The Birdcage Launches Community Cocktails In Partnership With Four Brighton Charities
Regulars outside The Birdcage on Marine Parade, Kemptown
The Birdcage on Marine Parade launched four new Community Cocktails on Thursday 17 September, with £5 from every £10 drink split equally between four Brighton charities: Queerwell, Lunch Positive, The Sussex Beacon and Trans Pride Brighton. The launch took place at an In Conversation with Juno Dawson event at the Kemptown venue, where the bestselling author discussed her life and work and sold paperbacks and hardbacks from her own collection for £5 and £8, with every penny from that book sale going directly to Trans Pride Brighton.
£5 from every Community Cocktail sold enters a shared community fund, which is then divided equally across all four partner organisations. That works out at £1.25 per drink reaching each charity, whichever of the four cocktails a guest chooses.
"The Birdcage was created to be more than somewhere to have a drink. It was built as a space where Brighton's LGBTQ+ community could feel welcome, celebrated and genuinely at home."
Sean Pettit-Scheepers, Managing Director, The Birdcage
Sean added that Brighton's LGBTQ+ venues have always been about more than nightlife, describing them as places where community is built, friendships are formed and people find a sense of belonging. He said Thursday's event brought all of that together, giving guests the chance to hear from an LGBTQ+ author, pick up a book at an accessible price, support Trans Pride Brighton and be among the first to try the new Community Cocktails.
The four Community Cocktails together, from left to right: Cherry Queerwell, Liquid Lunch, Beacon Blush and Trans Pride Punch
Four Cocktails, One Shared Fund
Each of the four Community Cocktails is inspired by one of the charity partners, though the £5 contribution from every drink is pooled and shared equally rather than kept for the named charity alone.
Cherry Queerwell (Cherry Bakewell)
Disaronno, cherry, raspberry and lime, served in a coupe with a cherry and toasted almond garnish. A sweet, sharp Cherry Bakewell style serve celebrating Queerwell's work supporting LGBTQ+ mental health and wellbeing. £10, with £5 shared across all four charities.
Cherry Queerwell, The Birdcage's cocktail celebrating Queerwell
Liquid Lunch (Spiced Apple)
Spiced rum, lime, mint and apple cider, served long over ice with an apple and mint garnish. A warming spiced apple serve celebrating the food, friendship and community created by Lunch Positive. £10, with £5 shared across all four charities.
Liquid Lunch, The Birdcage's cocktail celebrating Lunch Positive
Beacon Blush (Raspberry Tom Collins, alcohol free)
Alcohol-free gin, raspberry and lime, served long with a raspberry and lime wheel garnish. Fifty per cent of the price goes into the shared community fund. £10, with £5 shared across all four charities.
Beacon Blush, The Birdcage's alcohol-free cocktail celebrating The Sussex Beacon
Trans Pride Punch (Coyote Mule)
Vodka, lime, mint and ginger beer, served long with a mint and lime garnish. A zesty, fiery mule style serve celebrating Trans Pride Brighton and the city's trans, non-binary and intersex communities. £10, with £5 shared across all four charities.
The full Birdcage drinks menu, including the Community Cocktails alongside the rest of the bar's cocktail list, is at birdcagebar.com/drinks.
Trans Pride Punch, The Birdcage's cocktail celebrating Trans Pride Brighton
How The Community Fund Works
Where does the £5 go? £5 from every Community Cocktail sold is added to The Birdcage's community fund and divided equally across the four charity partners, working out at £1.25 each.
Does my chosen cocktail only support its named charity? No. Each cocktail celebrates one partner, but the £5 contribution is pooled and shared equally across all four.
Can I donate directly? Yes. Each charity has its own donation and website link below.
Will The Birdcage support other charities? The bar plans to keep using its Community page to signpost further Brighton charities and organisations, alongside the four current partners.
The Four Charity Partners
Queerwell
Celebrated by Cherry Queerwell. Queerwell is the national community-led mental health charity for people aged 18 and over who identify as LGBTQ+, offering therapy, coaching and workshops that are free or low cost, with a focus on those with the greatest need and the fewest resources.
Lunch Positive
Celebrated by Liquid Lunch. Lunch Positive runs weekly community lunches, drop-ins and support groups for people living with HIV across Brighton and beyond, creating peer-led spaces built around food, friendship and support.
The Sussex Beacon
Celebrated by Beacon Blush. For over 30 years The Sussex Beacon has provided specialist care and support for people living with HIV, including dedicated services for women and families, and is evolving to become the first dedicated LGBTQ+ hospice with a specialism in HIV in the UK.
Trans Pride Brighton
Celebrated by Trans Pride Punch. Trans Pride Brighton is the first and largest Trans Pride event outside America, running since 2013 and drawing over 10,000 people to what it describes as the largest trans liberation protest in Europe. The grassroots, volunteer-run organisation works to promote equality and eliminate discrimination against trans, non-binary, intersex, gender-variant and genderqueer people.
The Birdcage's own Community page, where all four charities and future partners are listed, is at birdcagebar.com/community.
What's On At The Birdcage This Autumn And Winter
The Birdcage has 69 upcoming events running from Friday 18 September through to 29 December, covering weekly Brighton Queer Social nights, Tuesday's Birdcage Bingo, Wednesday's Iconic Wednesdays, Thursday's R-U-SMARTINUFF nights and a rotating weekend line-up of cabaret and drag performers. Tap a month to see what's on.
The full, up to date events calendar is always live at birdcagebar.com/whats-on.
The Birdcage brings the drama outside as well as on stage
The Birdcage is an LGBTQ+ cocktail and cabaret bar in Kemptown, combining cocktails, drag and cabaret with community events to give Brighton's LGBTQ+ community, its allies and visitors to the city an inclusive space of their own.
The Birdcage is at 11 to 12 Marine Parade, Kemptown, Brighton BN2 1TL. Call 01273 435927 or email hello@birdcagebar.com to book a table or ask about private hire.
Visit The Birdcage's Community Page
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