INTRODUCING: Queer Vodka, supporting Bloomington Pride
Erica Sagon
Who are these good-looking humans? Bloomington PRIDE board members (L to R): Kyle Hayes, Justin Ford, Kristina Simmonds and Sarah Gordon.
What does rainbow-infused vodka taste like?
Come find out on Thursday, when we release Queer Vodka, a special-label vodka by Cardinal Spirits in support of Bloomington PRIDE.
The bottles, sold at the distillery only, are $25 each and 10 percent of sales will be donated to Bloomington PRIDE. Join the flock and be the first to get your hands on a bottle at Birds of a Feather: A Fundraiser for Bloomington PRIDE this Thursday, July 16, from 5-10pm at Cardinal Spirits. The event is open to the public and a $5 donation is suggested.
We'll have a special fundraising cocktail, too, called The Scarlet Macaw, made with vodka, our housemade Redbird Elixir and pineapple juice.
Did we really infuse this vodka with rainbows? We did shine light through a prism and into the vodka. Turns out, that doesn't impart any flavor, but it does make the vodka fabulous.
Bloomington is lucky to have an incredible organization like PRIDE, which puts on two major events annually: a film festival in the winter and Summerfest in the ... summer.
Sarah Perfetti, the executive director of Bloomington PRIDE, says the Queer Vodka money will be used to fund the 2nd annual Summerfest on Aug. 29. The celebration features a parade, entertainment, local food and drinks, and educational workshops — and PRIDE is hoping to make it even more festive this year.
"The reason to grow it is to have an awesome, fun celebration for queer history," Sarah says. "One thing our festival does — and I've never seen this done at another pride festival — is offer educational workshops."
One workshop, organized by Bloomington PRIDE's youth community, will focus on gender and will address using correct pronouns. Another will be about activism and how to support minority groups within the LGBTQ community.
Sarah points out that it's been a roller coaster of a year, swooping from the lows of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to the highs of same-sex marriage equality. And there's still a lot of work to do. But, overall, it feels like it's time to celebrate, she says.
"I really love that our organization has so much support from local business," Sarah says. "We have something that's beautifully branded and labeled that shows we're engaged in the community. I feel like this is really timely."
You'll also be able to order drinks make with Queer Vodka at The Back Door starting soon.
Raise a glass and toast to friends and family, LGBTQ allies and activists and everyone fighting the good fight. Thanks for supporting Bloomington PRIDE!