Gay Men, We Have a Drkg Problem

Contents:

• IT’S HERE, IT’S QUEER: INTRODUCG GAY WATER, A LGBTQIA+ CANNED VODKA SODA BRAND AIMG TO DTIGMATIZE THE WORD GAY
• BEER IS SO GAY
• GAY FUEL
• WHAT IS THE GAYT DRK
• GAY THEMED COCKTAILS
• THE 42 BT GAY BARS AMERI
• THE FOUR GAYT COCKTAILS THE CASTRO
• GET OUT, DRK UP, AND CELEBRATE THE GAY-FRIENDLY HONEYMOON DTATNS
• WHAT MAK THIS BEER GAY?
• SOBER AT THE GAY BAR
• 9 MOUNT GAY RUM COCKTAILS TO MAKE AT HOME
• GAY MEN, WE HAVE A DRKG PROBLEM
• THE COCKTAILS OF GAY PRI! AHEM.
• A DRK FOR THE COMMUNY - GAY WATER
• HOW DIET COKE HELPED ME EMBRACE MY GAY INTY
• SHJU NICHOME: STRETCHG YOUR YEN THE GAYBORHOOD
• KEV SPACEY DEFENDS COMG OUT AS GAY AFTER BEG ACCED OF SEXUAL MISNDUCT: ‘I WAS UNR A LOT OF PRSURE’
• JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
• GAY, FABULO, AND DRKG MYSELF TO DEATH
• TANK SHUTS DOWN HOMOPHOBIC HATERS, RPONDS TO PERFORMG AT GAY PRI EVENTS

IT’S HERE, IT’S QUEER: INTRODUCG GAY WATER, A LGBTQIA+ CANNED VODKA SODA BRAND AIMG TO DTIGMATIZE THE WORD GAY

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. 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.”.

BEER IS SO GAY

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.

GAY FUEL

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. This cholate vanilla vodka marti is a ky homage to California’s first openly gay elected official and arguably the most famo Amerin LGBT polician: Harvey Milk. The fn of “gay” means “happy, ” yet over the years perceptn of the word shifted to negative as people began g as a disparagg term for people and thgs.

WHAT IS THE GAYT DRK

“There has been a distct lack of LGBTQ+ reprentatn the alhol dtry, but Gay Water aims to change this, ” says Spencer Hodson, Founr and CEO of Gay Water. The name of the brand fs the product sce the term ‘gay water’ has been known wh the queer muny for some time now as a lloquialism for a vodka soda. There are several brands jog on the love cludg Gay Beer, Supergay Vodka and Drag Superstar RuPl’s le of nned cktails and mocktails, Hoe of Love.

GAY THEMED COCKTAILS

Gay Beer, Dyke Beer, and Queer Brewg are among the emergg group of beer producers that are centerg queer inty and queer muny, whether by highlightg queer brewers, donatg some profs to queer chari, or creatg queer third spac — munal spac distct om home and work — at a time when they’re disappearg. The pair were spired while drkg at Juli’, a historic gay bar New York Cy that was the se of early “sip-” protts, where gay men would drk at bars that refed to serve homosexuals. Together, they were tryg to figure out why there wasn’t already a beer posned more for queer people, which led Moore and Pazmo to realize that gay beer was a project they uld take on themselv themselv.

“A lot of bars are not wantg to say they’re lbian bars, they’re wantg to say they’re queer bars — but a lot of gay male bars keep sayg they’re gay male bars, ” she says. For Moore and Pazmo, that meant an “Amerina whout the Amerin flag” sign, somethg that reflected the athetics of Juli’ Bar, and the gay men of the ’60s who participated the “sip ” protts.

Wae says, “Many were pleased to see the lnch of somethg actively tryg to make change wh a stagnant and homogeno dtry, and queer and trans folk were pleased to see somethg that reprented them a way that hadn’t been done before.

