Fourth & Pride Vodka: Founded in CT, In Support of the LGBTQ+ Community

There’s a new vodka in town, and before you say, “they all taste the same,” get ready for something a little different. The brand is Fourth & Pride, and it was co-founded by John Edelman (former CEO of Design Within Reach), and his partners, Douglas Slayton and Jesse Weinberg, in recognition of the spirit, vitality, and camaraderie of the famous East Village pride bars and their patrons. What does this tasty new vodka brand have to do with Connecticut? The CEO lives right here in Westport, and with Edelman’s background in high design, this brand has some serious swagger. Plus, if you need another great reason to go forth and score yourself a bottle, Fourth & Pride donates 5% of all sales to charities in support of the LGBTQ+ community…and may just be the smoothest vodka you’ve ever tasted.

John Edelman

As a teenager in the 1980’s Neil Weinberg began his career working in the NYC gay bar scene. In 1991 an opportunity arose involving a vacant space in a run down building on the lower east side. Neil and his wife Gina seized the opportunity to open their own bar which they named the Boiler Room after the

broken down boiler in the cellar. Their first order of business was to hire their dear friends David and Alfio to manage the bar and to help them realize their vision. These gentlemen were integral in the success of the Boiler Room and were considered family to the Weinberg’s. Sadly, the Weinberg’s lost both Alfio and David, who would eventually succumb to AIDS.

The Boiler Room quickly became an unassuming sanctuary to artists, outcasts, celebrities, locals, and the LGBTQ+ community. Ahead of it’s time, the Boiler Room began hosting drag shows and talent shows where people were free to express themselves without judgement. By supporting and affording these artists a venue to perform, the Boiler Room unknowingly became the birthplace of many famous drag queens and performance artists.

During the AIDS epidemic, Gina and Neil tried to safeguard their patrons and employees by making critical information and materials readily available. Their loyalty to their community is long lasting and far reaching.

Now, twenty two years later, their eldest son Jesse Weinberg, aims to “pay it forward”. Jesse is creating new ways to serve the community his family has embraced for longer than his entire life. Conceived from the long history of serving the community, Fourth & Pride was created (the Boiler Room is located at the intersection of Fourth Street and Second Avenue, NYC). For Jesse, it is a natural continuation of what was started by his parents long before he was born. His desire to continue working with the LGBTQ+ community led to the creation of this new brand that has a mission to bring people of all backgrounds together.

Fourth & Pride is a brand with principles that gives back to the LGBTQ+ community with every sale...every day. 5% of each sale goes directly to two of it’s charity partners SAGE (Service & Advocacy for LGBT Elders) and DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids).

Looking forward, Fourth & Pride has its sights set on expanding its offerings and its outreach within the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. The goal is to eventually establish the Fourth & Pride Foundation and increase its philanthropic mission to make a greater impact for all in pursuit of sexual, racial, gendered and economic equality. F & P is committed to lending an ear, a voice and being an ally to those who need it the most. We stand with this community with pride.

In order to help execute his plan, Jesse brought in family friends and neighbors Danielle and Douglas Slayton, and longtime DIFFA board member John Edelman.

While vodka is traditionally made using fermented grains like rice, corn, rye, wheat and even fruits and molasses, Fourth & Pride is the first vodka made with a unique combination of premium white corn and organic grapes. It’s gluten free, 80 proof, and made right here in America…North Carolina to be exact. The Russian word for vodka means “water,” and Russian born Edelman will tell you “this is the best tasting vodka I’ve ever had.” Well, it certainly should be, as he spent the entirety of the March 2020 Covid lockdown doing recipe testing and development with his NC distillery, fedexing back and forth subtle tweaks to the product. “I wanted to make the smoothest vodka on the market,” says Edelman. “I drank a LOT of vodka during quarantine, but the secret was the addition of the grape with the corn. It completely balanced out the flavor profile.”

Edelman is excited to apply the skills he’s mastered over decades of experience to a completely new product, but he’s in this for reasons beyond personal gain. Inspired by partner Jesse Weinberg, whose father owns the Boiler Room in NYC, they decided to create a brand that gives back to the community that supported this East Village bar.

Fourth & Pride has partnered with DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids) and SAGE, an advocacy and services organization for LGBT elders.

Emphasizing how essential these partnerships are to the new brand’s identity, co-founder Doug Slayton shares,

“Our mission is to build a brand with purpose, one that makes meaningful contributions to the causes that inspired us. That means prioritizing our ability to give back and developing products that responsibly represent those we’re invested in supporting.”

Adds co-founder Jesse Weinberg, “We want to make celebrating who you are a part of every day of the year, and to honor a community that has tirelessly pushed our country forward in terms of social justice and human rights. As Fourth & Pride grows, we are excited that our ability to give back will only increase.” 

So, how do you get your hands on a bottle of the smoothest vodka around? Fourth & Pride will be happy to ship anywhere in the country through Reserve Bar www.reservebar.com, $34.99 for 1 Liter Bottle.

You can also find Fourth & Pride at restaurants and liquor shops near you. We anticipate that this list will grow very quickly (as the brand was just released), but currently It is available at stores and restaurants throughout CT including:

Restaurants: The Whelk, Tarantino’s, Romanacci, Parker Mansion, Tarry Lodge and Rowayton Seafood.

Liquor Stores: 99 bottles, BevMax, Westport Wine and Spirits, Dan’s liquors, and Greens Farms Liquors