How vodka soda became ‘gay water’ | Wilnesh News

Late last year, Justin Ruka, 33, of Orlando, met a flight attendant at a gay bar. About a month later, Rucka was on an Alaska Airlines flight to San Francisco when he saw a familiar face walking down the aisle.

The flight attendants only had to guess what Ruka was drinking. In the blink of an eye, two small bottles of Tito’s vodka, a can of soda, and a packet of lime relish appeared on Ruca’s tray. Vodka: vodka soda.

“It’s a little cliche,” Rucka said of his drink, but “it’s a really good way to start the trip.”

The combination of soda and vodka has long been a part of LGBTQ+ drinking life, especially among gay men. Over time, it has become a cultural touchpoint and somewhat of an inside joke within the community.

So-called “gay water” has created business opportunities for entrepreneurs ranging from local bar owners to canned cocktail makers.

Multiple gay men told CNBC that the drink is their go-to drink because it’s low in sugar and calories. They say it can also reduce hangovers compared to alternatives like tequila or gin. Some people add lime wedges or cranberry juice to their vodka water for extra flavor.

There is little recent data on LGBTQ+ consumers and specific alcohol preferences, although some data suggest higher tendency Spend on the entire category. But anecdotal evidence or glimpses inside gay bars attest to the drink’s unique popularity.

“It’s happening everywhere,” said Lucas Hilderbrand, a professor of film and media studies at the University of California, Irvine. His 2023 book “The Bar Is Ours” documented gay drinking venues across the country.

Just look Checklist “Gay Water” from Urban Dictionary Online, which explains the slang. It’s called a vodka soda with lemon or lime on the side, calling the concoction “the perfect way to get good energy and a slimmer waistline” for queer men.

This libation has been the subject of countless memes and jokes on social media platforms like Instagram and X. “. Posts on X. Its daytime counterpart, he said, is Diet Cola.

Some legends center on the notoriously heavy pours of drinks by bartenders at gay venues. Waters said that at a recent Pride Month event in a typically “straight” venue, a friend suggested that Waters’ vodka soda might be stronger at an LGBTQ+ bar.

Hildebrand said the soda in the drink is the successor to tonic water, which was popular in these establishments before 2000. In the 1980s cult classic Heathers, for example, a bottle of mineral water is left as a clue to convince the police that two dead football players were lovers.

In the meantime, vodka has been the community’s spirit of choice, Hildebrand said. This may be partly related to Decades of work by vodka producers Market directly to LGBTQ+ consumers, he said.

At Henry’s Upstairs in Lawrence, Kansas, the cocktail version of this drink, “Gay Ice Water,” is undoubtedly the best-seller.

For $9, customers can get a combination of lemongrass vodka, chamomile tea vermouth, sherry, elderflower and lime sour. The drink is pre-mixed in a keg, then poured over ice and topped with homemade tonic water.

“We wanted to elevate it with a vodka soda,” said owner Mary Holt. “People just fell in love with it.”

Her team was aware of the gay water moniker when they named the drink, but they also thought the advocacy angle was important. When Holt brings a gay ice bucket to outside events, she said, its name asks Kansans to acknowledge queer people in an era when LGBTQ+ rights are increasingly becoming a right. Political football.

Understanding the popularity of vodka soda in their community, LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs made the drink a canned cocktail gain favor.

World of Wonder, the production company behind the competition show “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” launches “vodka soda citrusEarlier this year, canned cocktails.

“People call it the Gay Super Bowl,” said Tom Campbell, “Wonderland’s” development executive and the show’s executive producer.

The company’s “Love Home” division offered samples at show watch parties across the country. Campbell said this kicked off a market-by-market strategy, with the team building retail presence in communities where gay bars already hosted such events.

But beyond a location bustling with gay life, he said, there are opportunities. The growing popularity of drag brunches has created new entry points in communities across the country not typically considered queer havens. He said contestants on the show are “built-in” influencers for the product, which can also be purchased online.

Campbell said non-LGBTQ+ consumers often follow trends in their community, whether they realize it or not. This could mean that brands or drinks that this group currently enjoys can gain wider appeal in the future.

“Queer culture is pop culture, and pop culture is queer culture,” he said. “Our show is kind of at the forefront of what people think, say, dress, act and drink.”

Retail is also core to the business gay water, a startup offering vodka soda canned cocktails. While founder Spencer Hoddeson admits the name may not ring a bell to those outside the LGBTQ+ community, he says it’s important to “create dialogue” in the aisles with an unabashedly queer brand. important.

“Representation in media has always been a big topic as a community,” Hodson said. “But what about the representation of your grocery store or liquor store—the places where people hang out?”

Since launching the brand in July, Hoddeson has put the product on the shelves of retail chains Total Wine & More and BevMo. Gay water also available within New York City limits Via Gopuff or shipping to most states.

Hodson said he has had challenges attracting investors who view LGBTQ+ consumers as a “question mark.” His brand emerged shortly after the economic collapse Bud LightA relationship with a transgender influencer has shocked the alcohol and marketing industries.

But he said the company also feels a “halo effect” as an openly queer-owned brand. One way this is accomplished is that allies will express their solidarity by purchasing the product given its connection to the community.

Other brands have jumped on the canned vodka soda trend, including Kylie Jenner’s Sprinter line and boston beeris a real brand. But Hodson said he hopes shoppers will choose items with a socially conscious mission. For Gay Water, that currently takes the form of donating product to fundraising events related to LGBTQ+ causes, he said. Neither Sprinter nor Boston Beer responded to CNBC’s request for comment.

Both House of Love and Gay Water products have an alcohol content of 4%. The former’s vodka soda Citrus contains 100 calories per can, while Gay Water contains 80 calories per can.

Beverage makers aren’t the only ones focusing on the LGBTQ+ community and capitalizing on the cultural cachet of drinks. Specialty retailer The Gay Bar Shop sells an 11-ounce, $49 candle that smells like vodka soda and comes with a lime garnish.

product Checklist Kudos to its inspiration: “Instead of spending $12 in a crowded bar, light this candle and reminisce in the scent of the greatest drink of all time.”