Life

You Can Buy Booze-y Milkshakes By The Gallon At This Restaurant & The Pics Are Wild

by Lucia Peters
Fiddlestix/Facebook

I have never been to Las Vegas, but if I ever do go, I won’t be going for the bright lights. Not for the casinos, either. No, if I go to Vegas it will be for the gallon-sized booze-y milkshakes that Fiddlestix, a restaurant located in Downtown, has on its menu. Officially, the item is called the 8 Man Milkshake, although obviously it can be enjoyed by people of all genders — and, indeed, you might want to bring some friends with you if you opt to try it out. A gallon of milkshake is, uh… A Lot.

Fiddlestix is a relatively new arrival to Las Vegas; it opened in 2016 where the Golden Grill once stood as part of the complete revamp of the property known as Gold Spike. Originally opened as the Rendezvous in 1976, the property changed hands and became the Gold Spike Hotel and Casino in the ‘80s; between then and the 2000s, it changed hands a few more times, but remained essentially the same — a low-cost hotel and casino with few amenities, but an unbeatable price. The Siegel Group bought it in 2008 and gave it a pretty major overhaul — but then in 2013, it was bought again, this time by the Downtown Project, an initiative run by entrepreneur Tony Hseih geared towards revitalizing downtown Las Vegas. Since then, the new Gold Spike has reopened in stages — and after the Golden Grill was shuttered, Fiddlestix moved in to take its place.

Open 24/7, Fiddlestix bills itself as a “modern café” with a focus on salads, “classics like burgers and sandwiches,” and — most importantly, in my mind — all-day breakfast. It’s basically a souped-up diner, and hey guess what? You can also get booze while you’re there: Canned and bottled beer, wine by the glass, and alcoholic milkshakes are all on the menu.

The milkshakes, of course, are the part of that equation in which I’m most interested. There are six to choose from — but lest that feel like an unexpectedly small number, know that these aren’t your standard milkshake flavors. We’re not just looking at chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and the like; here’s what’s available at Fiddlestix:

  • “The Dude,” a concoction of vodka, Kahlua, chocolate syrup, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and a chocolate swirl that makes a nod to The Big Lebowski;
  • Oh Captain, My Captain, which mixes together Captain Morgan spiced run, Cap’n Crunch cereal, vanilla ice cream, a caramel swirl, and chocolate sprinkles with a cherry on top;
  • The Irish Breakfast, a mix of Jameson, bacon, “crispy crepe crumbles,” maple syrup, whipped cream, and a bacon rasher;
  • Peanut Butter Cup, which takes chocolate syrup, peanut butter, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and Reese’s Pieces and punches it up with the addition of a slug of bourbon;
  • Cereal Milk, a combination of RumChata, Fireball, vanilla ice cream, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, whipped cream, and banana;
  • And Strawberry Cheesecake, a shake made with vanilla vodka, strawberry syrup, cream cheese, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and strawberry.

Heck, and yes.

Each of these shakes will set you back somewhere between $10 and $11… unless you opted for the “8 Man Milkshake” version, in which case you’re looking at a cool $80. And the 8 Man Milkshake is the reason you are currently reading this piece, because it is literally a gallon of milkshake. For scale, here's what that looks like up against a typical Fiddlestix spread:

According to Delish, which recently profiled the restaurant with a focus on the milkshakes, the 8 Man Milkshake version of each of these options is made with 120 ounces of ice cream, or approximately two half-gallons of the stuff. 24 ounces of alcohol also go into the treat — then, once it’s been all mixed up, it’s served in a full-sized trifle dish. Trifle dishes tend to be around 96 ounces in capacity, so, uh… that’s a lot of milkshake, is what I’m saying.

In fact, eight people might not be enough to really do these things justice. Said Geoffrey Graham, the executive chef of Gold Spike, to Delish, “A party of 10 to 12 can tackle it easily. I’ve seen two or three people take it down, but they’re hurting afterward.” (Although, hey, if you do want to take it on with a smaller group, no judgment. You do you.)

As snazzy as these amp-up milkshakes are, though, Fiddlestix is no stranger to going viral; the restaurant also serves up a rainbow grilled cheese with sprinkles it calls Unicorn Grilled Cheese. While they’re far from the first to turn out such a bright and colorful sandwich, they do it with aplomb — and what’s more, it’s not on the regular menu. As a secret menu item, you’ll have to know to ask for it in order to experience it for yourself.

But hey, now you do know, right? And, I mean, I don’t know about you, but a rainbow grilled cheese and a gallon of milkshake sounds like the perfect meal to me. BRB — booking a flight to Las Vegas.