Gay bars and cktail culture are at a historic crossroads. Will queer nightlife tch up to mastream venu' drks programs?
Contents:
- GAY WATER, A NEW NNED CKTAIL, WANTS TO BE THE ANTI-BUD LIGHT
- CANNED COCKTAIL GAY WATER AIMS TO RIGHT BUD LIGHT'S LACK OF LGBTQ+ SUPPORT
- GAY COCKTAIL IAS
- GAY BAR, MEET COCKTAIL BAR
- GAY THEMED COCKTAILS
- 12 ESSENTIAL GAY BARS AND RTRANTS SOUTH FLORIDA
GAY WATER, A NEW NNED CKTAIL, WANTS TO BE THE ANTI-BUD LIGHT
Lnchg Thursday is a brightly lored nned vodka and soda beverage lled Gay Water that proudly displays who ’s for, stead of backg off om support for the LGBTQ+ muny like Bud Light did. * cocktail gay friendly *
In a sea of nned cktails, Gay Water wants to stand out. In other words, where Bud Light has buckled unr prsure as bigotry grows agast the LGBTQ+ muny, Gay Water’s creator Spencer Hodson wants his new boozy brand to be the anthis of that. “The key issue that Bud Light tapped to was the fact that they didn’t unrstand their re dience and know enough about them,” Hodson, a gay man, told CNN about the ntroversy that began when the Anhser-Bch beer brand sent fluencer Dylan Mulvaney a n of beer.
Gay Water, however, is out and proud. The nned cktail is named after a lloquialism given to the popular mixed drk (vodka and soda) orred at bars by the gay muny. “Puttg a product wh the word gay the tle is reprentatn self,” which he hop reclaims the word om the negativy ’s sometim associated wh.
CANNED COCKTAIL GAY WATER AIMS TO RIGHT BUD LIGHT'S LACK OF LGBTQ+ SUPPORT
As we all know, there are untls cktails out there that everyone n enjoy. However, for those the LGBTQIA+ muny, n sometim be hard to fd cktails that reflect our liftyle and experienc. So, we've put together a list of some of our favore gay cktails, perfect for any ocsn! The first cktail * cocktail gay friendly *
He thought of creatg Gay Water about a year ago while on a vatn wh his iend that had got a job wh the beverage dtry. The two chatted about the limed amount of gay people wh , and wh Hodson burnt out om his tradnal day job tech, started the nned cktail. Hodson built up a strong social media followg on TikTok and Instagram durg Covid-19 and is g some of the money om that (as well as om iends and fay) to help fund Gay Water.
“Gay is an umbrella term and the ia behd the brand is to be as clive as possible, which means we want alli, we want straight people to be part of this muny we’re buildg.”.
For now, Gay Water is sold largely onle (wh a few retailers) and four sugar-ee flavors — watermelon, lime, peach and grapeu — at lnch. Gay Water might not have the ep pockets pared to s petors, like Whe Claw, but “even at small sle, pani of many siz are havg succs makg spir-based seltzers and premixed cktails,” Bryan Roth, an analyst for Feel Goods Company and edor of the alhol beverage newsletter, Sightl+, told CNN.
GAY COCKTAIL IAS
“There’s lots of space the spir-based seltzer tegory which Gay Water n play, pecially if the brand n offer a cultural or emotnal nnectn that will feel more excg than the prospect of another peapple-flavored vodka seltzer om natnal or ternatnal rporatns,” Roth said. Of urse, other drks e the word “gay,” too, cludg Gay Beer and So Gay Rosé, Hodson noted, which are also tryg to reach the queer muny and offer them an alternative the straight-domated space.
New York (CNN) — In a sea of nned cktails, Gay Water wants to stand out. “The key issue that Bud Light tapped to was the fact that they didn’t unrstand their re dience and know enough about them, ” Hodson, a gay man, told CNN about the ntroversy that began when the Anhser-Bch beer brand sent fluencer Dylan Mulvaney a n of beer.
“Puttg a product wh the word gay the tle is reprentatn self, ” which he hop reclaims the word om the negativy ’s sometim associated wh.
GAY BAR, MEET COCKTAIL BAR
“Gay is an umbrella term and the ia behd the brand is to be as clive as possible, which means we want alli, we want straight people to be part of this muny we’re buildg. Gay Water might not have the ep pockets pared to s petors, like Whe Claw, but “even at small sle, pani of many siz are havg succs makg spir-based seltzers and premixed cktails, ” Bryan Roth, an analyst for Feel Goods Company and edor of the alhol beverage newsletter, Sightl+, told CNN. “There’s lots of space the spir-based seltzer tegory which Gay Water n play, pecially if the brand n offer a cultural or emotnal nnectn that will feel more excg than the prospect of another peapple-flavored vodka seltzer om natnal or ternatnal rporatns, ” Roth said.
Of urse, other drks e the word “gay, ” too, cludg Gay Beer and So Gay Rosé, Hodson noted, which are also tryg to reach the queer muny and offer them an alternative the straight-domated space.
GAY THEMED COCKTAILS
This turn has led to a rponse of an altogether more lic variety: Gay Water, a new premium nned cktail brand packaged lorful ntaers and named after the slang term ed for vodka and soda water wh lemon or lime, a popular drk served gay bars. Gay Water offers four different varieti of sugar-ee, gluten-ee vodka and soda cktails bed wh var, well, uy flavorg agents: watermelon, peach, lime, and grapeu. Gay means happy.
Appearg time to take advantage of the nned cktail boom, Gay Water won't be direct petn wh Bud Light, which is a beer brand. Hodson, a gay man, is not only terted Gay Water appealg to LGTBQ+ nsumers, of urse. Available for purchase startg July 20, newly found pany Gay Water is releasg a le of sugarls pre-mixed vodka soda cktails to the adult beverage market.
"We're creatg a brand that creat reprentatn, particularly spac where reprentatn is lackg like liquor stor, bars, rtrants, and grocery stor, " Gay Water founr Spencer Hodson told CNN. "Puttg a product wh the word gay the tle is reprentatn self, " he stated, sirg to remove some harmful nnotatns attached to the phrase.
12 ESSENTIAL GAY BARS AND RTRANTS SOUTH FLORIDA
However, Bud Light's quiet rponse to the matter is somethg the owner of Gay Water tends to addrs head-on. Gay Water's flavors and where to fd them. "Gay is an umbrella term, and the ia behd the brand is to be as clive as possible...
As a rult, spe the appropriatens bee of his onle prence, Gay Water Vodka Soda is maly available for purchase through the pany's webse. This year they have also partnered wh Gay Pri Apparel which is a Mexin-Amerin and LGBTQ+ owned brand that foc on empowerment, pri, and thenticy for year-round pri.