Show summary Hide summary
This June — Pride Month 2026 — consider where your dollars land when you raise a glass. Across the U.S., a growing number of alcohol labels founded or led by LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs are pairing craftsmanship with community investment, from small-batch tequilas to ready-to-drink spritzes that support nonprofit work year-round.
These producers often blend technical skill with explicit social missions: some donate proceeds, others fund community programs, and several are reimagining sustainable practices in spirits production. Below, 12 queer-owned brands to know now — quick snapshot followed by why each matters.
- Reyalibre — small-batch tequila with a clear Pride message and international medals.
- Anytime Spritz — regenerative-organic gin, vodka and canned spritzes.
- Remy Wines — Oregon winemaker active in queer wine community building.
- Gay Water — low-calorie, canned vodka sodas with playful branding.
- Gay Beer — lager brewed to welcome women and LGBTQ+ drinkers.
- Supergay Spirits — craft vodka and gin with organic ingredients and charity commitments.
- Social Hour Cocktails — bartender-developed canned cocktails made in New York.
- Saint Luna Moonshine — American-style moonshine led by queer founders and recognized by critics.
- Future Gin — California-inspired gin from a women- and queer-founded team.
- Republic Restoratives — politically minded spirits with creative bottle design and activism ties.
- Apuesto — tequila born from Latino and queer cultural roots, aged in Napa barrels.
- So Gay Rosé — rosé and chardonnay created to reclaim language and support youth LGBTQ+ services.
Los Angeles taqueria wows with carne asada: diners form long lines
Snickers shake craze surges: cafes racing to add it to menus
Reyalibre
Launched in Atlanta by Erica Jones and Asiaa Karriem, Reyalibre positions itself as a tequila that reflects personal identity as much as terroir. The brand name combines Spanish roots that nod to authenticity and freedom — ideas central to the founders’ vision.
Reyalibre’s lineup has earned industry recognition, with medals from regional competitions and a Silver at a bartending-focused spirits contest. The blanco is noted for an earthy start that opens into sweeter agave tones; the distilled spirit is also aerated to soften heat on the finish. Each bottle bears a visible pride flag, part of the brand’s ongoing community commitment.
Anytime Spritz
Anytime couples spirits with soil stewardship: the founders, Maddy Rotman and Taylor Lanzet, work with an upstate New York farm to source regenerative-organic grain for their gin and vodka. That approach aims to preserve soil health while producing flavorful base spirits.
The gin favors dry, herb-driven notes — think thyme, juniper and basil — while the vodka is described as earthy and aromatically controlled thanks to a copper hybrid pot still. The brand also offers canned spritzes with inventive profiles such as Herby Lime Fizz, Yuzu Ginger Punch and Cranberry Amaro Splash.
Remy Wines
Winemaker Remy Drabkin, a longtime Oregon vintner and former mayor of McMinnville, founded Remy Wines in 2006 and has since helped build queer wine networks in the region. She co-created Wine Country Pride and launched the Queer Wine Fest to create space for LGBTQ+ consumers and professionals.
Remy Wines produces a range of Old World–styled bottles, including a sparkling blanc de noir and Tuscan-inspired blends. The brand operates a tasting room in the Dundee Hills, offering both retail and community-facing programming.
Gay Water
Gay Water, started by Spencer Hoddeson, is a line of canned vodka sodas that keep things simple: four core flavors, roughly 80 calories per can, zero sugar and minimal ingredients. Its colorful packaging and candid tone helped it win best ready-to-drink cocktail honors at a notable industry awards event in 2023.
The brand intentionally reclaims a colloquial nickname for vodka soda and uses it to normalize queer visibility in mainstream beverage culture beyond seasonal attention.
Gay Beer
Founded by Jon Moore and Jason Pazmino in 2018, Gay Beer was created to challenge assumptions about who drinks beer. Brewed in upstate New York, the lager uses Vienna malt for a subtle sweetness and Mandarina Bavaria hops for citrusy lift, resulting in a light, approachable pint pitched at LGBTQ+ drinkers and allies alike.
Supergay Spirits
Sommelier Aaron Thorp and creative director Tom Jackson built Supergay around joie de vivre and craft integrity. The brand distills vodka from organic corn and other small-batch ingredients, and it donates a share of profits to LGBTQ+ organizations.
Supergay’s vodka has been singled out for cocktails such as the dirty martini, and the label also produces Fire Island Gin — infused with local kelp — plus ready-to-drink offerings like a cosmopolitan and a ginger mule.
Social Hour Cocktails
Bartender Tom Macy and mixologist Julie Reiner turned their barroom experience into a range of premium canned cocktails. Made in New York with local spirits, the lineup spans crowd-pleasers (mango passionfruit margarita, whiskey mule) to more unusual expressions (cucumber matcha mojito, pink peppercorn Paloma).
The products aim to deliver a bar-quality cocktail at home without sacrificing ingredient transparency.
Saint Luna Moonshine
Saint Luna began in 2019 and later added Aubrey Slater as a partner and chief brand development officer; Slater was recognized among Wine Enthusiast’s Future 40 in 2022. The spirit itself blends notes of rye and molasses and undergoes charcoal filtration for a cleaner mouthfeel.
Saint Luna has picked up awards and publishes cocktail recipes that stretch the spirit’s versatility — from spicy hot-chocolate–infused serves to citrus-driven punches.
Future Gin
Created by four friends with deep food-and-drink backgrounds, Future Gin channels California influences into a dry gin flavored with Meyer lemon, honeysuckle and grape leaf alongside classic botanicals. The brand is marketed as gluten-free and vegan, and it donates a portion of profits to social-justice causes.
Republic Restoratives
Describing itself as “inclusive but opinionated,” Republic Restoratives uses spirits and packaging to make cultural statements. Owner Pia Carusone has produced bottles that honor public figures and progressive values — examples include a pepper-forward Dissent Gin and a blended “Madam Whiskey” crafted as a tribute to the first female BIPOC vice president.
The company has crowdfunded its growth and directs some proceeds to trans and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups while earning awards for its bourbon and brandy releases.
Apuesto
Launched in 2023 by Josue Montes in collaboration with a Mexican distillery, Apuesto is a reposado tequila aged in Napa Valley cabernet French oak. The spirit is a lowland expression with herbal, floral notes and no added sugars or colors, intended to reflect Montes’s dual commitment to Latino culture and queer identity.
So Gay Rosé
So Gay Rosé began as a deliberate act of reclamation. Tim Chan — together with ally Josh Campbell — created the label to invert the insult “so gay” into a playful, affirmative brand. The portfolio includes both a rosé and a chardonnay; the rosé tends toward grapefruit and berry notes while the chardonnay leans pear and stone-fruit.
A portion of sales supports The Trevor Project, tying a lifestyle product directly to youth-focused LGBTQ+ services.
Beyond labels and slogans, supporting these brands carries practical outcomes: it channels money to queer entrepreneurs, widens representation in an industry that still favors legacy players, and in many cases funds causes or sustainable practices. If you’re buying for Pride this month — or simply expanding your home bar — consider choosing producers that pair product quality with social impact.
US airports with best fast-food options revealed: where to grab a quick bite
IPA explained: why these hoppy beers stand apart from mainstream brews
