Mark Your Calendars for Cocktail Week Aug. 10-18

The following is a press release from the City of Beverly Hills.

The Beverly Hills Community Services Department is thrilled to present Cocktail Week August 10-18, 2012. This special event will include a free outdoor screening of Casablanca, a unique cocktail crafting class at Greystone Estate and a new partnership between the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market and local hotels, bars and restaurants that will bring patrons high-end, farm-fresh cocktails.

“Everyone has heard of farm-to-fork, but now all the rage is farm-to-shaker,” says Greta Dunlap, manager of the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market. “Farmers’ market-driven cocktails offer the best of two worlds.”

Each participating establishment will offer a unique cocktail that features produce from The Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market. Patrons of the Casablanca screening (August 12) are encouraged to grab pre- and post- show drinks at one of the participating bars (listed below) and everyone is invited to treat themselves any time between August 10 and 18.

Participating establishments are offering drinks ranging from pre-Prohibition-style stunners to fruity martinis, including:

BierBeisl – Cucumber-Blue Gin Fizz – Blue Gin • Cucumber Syrup • Lemon Juice • Lemon Balm Leaves • Water – Featuring Farmers’ Market lemon balm and cucumbers

Bouchon – Blackberry Bramble – Nolet’s Gin • Lucien Jacob Crème de Cassis • Lemon Juice • Blackberries – Featuring Farmers’ lemons and blackberries from Harry’s Berries

The BLVD/Beverly Wilshire Hotel – Summer Peach Smash – Peach-infused Bourbon • Simple Syrup • Mint Leaf • Lemon Juice – Featuring Farmers’ Market peaches from Fitzgerald Farms

Momed – Frozen Fresh Peach Bellini – Featuring Farmers’ Market peaches – $10

Nic’s Beverly Hills – The Betty Bitter – Veev Acai Spirit • Pressed Organic Peaches • Meyer Lemons • Egg Whites • Peach Bitters – Featuring Farmers’ Market produce from Avila & Sons and Bernard Farms – Happy Hour prices around-the-clock if you mention Beverly Hills Cocktail Week

Sotto – La Pesca Gustosa – Lemon Juice • Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac • Combier • Applejack Brandy • Aperol • Muddled Peaches • Sage – Featuring Farmers’ Market peaches from Tenerelli and lemons from Bernard Farms – $10 if you mention Beverly Hills Cocktail Week

£10/The Montage Hotel – Rosemary Ricky – Plymouth Gin • Lemon Juice • Orange Juice • Rosemary Syrup • Lemon Twist • Rosemary Sprig – Featuring Farmers’ Market lemons, oranges and rosemary

Xi’an – Confucius Say – Bombay Gin • Zen Green Tea Liqueur • Lemon Juice • Muddled Basil Leaves • Fee Bros. Orange Bitters • Basil Leaf Garnish – Featuring Farmers’ Market lemons and basil – $12

Cocktail Week kicks-off with a cocktail crafting course (August 7 or August 9). Co-sponsored by the City and the Institute of Domestic Technology, the course will be offered in Greystone Estate’s exclusive underground speakeasy (which is adjacent to the bowling alley made famous in There Will Be Blood). Taught by bar master Aaron Stepka of the 1933 Group (Thirsty Crow, Bigfoot East and West, Oldfield’s, Little Cave), the course will focus on bitters and infusions and each student will take home his or her own custom-mixed bitters, bottle of infused liquor and a personalized cocktail recipe. Registration is open and spots are available.

Visit www.beverlyhills.org/foodcrafting or call 310-285-5860 to register.

The August 12 outdoor screening of Casablanca in the stunning Beverly Cañon Gardens (241 N. Cañon Drive) is FREE, as is parking in the Beverly Gardens parking structure (just get a coupon from the information booth at the show). The park features plentiful seating, a large, grassy area for picnics, food vendors and easy viewing from adjacent Bouchon and The Montage patios.

Throughout Cocktail Week a special pamphlet will be available at the Concerts on Cañon, outdoor movie screenings and the Farmers’ Market. The pamphlet will include recipes for Farmers’ Market-inspired shrubs (drinking vinegars), infusions, cocktails and refreshing, alcohol-free summer beverages, as well as a complete list of participating hotels, bars and restaurants.

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