The second annual Midtown Cocktail Week is set for Aug. 9 - Aug. 15, and we've got some scoop on this year's participating venues. This year's edition will feature some new watering holes and restaurants in this celebration of local cocktail culture, including Shady Lady, Ella Dining Room and Bar, Golden Bear, deVere's Irish Pub, Scandal Bar at the Citizen Hotel and the Torch Club.
However, a few participants from last year won't be in the mix this year. Mulvaney's B&L, Ink and Paragary's Bar and Oven are all passing this time around on Midtown Cocktail Week.
The lineup of events is still taking shape, but here's what you and your cocktail glass can expect come August:
- Opening bash at L Wine Lounge and Urban Kitchen, titled "the art of drinking well: from aperitif to digestif."
- Five stations of cocktail tastings at Ella, with appetizers.
- Whiskeys of the world at deVere's, with an afterparty at the Shady Lady.
- Tasting of Oaxacan mezcal at Zocalo.
- Prix fixe cocktail flights at the Citizen Hotel's Scandal bar.
- Closing night party at the Torch Club, featuring a prohibition-era dance and cocktails from the era.
Also, plan on cocktail making classes and seminars for local bartenders with topics including tools and techniques, competition tips and ingredients.
You might also notice that "midtown" is defined very broadly for this year's cocktail week, with a chunk of venues existing on the downtown section of the grid. This has led to some politics going on behind the scenes, but organizers are still hopeful that the Sacramento masses will be ready to fill their cocktail glasses.
"I think midtown is really cool and we want to bring attention to it, but we won't change name," said Joe Anthony Savala, co-founder of Midtown Cocktail Week. "That topic got kind of hot in the beginning. Last year was still pretty well attended. A lot of places couldn't make the drinks fast enough."
Information: www.midtowncocktailweek.org (under construction)
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