KEY POINTS:
A New Zealander behind the opening of a new bar in Las Vegas hopes it will become the "coolest" place to be in the desert city.
Minus 5, owned by 38-year-old Cantabrian Craig Ling, opened its first ice lounge in the US this week and plans to open a further five bars in American cities next year.
The concept involves drinkers donning fur-lined coats and hats and stepping inside a bar made entirely of ice to drink a vodka cocktail out of an ice glass.
Ling launched the first bar in Auckland in 2002 and has expanded it to Queenstown, Australia, Portugal and now the US. The 38-year-old said the idea for the bar came out of his Auckland-based Lenin bar.
"When it opened in 1999, it had a huge ice back bar. It used to have statues that melted overnight and we decided to change the concept into a permanent bar."
It took two years to engineer the equipment to set up the bars and has taken off since then.
"When the first one opened in Auckland it was only going to be a three-month exhibition - but the ice concept has gone crazy."
Ling said he signed a deal with an unnamed US partner to launch the business into the states and planned to open five bars there next year and 20 in the longer term. The Las Vegas bar also includes a second bar called a lodge, which is designed to replicate the feel of a central Otago pub, as well as an ice chapel for weddings.
And he's not worried about the credit crunch or the downturn in the US. "America is a big place although financially a lot of people are in trouble. Vegas just doesn't have down time."
The bars have a uniquely New Zealand touch - the drinks are served in ice glasses imported from New Zealand where they are made by an Auckland company. The ice is imported from Canada.
Ling has a 50 per cent stake in the US business. He has also set up a licensing system which will see more bars open in India and Singapore next year.
Minus 5 already operates under licence in Portugal.
