Good Taste leads you to eating well in the Bay Area. Your guide is a teetotaler, yet couldn’t help but notice that there are a number of drink specials for Pride Month whose proceed go to nonprofits, which were worthy of highlighting the month of June. So that’s why we’re raising a rare spirited glass—to share and toast these efforts!
JM! Pride Float at Starbelly
Starbelly (3583 16th Street, SF) will be serving a cute adult float made with bergamot, berry and citrus infused vodka, lemon, Fee foamer, and Fruity Pebbles and donating 10 percent of the proceeds to SF’s LYRIC Center for LGBTQQ+ Youth. The cocktail is a collaboration between Tito’s Vodka and eternal local drag goddess Juanita More!
Queen Bee at El Techo
El Techo (2516 Mission St., SF) will donate 10 percent of sales of the Queen Bee (Zacapa Dark Rum, pineapple juice, chocolate bitters, honey, and edible gold sparkles) to SF LGBTQ Youth Services. The rooftop restaurant will also host a Pride party with DJ Livv on June 22 from 1pm-4pm.
Pride Shake at Super Duper Burgers
Fruity Pebbles as ingredient is a popular choice for Pride Month drinks this year. The cereal beloved by all ages will appear in the Pride Shake (Fruity Pebbles, rainbow sprinkles, coffee cake crumble, and Straus’ organic vanilla soft serve ice cream) for the last two weeks of June at Super Duper Burgers (various Bay Area locations). It will come in kids and regular sizes, with 50 cents and $1, respectively, donated to the TGI Justice Project Black Trans Cultural Center.
Little Red Dress at Starlite
The top floor lounge once known in old San Francisco as Harry Denton’s is now the Starlite (450 Powell St., SF) in the also-new Beacon Grand Hotel. Starlite will serve the Little Red Dress (vodka, blood orange juice, Meyer lemon, simple syrup, dry sparkling wine, and luster dust) during Pride Month. 25 percent of the proceeds will be earmarked to donate to the Rainbow Honor Walk in the Castro, which currently enshrines 44 icons and could use financial assistance to develop and install the next 24 honorees’ plaques.
Here’s the recipe if you want to make the Little Red Dress at home, courtesy of Starlite (but of course go visit and contribute, too):
Starlite’s Little Red Dress
1.5 oz Vodka
1 oz Blood Orange Juice
.75 oz Meyer Lemon
.5 oz Simple syrup
1.5 oz Dry Sparkling Wine
Luster dust
Add all ingredients excluding the sparkling wine to a shaker and shake. Zest lemon over a cocktail coupe. Double strain over a coupe. Add sparkling wine and dust with luster.
Tamara will relaunch her California Eating project with a weekly newsletter on June 4.