4 minute read
AROUND TOWN AROUND TOWN
by Lon Levin
THE MIXOLOGIST’S SECRETS
Advertisement
FIG SIDECAR BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL POLO LOUNGE
INGREDIENTS DIRECTIONS
1. | Add ice to a mixing glass and add all ingredients. Shake and pour into a chilled martini glass with a sugared rim. Garnish with a spiral lemon twist.
2. | For the fig infused Remy 1738 Cognac: Fill a 2 Liter mason jar with the figs. Fill the 2 Liter mason jar with 90% Remy 1738 Cognac and the remaining 10% with Homemade Spiced Brown Sugar Simple Syrup.
3. |Cover lid and refrigerate for one week to allow flavors to infuse. Strain through a cheesecloth or filter to remove figs, seeds or sediment. Pour contents into clean bottle and label.
2 oz. fig infused Remy 1738 1 oz. Cointreau 1 oz. fresh lemon juice lemon twist
FOR THE FIG INFUSED REMY 1738 COGNAC:
1 black mission figs 1 bottle Remy Martin 1738 cognac Brown sugar syrup
FOR SPICED BROWN SUGAR SIMPLE SYRUP: 2 c. brown sugar 2 c. water 3 cloves
3. | For the spiced brown sugar simple syrup: Put brown sugar and water in a medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and add cloves, cinnamon sticks and split vanilla bean. Simmer for an additional five minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain through a cheesecloth or filter to remove cloves, cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean. Cover and refrigerate.
A MOMENT IN TIME
Beverly Hills and Los Angeles before the glitz and glamour.
The Hammel Denker Ranch in 1903
Ever wonder where the local street names of Beverly Hills come from? Burton Way? Whittier Blvd? Doheny? The fact is these three streets were named after very prominent business men who founded the city more than a hundred years ago.
In early 1900, Burton Green, Max Whittier and Edward Doheny along with other business partners bought the Hammel and Denker Ranch. Their intention was to set up an oil drilling company, Amalgamated Oil which was set up to explore the area for “black gold”. For six long years they drilled and came up empty handed. In 1906 the leader of the venture, Burton Green created a new venture, The Rodeo Land and Water company. The idea was to create a new and exclusive community with tree-lined streets, spacious lots and generous parks.
The new community was given the name “Beverly” after Beverly Farms in Massachusetts, an area Mr. Green fondly remembered from his youth for it’s beautiful landscape.
On January 23, 1907 the subdivision was officially recorded. After a year of prime infrastructure construction, advertisements were placed in the papers to attract potential buyers. Within three years it looked like the hills of Beverly were not as enticing as it’s owners had once thought. In 1910 a new plan was put into to place to attract visitors and buyers. A new hotel would be built right in the heart of Beverly which backed up into the hills. The Beverly Hills Hotel was completed in 1912. New visitors could stay at the hotel and take tours of the area to see where they may want to build a new home. There were horse trips into the canyons and hills to explore building sites. Finally potential buyers could see for themselves the value of having a home in the area.
In 1914 Beverly Hills was incorporated. With the prestige of the new hotel, Beverly Hills took on a new spirit and activity. Wilbur Cook, a prominent landscape artist from New York was appointed to create a master plan for the area. It included the preparation of estate lots north of Sunset Blvd surrounding the Beverly Hills Hotel and the smaller lots to the south.
Editor: I want to thank The Beverly Hills Historical Society, Phil Savenick for his help and Marc Wanamaker for supplying the historical information via his book “Early Beverly Hills”.
More to come in the next edtion and on our Instagram feed at levin.lon
