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Beverly Hills Cocktail Week Kicks Off Today

Bartenders in Beverly Hills are readying their cocktail shakers to turn the summer's finest local produce into the ultimate California cocktails. Beginning today several Beverly Hills restaurants will be offering special farm-to-shaker cocktails for Beverly Hills Cocktail Week. The new original recipes showcase local produce from the Beverly Hills Farmers' Market.

On August 12th at 8:00 PM this week-long event also includes a free outdoor screening of "Casablanca" in the Beverly Canon Gardens nestled between Thomas Keller's Bouchon and the Montage Hotel. Before or after the screening, movie-goers are encouraged to order the Blackberry Bramble at Bouchon made with Nolet's Gin, Lucien Jacob Crème de Cassis, lemon juice, and blackberries from Harry's Berries.

Whiskey enthusiasts know that one of the best places to order a dram is at £10 inside Scarpetta at the Montage Hotel. Though their specialty is serving the most comprehensive collection of The Macallan in California, for Cocktail Week the £10 bartenders will be making a Rosemary Ricky with Plymouth Gin, rosemary syrup, with fresh lemon and orange juice. Make a reservation to enjoy these summer flavors from the serene outdoor terrace with bar bites crafted by Chef Scott Conant.

More Cocktail Week experiences include sipping a Summer Peach Smash at The BLVD at the historic Beverly Wilshire Hotel. This beauty is made with peach-infused Bourbon, simple syrup, mint leaves, lemon juice and Fitzgerald Farms peaches. Close by for a casual meal, try a Frozen Fresh Peach Bellini with some modern Mediterranean dishes at Momed on South Beverly Drive.

At Sotto bartender Nick Meyer will be muddling Tenerelli peaches and Bernard Farms lemons, Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac, Combier, Applejack brandy, Aperol, and sage for his Cocktail Week creation, La Pesca Gustosa. Stay for some of the best Southern Italian food in Los Angeles, including Chefs Zach Pollack and Steven Samson's house- made pastas, bold seafood dishes, and superb pizza made in their wood burning oven built by Neapolitan craftsmen.

The Beverly Hills Farmers' Market runs rain or shine every Sunday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM on the 9300 block of Civic Center Drive. Don't miss goat cheese from the Soledad Goats, gourmet greens from Kenter Canyon, vegetables from McGrath Family Farms, and baked goods from Rockenwagner. The market offers free parking in the Civic Center parking structure.

For Cocktail Week, the bartenders of Beverly Hills are ready to stir and shake some market ingredients to harness the freshest flavors of summer to create the ultimate warm weather quenchers. With the bounty of colorful Southern California produce these drinks are sure to be both fresh and fun.

Beverly Hills Cocktail Week

Various Locations in Beverly Hills
(310) 285-6830
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Julie Wolfson is a freelance writer living in Los Angeles. She covers travel, lifestyle, art, pop culture, cocktails and food for Cool Hunting and several other media outlets. Most days you'll find her out and about in Southern California and around the world tracking down stories about talented people doing amazing things.

Sotto cocktail photo courtesy of Vicki Radolinski

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