5 Drinks That Will Make You Raise Your Flag For Pride Month
As you may know, unless you live under a rock, June is Gay Pride month. During Pride (its shortened name) the beautiful LGBTQIA community and their allies slap on rainbow colors and march the streets shouting “It’s ok to be gay!” Parades adorn our streets, accompanied by the sounds of Madonna, Lady Gaga, and many other supportive artists. If you listen closely, you might hear Diana Ross from a distance.
However, some may wonder where the pride month came from. Let us dip our toes into a vast pool of what gay pride means.
On the morning of June 28th, 1969 — that still partying time of the morning — the New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn. This was a place that was safe for the LGBTQIA community to hang out. In the ‘60s it was difficult to find places where one could be yourself without being put in a troublesome situation, getting arrested, or worse.
Let me first talk a little about Stonewall Inns. The building was owned by the Genovese crime family. Yikes, I know. Initially, it was a nightclub for straight people. The club was not doing well, and in 1966, some members of the family turned it into a gay nightclub. They would pay off police officers to allow them to remain open, since the club had no running water behind the bar, no liquor license, and plumbing problems. Yep, I said, NO running water behind the bar. This meant that the glassware was washed in tubs of water and reused immediately. Gag. There were no fire alarms or emergency exits.
At the time, if you were gay, none of these things mattered. All you wanted was a safe place for dancing. Stonewall was the number one gay nightclub in Greenwich, New York, clogged toilets and no liquor license were the last of patron’s worries.
Ok so back to that night in June at around 1 a.m. Suddenly, the lights turn on, the club goes silent, and before they know it, police are storming the club. Employees and clubgoers were lined up against the wall. Anyone without an ID was arrested. Anyone in drag was arrested. All that delicious liquor was confiscated. 28 cases of beer and 19 bottles to be exact.
A crowd began to form outside. At first, it was just clubgoers who had been allowed to leave. Then, folks who were walking down the street joined. Soon after, the patrons of the surrounding bars started to hear the commotion and enter the crowd. Eventually, it grew into a crowd of over 500 people.
Fires broke out, bricks were thrown, and the voices of our gay brothers and sisters were heard for blocks. It was a full-on riot — a literal fight for the right to party. Just as heterosexuals have the right to mingle and dance, this community deserves this right. Finally, they were being heard. Even under these terrible circumstances, they were heard. This gay New York community was sick of being treated differently, and we have their bravery to thank for Pride Month. The next year, on the same date, the first gay pride parade was held, and we have marched the streets ever since.
So, what does Pride have to do with restaurants? Well, I once worked at a spot that had so many gay employees; people would ask if we had an invisible rainbow above the door. So, there’s that, but really that’s a story for another day. I just wanted to remember the baddies who danced under the neon lights at Stonewall that summer night in 1969 — conveniently, the summer of love. Their uprising was a force in the gay rights movement and continues to live on today.
So, in honor of our gay kings and queens, I have a few gay cocktail recipes I’d like to share with you.
We’re going to start with the classic, kinda basic, but once very popular — you can thank Carrie and the girls for this one — Cosmopolitan.
Cosmo:
2 ounces citrus vodka of your choice
½ ounce triple sec
½ ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce cranberry
Fill a shaker tin with ice and add all ingredients. Give it ten good shakes. Then strain it into a chilled martini glass. Express a lemon peel on top and drop it in.
Since we’re already drooling over martinis, our next fabulous drink is an Appletini. If you’ve never heard of it, the name says it all.
Appletini:
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce apple liquor
½ ounce lemon juice
Use the same steps as the Cosmo but give it a couple of extra shakes. Then strain into a chilled martini glass and drop in a cherry.
Next, we’re having a Sex on the Beach!
Sex on the Beach:
1 ½ ounce vodka
½ ounce peach schnapps
Fill with equal parts cranberry and orange juice
This drink is nice and easy because you can make it right in the glass. Just garnish with an orange slice.
Let’s step it up a notch with the Gay Marine. It has a few more steps, but it’s easy enough for anyone to make.
Gay Marine:
1 ½ ounce Mount Gay Rum
½ ounce Grand Marnier
1 ounce apple juice
1 tbsp of sugar
4 lime wedges
3 mint leaves
In the bottom of a glass add the sugar, mint, limes, and Grand Marnier. Muddle them together. Then add ice and pour in the Mount Gay. Use a bar spoon or long spoon to mix all the ingredients together. Top with apple juice. It gives mojito with a twist!
For our last drink, we are going all-in with the Taste The Rainbow! If you’re familiar with this drink, don’t freak out. You’re a shining star already, babe, and don’t you doubt it! So let’s learn to layer. A bar spoon is required for this one.
Taste the Rainbow:
1 ounce grenadine
½ ounce peach schnapps
1 ½ ounce pineapple juice
1 ounce vodka
½ ounce Blue Curaçao
Start by pouring the grenadine at the bottom of a tall glass. Slowly spoon in some ice cubes. Be careful not to splash the grenadine up into the cup. Fill a shaker tin with ice and add the pineapple juice and peach schnapps. Shake it. Using your bar spoon, slowly pour this over the grenadine. Use the spoon to manage how slowly the pour is flowing. If you are new to this, slower is better. Then rinse the shaker and do the same thing with the Blue Curaçao and vodka. After shaking pour it into the glass using the same technique. Garnish with an orange slice and lime wheel.
And there you have five drinks to help you celebrate Gay Pride Month! You don’t have to be part of the LGBTQ+ community to enjoy these all summer long. So, raise your glass and your flag, and march on.
Happy Pride Month!
