SPREADING THE LOVE
O’Niell’s adds to its Pride Day celebration with Northeast Heights event
O’Niell’s Heights wants to give the LGBTQ community another venue option to celebrate Albuquerque Pride Day.
“Pride has pretty much been an up-and-down Central event,” said Jeff Trent, O’Niell’s Heights chef and general manager. “… But we have quite a few people in the LGBT community up in the Heights as well, and they were just saying they weren’t going down for the crowd they were kind of lamenting that nothing was going on up here, so we decided to have kind of like a little soiree for our LGBT brothers and sisters up here in the Heights.”
Trent wrangled some special beers for the event, and special cocktails will be offered for Pride Day on Saturday, June 9.
“We ended up talking with the people from Delaware’s Dogfish Head (Brewery) and they had an awesome beer called Dragons & YumYums, and then they hooked me up with an infuser, and basically, we are going to infuse it with pear and edible glitter to be fabulous,” Trent said. “And then I also brought in some luster dust, which is another form of edible glitter, to try to make really cool patio-friendly really vibrant cocktails for all of our patrons.”
Colorado’s Ska Brewing Co. is sending a freshly brewed Pink Vapor Stew, a sour that features Citra and Belma hops combined with beets, carrots, ginger and apples. The cocktails are Cherry Bomb, created with cherry vodka, grenadine, lime and sprite; the Purple Unicorn, made with vodka, Blue Curaçao, grapefruit and pineapple; Pride Punch, concocted with Midori, Blue Curaçao and Malibu rum; the Rainbow Kilt, made with Bullet Rye, lemon and tonic water; and the Yaasssss Cocktail, which features Captain Morgan spiced rum, Malibu rum and pineapple.
A Rainbow Banh-Mi food special also will be available. There will be a 20 percent food discount for patrons dressed in their most “fabulous” Pride attire, according to Trent. Swag and giveaways will be part of the event.
“O’Niell’s in Nob Hill has always been like a waypoint for the Pride parade, but we’ve been kind of on an island up here,” Trent said. “Some of the guests (have been) lamenting if they don’t want to fight the crowds for the parade they would still like to feel some love up in the Heights, so I just took it upon myself to make sure that we can do that.”