How the vodka soda became 'gay water'

Late last year, 33-year-old Justin Ruka of Orlando met a flight attendant at a gay bar. About a month later, Ruka saw a familiar face coming down the aisle during an Alaska Airlines flight to San Francisco. 

The flight attendant needed only one guess to know what Ruka was drinking. In a flash, Ruka's tray had two tiny bottles of Tito's vodka, a can of seltzer water and a lime flavoring packet. Voila: vodka soda.

"It's kind of cliche," Ruka said of his drink, but "it was a really nice way to kick off that trip."

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

The so-called "gay water" has created business opportunities for entrepreneurs ranging from local bar owners to canned cocktail makers.

Multiple gay-identifying men told CNBC that the drink is their go-to because it's low in sugar and calories. It can also lead to less of a hangover compared with alternatives, such as tequila or gin, they said. Some add a lime wedge or a splash of cranberry juice to their vodka water for extra flavor.

There's little recent data on LGBTQ+ consumers and specific alcohol preferences, despite some showing a higher propensity to spend in the category as a whole. But anecdotal evidence or a peek inside a gay bar prove the drink's unique popularity.

"It's something that you see everywhere," said Lucas Hilderbrand, a film and media studies professor at the University of California, Irvine. He documented gay drinking establishments across the country in his 2023 book "The Bars Are Ours."

Just look at the listing for "gay water" in the online Urban Dictionary, which explains slang. It