'RuPaul's Drag Race' alumni debut a new vodka line

Six alumni of "RuPaul's Drag Race" have found another stage: vodka. Former stars of the show, Manila Luzon, Trixie Mattel, Trinity the Tuck, Sharon Needles, Monét X Change and Alaska 5000, have teamed up to launch Serv Vodka, an independent, LGBTQ-owned brand that hopes to serve Pride all year long. During the early months of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Jose Coira, VP of sales at Casa Maestri Distillery, had an idea to take the business, which traditionally produces tequila, to the next level. Coira approached Producer Entertainment Group, which represents a huge roster of celebrity drag queens, with the idea of launching a new liquor brand featuring a famous queen on each bottle. Serv Vodka features six flavors, pineapple, pink lemonade, mixed berry, blood orange, green apple and original unflavored. Each flavor was selected and tested by the aforementioned contestants of RuPaul’s long-running show. “During the quarantine, Jose from Casa Maestri was able to send different types of formulas to each of the queens that fit their brand,” said Michael J Alvarez, brand manager for Serv Vodka. “So, each of the queens were sent different types of mixes of their flavored vodkas and they chose for themselves. There was a back and forth that went on for a few months to choose the right flavor that fit the girls’ palettes.” The range's name wasn't officially decided upon until well into the taste test process. Alvarez told Ad Age that many conversations between the queens and the team took place, brainstorming what each star had in common. "They are all known for serving fantasy, sexy, and fun so they decided to serve vodka and boom! Serv Vodka came about," he said. Serv Vodka launched with a music video featuring the six queens. Directed and produced by Alvarez, the video shows each queen in a monochromatic look inspired by their flavor. In addition to testing and selecting the flavors, the stars were hands-on with the product branding. The original plan had each bottle displaying a photograph of the queens taken during the music video shoot, but many of the queens wanted a more dramatic label. Alvarez and his team settled on illustrations that matched each queen’s color palette and flavor. The designs splash across the label like water and match the flavor text, which is warped like it's being read at the bottom of a pool. Manila Luzon, from both “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” says in a statement that to get her pineapple flavor right, she “had to taste several bottles and cases before I figured out what pineapple flavor was the best. It was the first sample that was the best, but I had several cases to make sure.” Each queen, including Luzon, stars in a solo launch video with recipe to implement their flavors into simple cocktails. Luzon features her pineapple vodka in a Caipiroska Abacaxi. “Drag Race” contestant and star of popular YouTube show “UNHhhh,” Trixie Mattel’s pink lemonade vodka lends itself to an Arnold Palmer mixture. Trinity the Tuck says in a statement that she’s a “sissy drinker.” The season nine and “All Stars” season four competitor likes a sweet beverage, so she serves her mixed berry vodka with only diet club soda. Spooky queen Sharon Needles, winner of the fourth season of “Drag Race,” says she likes her blood orange vodka with a set of vampire teeth. It doesn’t even “require an exorcism.” "Girl, I drank it smooth with just a little ice,” says Monét X Change about her green apple vodka in a statement. “Got it chilled and it was delicious." Alaska 5000’s “Glamtron-tini,” a mixture of unflavored vodka, grenadine and orange zest. “You can drink it straight. You can drink it queer,” said Alaska 5000 in a statement. Over the coming months, Serv will release 18 more recipe videos, four total from each queen, on social media and the brand's site, giving drinkers fresh ideas to continue spicing up their cocktails. Each flavor will also feature a solo music video with their star to reinforce each bottle’s individual identity. Alvarez told Ad Age that what makes Serv special is that each queen owns their flavor and their brand as part of the Serv team. The queens will join marketing efforts to push the line, like drag brunches and parties across the country. In addition to becoming collector’s items for individual buyers, the bottles, which sell for $45 each, can act as a statement on the shelves of bars and retailers. “A lot of alcohol companies will, during June, release their Pride bottles,” said Alvarez. “Those days are gone. Now, every retailer and bar has an option to serve LGBTQ-owned vodka any and every day of the week.” Although the line only launched this week, Alvarez reports that Serv’s first shipment from its distillery in France has already sold out. With more on the way, Alvarez is ready to “compete with the Belvederes and the Grey Gooses of the world.”

'RuPaul's Drag Race' alumni debut a new vodka line

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