This San Antonio bar is selling a 'Koala Cocktail' to raise money for the Australia wildfires

One San Antonio bar is proving that making a difference can be fun, using alcohol to help raise money to help with the fallout from the devastating Australia wildfires.

The Green Lantern, a speakeasy-style bar on the North Side, is selling a new drink through the end of February with half the proceeds going to the Australian Red Cross and the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital.

“The drink has been blowing up, it has been great,” said Riamond Cordero, the bartender who invented the drink.

The Koala Cocktail, which sells for $12, is made with the bar’s house-infused spicy tequila, strawberry vodka and lime for a simply sweet drink with a little bit of heat.

READ ALSO: San Antonio Zoo creates Australia wildlife fund, matching the first $5k donated 

“The thing about this cocktail is not only is it going to a good cause, but you can’t get it anywhere else,” Cordero said. “Because we infuse our own liquor, you can’t just go to another bar and say ‘hey, can you make me that drink too?'”

With a sunset hue and a Tajin-lined rim, the cocktails are as eye-catching as they are delicious. The drinks even come with a paper Australian flag, floating on a dehydrated lime.

“But we also wanted something simple and easy so we could get the drinks out quickly because we want to have a lot of people ordering them so we can make a bigger donation,” she continued.

A highlight of the cocktail is the stuffed koala bear that “climbs” the stem of the glass that customers can take home. Cordero said the customers have been going crazy for the mini marsupial.

“People love it, we have had people on our Facebook page saying they want to come to San Antonio just for that,” Cordero said.

She said she came up with the drink after seeing the viral videos of people saving koalas from the wildfires and wanted to do something to help.

“I am an animal lover and we see the catastrophe while we are over here sitting in our nice bed in the AC while people and animals over there had to evacuate,” Coredero said. “And watching that, I just wanted to donate, but I wanted to do it on a bigger scale.”

So she and the bar’s general manager, Mike Sanmiguel, went to The Green Lantern’s owner to pitch him the idea and he loved it. She said they started selling the cocktail that night.

“I think this really sheds a light on what a bar can do and it feels good to be able to make a difference,” Cordero said.

Although the only promotion the drink had was through a Facebook post, the Koala Cocktail was so popular they sold out of stuffed koalas the next night.

“The feedback has been great, people just want to help and this shows the love they have for the cause,” Sanmiguel said. “Even after we ran out of koalas, people still wanted to donate and get the drink.”

Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, MySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway