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DRINK THIS: PIÑA CO NADA AT CLASSY TRASH POP-UP
On Saturday, I led a group of 12 Lookout members on a mini-tasting tour at the Sweet Home Santa Cruz dessert festival. After sampling s’more croissants, collagen marshmallows, limoncello-soaked babá and blueberry crumble cookies, we were collectively blown away by a mocktail made by Santa Cruz pop-up Classy Trash.
The “Piña Co Nada” is a riff on a piña colada, and even though it lacked booze, it erased all memories of other pineapple-flavored cocktails from my brain. A sweet-tangy mixture of coconut cream, pineapple and lime juice was topped with soda water, and the glass was rimmed with coconut cream and shredded coconut. It was fun, refreshing and sweet without being cloying.
Classy Trash is run by career bartender Kate Palacio and her partner Erin Ellis, who wanted to insert some fun back into traditional bartending. The names of the drinks are irreverent and downright silly, but the mixology is serious.
Classy Trash is popping up at Motiv in downtown Santa Cruz this Saturday and Sunday for Pride weekend. Motiv was formerly known as Club Dakota, a gay bar, and on Saturday, Classy Trash will pop up from 4 to 9 p.m. at the temporarily renamed “Club Dyke-ota” for a lesbian and trans Pride event. “It’s a slur that I personally identify with. The whole event is about, ‘We’re here, we’re queer,’” said Palacio.
On Sunday, Motiv will get another rebrand into “Homo-tiv,” an “in-your-face community celebration.” This pop-up runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Both events are 21-plus.
Both events will feature cocktails and mocktails inspired by queer history and culture, including a super-femine cocktail with pink glitter, and another called the “Lavender Menace.” The Piña Co Nada will be available at both events. Prices range from $8 to $14 per drink.
“These events are super important to me,” said Palacio. “They are a moment for queer kids and adults to come together and say, ‘I see you.’”
More info on Instagram @classytrashbar.
BEST OF THE WEEK AHEAD
Below, find a curated list of the best food and drink events in Santa Cruz County for the coming week. At the top, I share my picks of unmissable local happenings.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
ICYMI – here are the food news stories from Lookout that you might have missed, plus important news from beyond our borders picked by yours truly.
- Farm-to-table trailblazer Jim Denevan returns to his roots with a dinner on Capitola Wharf (Lookout)
- Santa Cruz’s soda tax to be decided by court following lawsuit (Lookout)
- From Nice to Aptos: Lifelong friends launch new French café Emilie and the Frenchies (Lookout)
- Thank AI and billionaire dollars: Private dining rooms are going gangbusters in San Francisco (Eater SF)