THE 42 BT GAY BARS AMERI

Whatever your drk of choice, there is sure to be a gay bar or club that ters to your history of gay drksThe term “gay drk” is believed to origate om the late 19th century when was ed to scribe drks that were associated wh homosexualy. However, what is clear is that the term “gay drk” has been ed for many years to scribe drks that are associated wh bt gay drksThere’s no sgle answer to the qutn of what the gayt drk is. Others might say that the gayt drk is anythg that’s served a marti glass, bee martis are tradnally seen as a “ classy”, others might say that the gayt drk is anythg that’s brightly lored or uy, bee those are the kds of drks that are often associated wh queer culture.

And then there are those who would say that the gayt drk is simply whatever mak you happy and gets you the mood to the end of the day, there’s no wrong answer to the qutn of what the gayt drk is.

THE FOUR GAYT COCKTAILS THE CASTRO

So whether you’re lookg for a drk that’s classic, uy, or jt pla fun, there’s sure to be a gay drk out there that’s perfect for worst gay drksThe gayt drk is the one that mak you the most unfortable. Whether you’re at a gay bar or not, now you know how to orr a drk that will let your ner fabulons she to drk a gay drkThe gayt drk is the one that mak you feel the most fabulo. Whether ’s a uy cktail or a sparklg glass of champagne, the gayt drk is the one that mak you feel like the queen or kg of the how do you fd the gayt drk for you?

GET OUT, DRK UP, AND CELEBRATE THE GAY-FRIENDLY HONEYMOON DTATNS

However, the drks mentned above are some of the most popular choic amongst the LGBT+ muny, and are a good place to start if you are lookg for somethg to drk at a gay bar or event. When the bar fally reopened Sprg 2022, an entire borough’s worth of gays celebrated by floodg the new back pat all summer and Gger’s has been crowd wh queers ever sce.

It began s life as a beer-and-we offshoot of the Metropolan Health Club, a gym that opened 1983 to serve the gay ctomers who’d been bullied out of other lol clubs at the height of AIDS hysteria. While you won’t fd any Pri flags at Farraguts, you will undoubtedly hear Cele Dn and Melissa Etheri blarg om the bar’s dty, old jebox and, hontly, isn’t that jt as gay? Live out your Brokeback Mounta fantasi at this verno club, where wboy stum are not nsired drag, and le dancg is not an explic exprsn of homophobia.

A gay gatherg spot sce 1939, and gay bar sce 1963, and the Bar Complex sce the 80s, s unassumg exterr beli a triple-threat treat of lounge, performance space, and a mirrored dance club reportedly moled after Stud 54. ) The glorly lively bar and rtrant scene is enhanced by a black box theater downstairs, where farcil plays, lbian standup, and gay dance troup reign.

WHAT MAK THIS BEER GAY?

If you want to get away om the typil scene at fellow gay bars Olly’s and Gregs Our Place, English Ivy is an ial place to meet iends: mature enough for a proper Ladi Lunch (or bnch or dner.

They are stars the makg and their rendn of Cele Dn’s “It’s All Comg Back to Me Now” will shatter your pt glass and break your ltle, gay heart. It’s not a gay bar the tradnal sense, but a place where traed pianists play selectns om Broadway shows and all of the drama teachers and mil theater majors of the tri-state area nverge to sg along.

It was the se of an early gay-liberatn “sip ” 1966, years before Stonewall, and has been a low-key haven ever sce, wh a diverse clientele, a small menu, classic cktails, and an extensive (and packed) 4:00-7:00 happy hour.

SOBER AT THE GAY BAR

The origal was burned down an anti-gay hate-crime a few years back, but the revival has jt opened across the street and is bigger and better, wh a new performance space. CourtyWashgton DC: TraIn a town where n feel like every other bar is crawlg wh Capol Hill staffers lookg to talk shop, Tra is the rare, glorly gay dive where absolutely everyone is wele to jt kick back. Lbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgenr Pri Month, known simply as Pri Month, is celebrated each June to memorate the 1969 Stonewall rts Manhattan.

