{"id":2032,"date":"2020-02-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-06T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/main-bvxea6i-tdeoyxfdffv2e.us-3.platformsh.site\/searching-for-the-quintessential-laguna-beach-cocktail\/"},"modified":"2025-03-05T11:46:48","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T19:46:48","slug":"searching-for-the-quintessential-laguna-beach-cocktail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/blog\/searching-for-the-quintessential-laguna-beach-cocktail\/","title":{"rendered":"Searching for the Quintessential “Laguna Beach Cocktail\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

In fact, the ineffable spirit of the city is what keeps this beach community from ever feeling generic. There\u2019s just something in the air here.<\/p>\n

The town\u2019s bartenders understand the Laguna Beach vibe better than perhaps anyone. They\u2019re our modern-day greeters and unofficial tour guides — pouring cocktails for longtime locals, transplants who fell in love with the town and never left, and guests eager to experience what the city has to offer. Over the years, most of Laguna\u2019s bartenders have tried their hand at distilling what\u2019s so special about this place into a glass. One perfect cocktail that says \u201cthis is us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The six drinks below offer a range of interpretations on the \u201cLaguna Beach cocktail.\u201d Some are timeworn classics, others are new additions. Each says something about the city and its residents. If you\u2019re looking to understand Laguna while enjoying a night on the town, these picks offer a natural starting point.<\/p>\n

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THE OLD FASHIONED –\u00a0MARINE ROOM TAVERN<\/a><\/h2>\n
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\u201cThis drink is quintessential Laguna Beach because it\u2019s quintessential Marine Room,\u201d says Brooke Amber, bartender at this local institution. \u201cIt\u2019s warm, it\u2019s sexy, it\u2019s fun, it\u2019s comfortable — everything that we stand for in this town and this bar.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no surprise that a bar with such a rich history would put forward a classic cocktail to embody the town\u2019s ethos. The differentiating factor here is the care that Amber and her fellow bartenders put into their Old Fashioned’s. Made with Bulleit Rye, angostura bitters, water, a touch of simple syrup, and a twist of orange peel, this is a classic done right.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome in, sit by the fire with an Old Fashioned, play a game of pool, and listen to live music,\u201d Amber says. \u201cYou\u2019ll be living your best Laguna life in no time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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THE \u201cPOPO SHOT\u201d –\u00a0THE SALOON<\/a><\/h2>\n
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\u201cPopo Galsini was a famous tiki master<\/a>, who opened this bar forty plus years ago,\u201d says Colby Brown, bartender at The Saloon. \u201cThis was the drink he liked to drink and make for his friends and we\u2019ve been making it here ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the Popo Shot isn\u2019t on The Saloon\u2019s menu, it sits along this classic watering hole\u2019s famous Pino (pineapple infused vodka) as the drink that Laguna locals love to introduce newcomers to. The recipe is held tight, but the Popo is based on coffee liqueur and typically either taken as a shot or served in a glass with cream. While the drink is well-known throughout town, Brown says it\u2019s most commonly recommended by local bartenders, waiters, and chefs who come in after their shifts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never really have to tell anyone about it,\u201d he says. \u201cThey hear about it from someone who loves the drink and knows the story behind it and it gets passed down from person to person in true Laguna fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n

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THE NANDO – THE SANDPIPER<\/a><\/h2>\n

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\u201cThis was named by a customer who asked for \u2018that pink drink\u2019 and then insisted I name it after myself,\u201d says Fernando Chavez, bartender at The Sandpiper — Laguna Beach\u2019s locally-beloved dive bar. \u201cIt\u2019s a drink that our patrons know to ask for and order repeatedly because it\u2019s not too sweet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pineapple and grenadine give the cocktail its distinctive color, adding a certain brightness and balance that can be hard to find a volume bar like The Sandpiper.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal was to taste like a Laguna Sunset,\u201d Chavez says. \u201cBut it\u2019s pretty strong, so I\u2019d describe it more like a very buzzed Laguna sunset.\u201d<\/p>\n

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THE LOUCETTE – BROADWAY BY AMAR SANTANA<\/a><\/h2>\n
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\u201cThis is a light, citrus-forward, refreshing vodka cocktail,\u201d says Mark Austria, drinks manager at Broadway by Amar Santana. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how often people are looking for something that feels like it fits the spirit of the town — and they would never let us take this off the menu.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Loucette is made with vodka, Carpano Bianco vermouth, grapefruit, lime, honey, and a spritz of rosemary. The result is a drink that encapsulates lauded chef-owner Amar Santana\u2019s mentality in the kitchen — refined, yet approachable. Like Santana\u2019s dishes, Austria and his team don\u2019t want one flavor note to overpower the delicate alchemy of the whole.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re about balance here,\u201d he notes. \u201cWhen someone comes in looking to match that classic, breezy, light Laguna beach atmosphere, this drink does the trick in a way that feels direct and fun but always balanced — allowing them to continue that spirit into the evening.\u201d<\/p>\n

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PALERMO MARTINI – RISTORANTE RUMARI<\/h2>\n

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\u201cThis is where Laguna Beach meets Sicily,\u201d says Lucian Stefanic, general manager of Rumari, one of the city\u2019s most storied Italian restaurants. \u201cIt\u2019s that Mediterranean feel you get here from the weather and the spirit of the people. Lagunans, like Sicilians, know how to slow down and savor life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Palermo Martini is made with espresso, frangelico, Baileys Irish Cream, and Tuaca — an Italian brandy that makes this drink an easy sipper, yet still\u00a0packs a punch. Like many of the other cocktails on this list, balance is the key for the Rumari bar team. The bitter espresso and frangelico notes keep the Baileys and brandy combination from getting too saccharine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a drink that highlights the Laguna Beach-Italy connection,\u201d Stefanic says. \u201cIt\u2019s a place where you can loosen up, laugh loudly, and enjoy a long evening without always worrying about what\u2019s next.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Of course, these six entries are only the tip of the iceberg for anyone exploring Laguna\u2019s nightlife. Bartenders through town pride themselves on knowing the local clientele. Ask any of them for their riff on a \u201cLaguna Beach cocktail\u201d and you\u2019re sure to get a wide range of drinks, each with something unique to say about the town, the people who live and work here, and those who come to visit. Cheers!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u200bLaguna Beach definitely has a vibe. It\u2019s always shifting, always evolving, always transforming — but it\u2019s a vibe nonetheless.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":2036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,164,15,41,42,43,147],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","category-cocktail","category-15fiftyfive","category-drinks","category-events","category-my-laguna-beach","category-night-out"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2032"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20610,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032\/revisions\/20610"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}