologists Program
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