9 MOUNT GAY RUM COCKTAILS TO MAKE AT HOME

The ntral spir has been embraced by gay clubs and personali, cludg drag performers and disc jockeys whose appearance fe rise tanm wh the drks sold at the bar. She may be referrg here to vodka as iendly fuel for those seekg to atta the “gay gym body, ” an ial, advertisg-driven physique of the morn gay man that renrs some “lerally willg to die early jt to look like an unrwear mol, ” Tyler Curry wr Advote. And at the Newport-leg of this year’s Volvo Ocean Race — one of the most challengg and prtig profsnal sailg events the world — Mount Gay was the clear m of choice among the sailg set.

Black Barrel ManhattanMount Gay Black Barrel is a harmon blend of oaky vanilla, spice, and sweet not—and the perfect foundatn for a knockout Manhattan. 1 part lime juice2 parts simple syp3 parts Mount Gay Black Barrel4 parts waterBtersFrh ground nutmegCombe all gredients a cktail shaker wh ice. Stra to an ice-filled rocks glass, add a few dash of bters, and top wh h nutmeg to Old FashnedA simple twist on a storied cktail, this old fashned featur Mount Gay XO—a plex m aged for at least 8 years oak bourbon barrels.

GAY MEN, WE HAVE A DRKG PROBLEM

In honor of Pri Month, I brg you a roundup of four of the "gayt" cktails I uld fd around the Castro – where, by the way, ntrast to prev s, 's not so impossible to get a well ma drk no, there's nothg pecially gay about the drks, apart om a uple of the nam and referenc (OK, the last one is jt pla gay, you guys). 2124 Market Big Un at Hi TopsLeave to the gay muny to open a sports bar wh a cktail program, and Hi Tops' drks are better than they need to be for this mostly vodka- and beer-drkg crowd. The Raspberry Kiss at Eureka Rtrant & LoungeThis one is probably the gayt of all the drks on the list, stereotypilly speakg, but let's not go there.

The bt plac to go on a honeymoon or romantic getaway wh your ImagGetty ImagEven though ’s bee rehgly monplace to see LGBTQ travelers noodlg on airplan, cise ships, and tropil beach, proudly strollg hand--hand, n be even more relaxg to vis particularly gay-iendly statns. While Mae don’t attract the same gay-iendly fame as Provcetown, s quat beach towns and charmg lodg make a servg honeymoon statn where you n slow down, breathe some sea air, and share a lobster roll together, Lady and the Tramp-style.

S Cy might be famo for s bchery, but the inic vatn statn is also a gay-iendly mec filled wh drag shows, gay bars, and ncert rinci om gay favor like Cher, Gwen Stefani, and Shania Twa. Home to numero LGBTQ-iendly hotel brands (like the Luxor and Wynn Las Vegas), honeymoon-worthy rtrants, theater shows, and nightclubs (like Piranha Nightclub Las Vegas’ gayborhood, the F Loop), this is the kd of cy that’ll keep you on a soarg high long after the weddg and receptn have end.

THE COCKTAILS OF GAY PRI! AHEM.

Disney World has long been an advote of gay rights, stockg s stor wh tons of Pri merch, hostg same-sex upl for s “Fairy Tale Weddgs” packag, and appotg an openly gay print. As I wre this lumn, I’m stg the middle of Northampton, Massachetts, once emed “the lbian pal of the world” and now home to a btlg LGBTQ+ (lbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, + the wi spectm of inti between) muny.

A DRK FOR THE COMMUNY - GAY WATER

Meang, the worri created when we’re tght to thk bary terms like male or female, vaga or penis, gay or straight, are often migated by the eedom that n be felt when we jt give ourselv permissn to be who we are, how we are. | Majcule WeJeff Davis and Greg BrickeyCo-owners/wemakers, Majcule We“We are a gay, married uple, ” says Jeff Davis, one half of the hband-hband team behd Napa’s Majcule We. ”Courty of Josh DelongonJosh DelongonSommelier and -founr of Endls Wt Spirs“I remember brgg a we textbook to a dg class and readg about the cs of Bejolais stead of whatever else we were learng that day, ” says gay Filipo-Canadian sommelier Josh Delongon, reflectg on the wdg trajectory that led to his current rol as -founr of spirs pany Endls Wt and manager of Blackwell's W and Spirs San Francis.

