No illusion — Criss Angel kickoff calls for two-drink minimum

By Melissa Arseniuk

Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009 | 4:31 p.m.

Scott Harrison/Retna

Magician Criss Angel opened his Mindfreak store in Circus Circus in July. The Luxor headliner appeared on the season premiere of Oprah Winfrey’s TV talk show today, Sept. 10, 2009.

Criss Angel will celebrate tonight’s season five premiere of “Mindfreak” with not one, but two drinks.

And not necessarily by choice.

There will be a two-drink minimum at the season kick-off party at the Luxor.

While some may scoff at what could be called a blatant cash-grab, others among Angel’s loyal fanbase might say a two-drink tab is a small price to pay to rub shoulders with the A&E star.

The Sun contacted the hotel this afternoon to request information about this evening’s festivities and was told two things: First, the party had a two-drink minimum, and second, that it will be held in Liquidity.

The customer service representative had no further information.

After being transferred, a food and beverage manager explained that tonight’s Angel appearance is part of an ongoing series of stand-ins.

“He comes in two nights after his shows, on Wednesday and Saturdays,” she said.

Angel usually shows up at 11:30 p.m. and stays until 1:30 or 2 a.m., depending on the night and his mood, according to the F&B manager.

Still, there is some confusion as to what the name of the place the magician holds the late night meet-and-greet cocktail hours.

The F&B manager said the lounge calls itself, “The Criss Angel Liquidity Lounge,” during the twice-weekly receptions but the bar’s proper name, Liquidity, has not changed.

This contradicts reports from both MGM Mirage public relations and the mindfreaky magician himself.

“It is Criss Angel Liquidity,” MGM Mirage PR manager Stephanie Heller said yesterday in an e-mail. “We just changed the name officially this week.”

Angel published a Twitter message yesterday that suggested the lounge would be reborn with his name in its title at the strike of midnight.

“I will be watching at the grand opening of my new bar "Criss Angel Liquidity" at the center of the Luxor Casino at 12am,” he said in the post.

Regardless of what it’s called, the watering hole will be open tonight and the illusionist will stop by after the second showing of his Cirque du Soleil show, “Believe,” lets out.

As far as satisfying the two-drink minimum is concerned, loyals who are eager to drink more of the Angel Kool-Air are invited to choose from a handful of specialty drinks that will be featured especially for tonight’s party.

The bar has one Angel-inspired cocktail on its menu, according to the F&B manager the Sun spoke to this afternoon.

“It’s called the Criss Angel,” she said. “It’s got Hpnotiq (liqueur), Absolut mandarin, lemon juice, and pineapple juice.”

She couldn’t say what aspect of the magician influenced the uninspired cocktail.

While Angel has been known to drink rum and Coke, she said his namesake cocktail is a “Different, kind of illusional drink.”

Fans might want to stick to rum and Coke if they want to buy the magician a cold one but it probably wouldn’t hurt to ask.

If the enterprising illusionist gets a cut of the profits from his signature drink, his preference might change.

Melissa Arseniuk writes about Las Vegas entertainment and celebrity events. She can be reached at 702-948-7823 or by e-mail at melissa.arseniuk@lasvegassun.com and found on Twitter @marseniuk.