What’s Up – July

Every choice behind the bar at Olive or Twist is about perfecting the art of the cocktail. That’s why co-owner Josh Duke purchased an ice shaver months ago for the Perkins Road bar. He wanted to streamline his mint julep-making process. And it’s why, when a customer compared the final product to a snoball, Duke responded with Baton Rouge’s classiest spin on a summer classic.

“We decided to have some fun with it,” Duke says of his new menu of nearly a dozen boozy snoballs.”We wanted to make it interesting, and we wanted to use a lot of fresh, local ingredients.”

The menu, available all summer long, includes classic flavors like Wedding Cake and Pia Colada, as well as homegrown inspirations like Louisiana Satsuma and The Ponchatoula, made with locally farmed strawberries. Joining these are a few carefully crafted original concoctions like Honey Ginger and, of course, Mint Julep.

Patrons can even order Iced Latte and Ice Cream Sundae versions or request traditional, roadside-stand toppings like condensed milk and crushed pineapple. These grown-up snoballs are the next level of cool—and cooling off. oliveortwistbr.com
—Kaci Yoder

While it’s our belief that all summer evenings should conclude with fireworks, downtown Baton Rouge puts on a show for the 4th of July that provides enough spectacle to keep us happy. The full day of events kicks off with a one-mile run and includes music by local bands, food vendors and a “mock attack” on the USS Kidd. Pro tip: wear sunglasses for the show because the fighter planes will be zooming in from across the river just as the sun moves into the western sky.

The grand finale begins at 9 p.m., when a 22-minute fireworks display launches from the river to close out the Star-Spangled Celebration. For more information, go to usskidd.com.

When actress Rebel Wilson wanted to announce her appearance in the Pitch Perfect sequel to all of her fans, she posed with director and co-star Elizabeth Banks in front of one of the many street art-inspired mural pieces local artist Marc “Fresh” Verret created specifically for the production. Wilson’s Instagram post received more than 60,000 likes in just three days.

“I know the art director working on [Pitch Perfect 2], and he called me in to do it,” Verret says. “Initially, they wanted graffiti on the walls of this old building, but we opted to use big canvases so they could be portable and easier on noses. It’s a bunch of spray-painted canvas drop cloths all over.”

Pitch Perfect 2, starring Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow, is filming in Baton Rouge this month with a projected release date of May 15, 2015. Visit facebook.com/neverrotten to view more of Verret’s work.
—Jeff Roedel