
A roundup of our favourite Pleasure-themed drinks.
BY EMILY JOY MENESES
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Featured picture courtesy of Melynda Gallagher of Misplaced Shoe Brews
Anytime is an effective time to assist and uplift the LGBTQ+ neighborhood—however June is Pleasure Month in america, that means now’s an particularly nice time to take action. To have a good time Pleasure Month, which is supposed to honor the Stonewall Rebellion that happened in June of 1969, these espresso retailers have crafted quite a lot of artistic drinks: love letters to all the individuals, of all identities, who make the espresso world the colourful area that it’s.
Take pleasure in a Pleasure-Themed Flight at October Cafe
Chicago’s October Cafe is celebrating Pleasure Month with not one drink, however 4. “(Our store) is a year-round fall-themed café,” says Audrey Borden, who runs the espresso store together with her spouse, Michelle Gonzalez. “Every single day of the yr, (we) provide house-made pumpkin spice lattes, and each season, we additionally introduce a brand new espresso flight. This June, October Cafe is celebrating with a Pleasure Flight.”

The store’s Pleasure Flight comes with 4 cortado-sized drinks: Love (strawberry lemonade); Neighborhood (a lavender latte); Household (jasmine iced tea with peach and mango); and Pleasure (a ube and vanilla latte).
Sip on Rainbow-Impressed Drinks at Paper Aircraft Espresso Co.
Based mostly in Montclair, N.J., Paper Aircraft Espresso Co. is understood for providing artistic drinks year-round. “At (our store), we method specialty espresso the best way many method cocktails: It must be enjoyable … an expertise you possibly can’t simply get wherever,” says founder Jonathan Echeverry, a fifth-generation Colombian espresso grower. “We launch new drinks each month, impressed by popular culture, journey, and nostalgia, and for Pleasure Month, we wished to have a good time pleasure and inclusivity with a rainbow-inspired menu.”
The store’s Pleasure Menu consists of three drinks: Ruby Slippers (espresso with rainbow cookie syrup); Depraved Witch (matcha with rainbow cookie syrup); and Rainbow Connection (glowing matcha with rainbow sherbet syrup).

“We’re recognized for our playful, ever-changing drink menus and for crafting an expertise the place anybody can really feel welcome and impressed,” Jonathan says. “Pleasure Month is a stupendous alternative for us to lean even additional into these values, and to have a good time inclusivity by way of the artistic drinks we love making.”

Make a Toast to Pleasure Month with Misplaced Shoe Brews’ Cereal Milk Latte
Marlborough, Mass.’ Misplaced Shoe Brews shares that they’re presently donating $1 from each sale of their Cereal Milk Latte to OUT MetroWest: a fellow Massachusetts-based group devoted to supporting and empowering the LGBTQ+ neighborhood. The Cereal Milk Latte, which mixes Fruity Pebbles-infused milk with espresso, can also be out there as part of the store’s seasonal latte flight.

Misplaced Shoe Brews’ co-owner and roaster, Melynda Gallagher, shares that since final yr, the café has been holding a month-to-month Drag Bingo on the store and, later this month, will host Marlborough’s very first Pleasure Block Get together. “In Could 2024, we began working with some superb Queens to deliver (our) month-to-month Drag Bingo to the taproom, and (each occasion is) constantly offered out effectively prematurely of the occasion date,” Melynda says.
“Since we opened in 2019, we’ve centered our enterprise round neighborhood and creating an inclusive setting for our group and prospects,” Melynda continues. “We’ve immersed ourselves on this mindset, and it actually shapes how we make choices for our enterprise.”
Subsequent week, we’ll launch half two of this text to showcase extra espresso retailers throughout the U.S. and the drinks they’ve crafted in honor of Pleasure Month.
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