HOW DIET COKE HELPED ME EMBRACE MY GAY INTY

” Whether he’s guidg folks toward unexpected purchas at the shop or, more famoly, makg hilar—not to mentn super rmative—vios on Instagram as @sommeligay, Delongon is on a missn to queer the we world jt about every way possible. ”“In the world of stereotypil ‘gay’ jobs, pleasure-centric reers like drag queens, fashn signers, or mm curators, we never name the sommelier, the flavor analogue of such exampl, ” m Delongon.

Don’t get me wrong, I love others revery, they help keep me sober, but my mid-20s I still sometim want to dance to bad pop mic wh other gay people. The swashbucklg spir is produced Barbados, the easternmost island of the Wt Indi; the olst survivg ed for the pany is om 1703, makg Mount Gay Rum the world’s olst mercial m distillery. So while we n’t exactly island explore or sail the high seas durg a global panmic, we round up 9 Mount Gay Rum cktail recip to brg the spir of Barbados to your home bar.

SHJU NICHOME: STRETCHG YOUR YEN THE GAYBORHOOD

This cktail ptur the sence of the famo beach featurg Mount Gay Eclipse, which boasts not of vanilla and banana wh unrlyg not of ramel, summer u, and spice. Mixed wh lime, grenade, and fun othy egg whe, the drk is based wh Mount Gay Black Barrel, which boasts not of wood and butter balanced wh dried u and spic. Inspired by the tradnal Barbadian punch, this cktail b the robt and bold Mount Gay Black Barrel wh zgy flavors like grapeu, gger, and green mt tea.

KEV SPACEY DEFENDS COMG OUT AS GAY AFTER BEG ACCED OF SEXUAL MISNDUCT: ‘I WAS UNR A LOT OF PRSURE’

" In a society where beg homosexual was taboo, not to mentn illegal, those on the LGBT spectm gathered small bars across the untry where they would drk, let down their exterr fens, and miserate wh the people who accepted them for who they really were.

The mic, the style, and the laws agast homosexualy have all changed, but that drk is still to today, s after the first brick was thrown at Stonewall, years after the 1990s brought gay characters to the mastream media, and months after same-sex marriage beme a right to all LGBT Amerins, the fn of gay culture is now limbo.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

Only problem, however, is that the roundg prence of alhol leadg up to this historic LGBT moment history has given him a b of a drkg no mistake, the lic, grty, and nt history of the gay bar is a betiful one. I cut my teeth on cherry vodka sours well before I turned 21 at a rickety gay bar lled Moby Dicks, sneakg to the si door and tryg not to look the bartenr the eye.

But there is this notn that by leavg the gay waterg hol and regnizg the stctive nature of bge drkg as you grow up, you are somehow rebg gay culture and "normalizg" to hetero the Slate article "The Gay Bar. However, this article reprents a popular belief that the substance of the gay ghetto and gay culture is wang jt bee gay bars are no longer the sgular avenu for our liv.

GAY, FABULO, AND DRKG MYSELF TO DEATH

Que ankly, the evolutn of morn gay life will only crease the prence of gay culture, as more men and women feel fortable exprsg their inty the way they stead of fightg to keep this boomg bar culture alive, younger generatns are champng new avenu and experienc that allow for gay men and women to navigate other areas of adulthood, wh their LGBT inti firmly tact.

TANK SHUTS DOWN HOMOPHOBIC HATERS, RPONDS TO PERFORMG AT GAY PRI EVENTS

And whether you like or not, 's time to take a sober look at the health of the LGBT urse, alhol e and abe isn't unique to gay, bisexual, and trans people, but has e to be one of our most regnizable tras.