The Selanne at Selanne Steak Tavern
230 Forest Avenue, one of down
town Laguna’s culinary hot spots.
The restaurant’s bar features craft
cocktails and some of the most
buzz-worthy martinis around.
“Our cocktail ideas come
from all over, from the places our
staff has come from, where they
grew up, where they’ve worked. …
That’s a factor to our drink menu,”
says Rebecca Rule, a bartender
and server at 230 Forest.
Seasonal cocktails are
fixtures of the restaurant’s
menu, and the Market Cooler is
already one of its most popular
handcrafted warm-weather
sippers. The refreshing beverage
consists of Bombay Sapphire gin,
cucumber, lime and basil—the
perfect finish to a day spent on
the sand at Main Beach.
SELANNE
STEAK TAVERN
Just a mile down PCH from
Mare you’ll find one of Laguna’s
newest additions, Selanne Steak
Tavern, located adjacent to the
Surf & Sand Resort. Though it
only debuted in fall of 2013, the
restaurant’s spectacular bar is
something of a throwback to an
era of classic cocktailing.
The bar’s manager, Mike Blash,
previously logged time at Three
Seventy Common Kitchen + Drink
and the former Sorrento Grille.
“I’ve grown up in a bar,” says Mike,
an industry professional with
more than 20 years of experience
under his belt. A scout of local
produce, Mike shops primarily at
the Laguna Beach, Huntington
Beach and Irvine farmers
markets. His cocktail menu always
has a seasonal focus, yet also
plays to his clientele’s requests.
“Simple ingredients are key,” he
says. “The more pure the drinks
are, the better they taste. All our
syrups and juices are made fresh.”
For a taste of one of Laguna’s
newest cocktail menus, Mike
suggests trying the restaurant’s
signature beverage,The Selanne,
which is made with Woodford
Reserve bourbon, fresh lemon
and a secret ingredient that’s
made in-house.
For more information on these
and other Laguna restaurants
with seasonal sips, see our Dine
listings on page 48.
Selanne Steak
Tavern’s Gin
Buck Cocktail
MAKE LIKE A TRUE MIXOLOGIST
AND CRAFT THIS SIMPLE COCKTAIL
FROM MIKE BLASH, BAR MANAGER
AT SELANNE STEAK TAVERN:
8-10 mint leaves
½ ounce simple syrup
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
2 ounces Death’s Door Gin
Ginger beer
Muddle the mint leaves in the bottom of a
bucket glass. Then, fill the glass with ice and
add the simple syrup, lime juice and gin. Stir
the drink to mix it, and finish by filling the
glass with ginger beer. Garnish with a lime.
24 SUMMER 2014 CITY GUIDE
CityGuide.Summer2014-Cocktails-eV4-e.indd 24
6/16/14 11:02 AM