Not that we needed anyone to tell us so, but Las Vegas has been officially recognized for its ability to drink.

A PR stunt by a wine company on New Year's Eve has garnered the city recognition by Guinness World Records for hosting the world's largest toast, with 13,500 people simultaneously raising a glass, Deputy City Manager Betsy Fretwell reported Wednesday.

"Which is fitting under this administration," said Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, a pitchman for Bombay Sapphire gin known for joking about his love of alcohol.

"If only it were gin," Fretwell lamented.

The toast -- held at the Fremont Street Experience shortly before midnight struck -- smashed the previous record of 10,079 people that had been set by sake-drinking Japanese.

The Las Vegas event was put on by Beaulieu Vineyard, which had been a sponsor of the city's centennial celebration. Just under 15,000 people paid to get into the Fremont Street Experience that night.

The official record cites Dec. 31, 2005, on Fremont Street as the "largest simultaneous toast in one venue."

"We really weren't sweating it," Lisa Robinson, spokeswoman for Fremont Street Experience, said of the wait for official word on the toast's status.

"We knew we could have more than 10,000 people at an event on Fremont Street on New Year's Eve. It was more getting the logistics in place to make sure everyone was accounted for and authenticated."

Starting at 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, event organizers passed out plastic cups of wine, begging participants to show some self control. As the clock approached midnight, volunteers ushered additional revelers toward a sign-up table to get their wine.

Led by Goodman, revelers downed the libations a few minutes before midnight.

It took more than 200 cases of Beaulieu Vineyard's Century Cellars Chardonnay to fill the cups, according to a press release.

"Las Vegas knows how to throw a party, and this confirms that we do it bigger and better than anyone," Goodman said in a statement.

This event was "marking Las Vegas' place in history," he said.

The city might have set another milestone in conspicuous consumption as part of its centennial celebration. Officials are awaiting word on whether they broke the record for world's largest birthday cake with a 102-foot-long, 131,000-pound white layer confection.

Wednesday, though, was for celebrating the record toast.

Tom Scott, director of public relations for the wine seller, said in a statement, "Over 13,500 people will always remember where they were for New Year's 2005."

Unless, of course, they were truly celebrating in Las Vegas style.