Of cocktails and kitsch

A wise inspirational-quote poster once told me, “Drink like no one’s watching.” Or maybe it was, “Live every week like it’s Cocktail Week”—my memory is a little fizzy. Either way, Sacramento Cocktail Week is happening Sunday, August 14, through Friday, August 19, which means you can live those aphorisms and then some. Because not only is it your civic duty to stimulate the local economy by investing in one of its most praiseworthy industries, but also, the masterminds behind the eighth annual celebration really stepped it up this year with a bunch of minutely detailed, kitschy events. Behold, some of our top picks:

Will Sacramento ever exhaust its love for The Big Lebowski? The answer is, “Shut the fuck up, Donny.” Kick things off with The Dude Imbibes at Bottle & Barlow (1120 R Street) on Sunday at 6 p.m. White Russians will abound, and go ahead and starch your finest bathrobe now, because there will be a costume contest. There will also be a miniature bowling tournament!

The next evening, The Tavern on the Green is going down at Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co. (1630 S Street) at 6 p.m., where attendees will get to eat, drink, play mini golf and compete in a hole-in-one contest. After that, head to the Red Rabbit (2718 J Street) for a Pop-Up About Nothing, a Seinfeld-themed soirée. There will be drinks named after the characters, yada, yada, yada.

On Tuesday, August 16, it’ll be that much easier to convince yourself that dry Sacto heat is really a balmy tropical breeze if you come out to It Takes Two to Tiki at 6 p.m., which is also at the Red Rabbit Kitchen and Bar. Next door on the next night, bartenders will be competing to see who can make the best 64-ounce fishbowl cocktail. Naturally, this bigger-is-better, let’s-chug-64-ounces shindig is going down at Barwest (2724 J Street). Bet that there’ll be some lively interactions going down by the end of the night!

Finally, for those of you that are actually interested in cocktails beyond their ability to make you a vociferous expert on every subject that comes up in conversation, there will be a series of educational seminars on the topics of wine in cocktails, barrel aging, environmental responsibility and more. Visit http://sacramentococktailweek.com for details on any of the above and for additional events.