Selden Standard was open for just a month when we stopped in to meet with Rudy Leon, the establishment's bar manager. Though it was lunchtime, it was pretty well packed inside, and we couldn't help but order up some lunch while we waited for Leon to shirk his duties for a few minutes to mix us up a cocktail.
According to Leon, the drink menu had already changed three times since the restaurant first opened its doors to the public. Because using seasonal ingredients is so important to the staff, it's likely cocktails will continue to be swapped out on a regular basis.
Of the seven current cocktails on drink menu, Leon says there is something for everyone. But if you can't find something that fits your fancy, customers are encouraged to ask for what's called a "dealer's choice." One needs only to inform the drink-maker of their favored liquor and whether they enjoy it booze-forward, and the tasty beverage will be whipped up before their very eyes.
Leon, who has worked as a elixir clerk for the McClary Bros. as well as at the Stand in Birmingham and the Book Cadillac in Detroit, mixed us up the popular Fortunella Fizz, a pretty little drink made with gin and egg white, among other things.
Fortunella Fizz
1-1/2 ounces Bombay Dry Gin
1/4 ounce Barenjager
1/2 ounce kumquat syrup
1/2 ounce lime juice
1 whole egg white
Shake in mixer, double strain into Nick & Nora cocktail glass and garnish with angostura bitters.
