Canned Cocktail Gay Water Aims To Right Bud Light's Lack Of LGBTQ+ Support

Available for purchase starting July 20, newly founded company Gay Water is releasing a line of sugarless pre-mixed vodka soda cocktails into the adult beverage market. Although the cans sport a psychedelic label and packaging meant to catch the eye with its Wonka-esque colors and graphics, the company's mission is one with serious intentions.

"We're creating a brand that creates representation, particularly in spaces where representation is lacking like liquor stores, bars, restaurants, and grocery stores," Gay Water founder Spencer Hoddeson told CNN. "Putting a product with the word gay in the title is representation itself," he stated, desiring to remove some harmful connotations attached to the phrase. The focus on visibility isn't exactly new in the food and beverage industry; there have been many pushes for more physical transparency, as with one notable New York City fine dining restaurant. But the more, the better.

Hoddeson, who is openly queer, also touched on the unveiling as a positive way to sidestep some of the recent backlash Bud Light has seen because of its association with social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney. However, Bud Light's quiet response to the matter is something the owner of Gay Water intends to address head-on. "The key issue that Bud Light tapped into was the fact that they didn't understand their core audience and know enough about them," he told CNN. "They just went silent, and I think in 2023, you have to be communicating, because people communicate themselves if they're not hearing from you."

Spencer Hoddeson's vision for the brand has been something he's been working on for a while, and he put a lot of thought into it. "I wanted to build something that is queer and part of the community, but isn't necessarily rainbows and unicorns that you see all around pride," he said to CNN. "Gay is an umbrella term, and the idea behind the brand is to be as inclusive as possible ... we want straight people to be a part of this community we're building."

Thanks to the following he garnered on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hoddeson crowd-funded the company. As a result, despite the appropriateness because of his online presence, Gay Water Vodka Soda is mainly available for purchase through the company's website. Still, a few brick-and-mortar merchants offer the product. (There's one distinct canned cocktail that people might be sipping on, but it doesn't seem to have the same social awareness.)

The beverage comes in four decorative canned flavors: watermelon, lime, grapefruit, and peach. Moreover, a container of six cans — lime is the only flavor that appears on the site — retails at $18.25 (although it's currently sold out), while a mixed pack within a 12-can case can be purchased for $36.50.