Atomic Liquors is the oldest independent bar in Las Vegas. Yet, similar to the Golden Steer, it is untruthful about its age. It remained closed until 1954. Why does it assert that it was founded in 1952? Welcome to the initial myth we debunked so thoroughly that we managed to convince our subject to cease promoting it. 

Myth Comprehended 

In 1939, a woman called Virginia Barrett acquired a piece of land situated between 9th and 10th streets on Fremont Street. She received it from John Busteed, the kind-hearted Nevada judge for whom she served as a housekeeper. 

In 1944, Barrett established a gas station/garage at 927 Fremont St. The following year, adjacent at 917 Fremont St., she and her spouse, Jack, constructed a café to provide meals to motorists who paused to refuel. 

To operate Virginia’s Café, Barrett called upon her daughter, Stella — along with her husband, Joe Sobchik — from upstate New York. 

On April 22, 1952, Joe and Stella became part of the new Las Vegas trend. They began offering "atomic cocktails" on their rooftop deck for guests observing the mushroom clouds from nuclear explosions at the nearby Nevada Test Site. 

The issue — apart from individuals believing this was completely rational conduct — is that Virginia’s Café operated unlawfully. It possessed neither a universal liquor license nor a license for beer and wine. 

By 1953, the sales of their illegal brews were so strong that the pair chose to cease offering food — something Joe disliked grilling — and transform completely into a (lawful) bar. 

They acquired a liquor license for the front section of their new venue. They then effectively appealed to the city to establish its inaugural tavern license — allowing the sale of alcohol outside a restaurant, hotel, or casino — and granted it to Atomic Liquors for a bar it constructed in the rear. 

Atomic Liquors first opened on April 17, 1954. Take a look at the Las Vegas Review-Journal advertisement revealing its grand opening on the left. (Grateful to the X account Vintage Las Vegas for uncovering it!) 

Nuclear Trade 

When we inquired with Lance Johns, who bought Atomic Liquors in 2012 alongside his brother Kent and Derek Stonebager, regarding the factual inconsistency, he responded that the bar's landing page is “entirely accurate” since it simply states “serving Vegas since 1952.” 

That is accurate in a sense, but it can be deceiving.

"I guess officially as far as the City of Las Vegas is concerned, Atomic Liquors opened in 1954, even though Joe and Stella began serving ‘atomic cocktails’ to customers in 1952,” Johns explained in an email. “Obviously, that’s where Joe and Stella came up with the name Atomic Liquors.”

Alright, but that still didn't clarify why the title of Atomic Liquors’ website — shown when you search for it on Google — was “Atomic Liquors | Las Vegas’ First Bar, Est. 1952. 

Aside from its age, did you notice the other material used? 

Atomic Liquors was, without a doubt, the first bar in Las Vegas. It wasn't even its initial standalone one. That privilege is granted to the Arizona Club. It was established in 1906 — just a year after Las Vegas was! — on Block 16. That was the sole district where alcohol could be legally served outside of hotels at that time. (Alcohol was provided at that time without any specific licenses allowing it.) 

Atomic Amazes Us In just two days after reaching out to Johns once more, requesting that he clarify the misleading title of his website, it was changed to reflect the current facts as we understand them. 

It currently says “Atomic Liquors | The Oldest Freestanding Bar in Las Vegas.” 

Following 130 of these columns, this is the first instance (to our knowledge) where a correction occurred in reality due to a myth we debunked in our domain. 

We acknowledge that we are giving this more importance than it actually warrants. In today's troubled world, there are far more urgent matters than removing two fictitious years from a bar's history. 

Moreover, next month, Atomic Liquors will likely revert its website once more. 

However, this is all we engage in, so kindly permit us this singular short and sparkling excess. After three years of selflessly fighting against the massive tide of Las Vegas misinformation, it feels rewarding. 

Additionally, our mother continues to resent our choice not to attend law school, and we hope this will ultimately make her proud of the path we chose for our lives.