Bottoms Up to Pot Drinkables?
Infused beverages crafted like cocktails, beer, wine and sparkling elixirs want to shake and stir how you consume cannabis socially.
This article originally published in The San Francisco Chronicle.
By Ed Murrieta
The newest wave of cannabis beverages infused with intoxicating THC and non-intoxicating CBD resemble alcohol products in content and design: artisanal cocktails, craft brews and hard seltzers.
Sold in bottles and cans by state-licensed retailers, they look like boozy products you’d buy at BevMo but they contain no alcohol, by law. They join a niche within the cannabis edibles market that includes infused soda pop, juice blends, sports drinks, tea and cold-brewed coffee.
Infused beverages have been sold since medicinal cannabis dispensaries opened in San Francisco in the 1990s. Their volume in today’s recreational market barely fills a shot glass compared to edibles, which total about 30 percent of the cannabis industry’s sales.
Companies in California and other states where cannabis is legal and in Canada, where cannabis is legal nationwide and where infused beverages hit the market next month, are pouring millions of dollars into new drinks hoping cannabis beverages supplant beer, wine and spirits as adults’ social intoxicants.
“I believe infused drinks are the future of cannabis consumption,” said San Francisco’s Jamie Evans, who promotes food-and-beverage events under the nom de cannabis the Herb Somm. “Our society already loves and understands drinks, making infused beverages the best solution for social consumption. Lighting up a joint in public is still frowned upon so people would rather sip than smoke their cannabis in public.”
While infused beverages are quick and convenient ways of consuming cannabis, many consumers from the medicinal era to today’s recreational scene have questioned their quaffability, complaining about grassy flavors and greasy mouthfeel from cannabis oils.
Potency has been another concern. Since their earliest days on the unregulated medicinal market, infused beverages have had a reputation as potent potables. Even in today’s highly regulated market, many infused beverages contain 100 mg of THC (or ten 10-mg servings) per 8- to 12-ounce bottle, requiring consumers seeking lower doses to ration drinks that cost up to $25 a bottle.
Today’s new wave of drinkables -- from Tinley’s Stone Daisy and High Horse to Lagunitas’ hops-flavored Hi-Fi Hops sparkling water to Proposition’s crafty hemp CBD cocktails in flask bottles -- is styled for consumers seeking buzzy beverages that taste great and are less potent. They feature flavors like smoke chile, cardamom and rosemary.They contain 2 mg to 15 mg of THC or non-intoxicating CBD per bottle or can, not per serving. Some have fewer calories, carbs and sugars than most drinkables and traditional beverages.
They’re also infused by new, more palatable technology -- flavorless, odorless and colorless water-soluble nano-emulsions.
Most cost $5 to $10 per bottle.
“High-dose, bang-for-the-buck products are still crushing it with the old consumers but they’re not for everyone,” said Ben Larson, CEO of Vertosa, an Oakland company whose THC and CBD formulas infuse Tinley’s ready-to-drink cocktails and liqueur-style beverages, Somatik cannabis cold-brewed coffee and Vita Coco water. “Lower doses appeal to new consumers.”
Larson said lower-dose drinkables allow people to have more than one beverage in a single sitting. While drinkables’ effects are nothing like the effects of alcohol, Larson said onest times and intoxication duration from cannabis drinkables are similar to those of one standard serving of beer, wine or cocktail.
“We've hosted many social events where people are loving the infused beverage and see how the experience can replace alcohol,” Larson said.
While, some new drinkables like de-alcoholized beer and wine are earning mixed reviews (bottom line of most credible recent reviews: most are being served before their times) cocktail-style drinkables and infused seltzers show promise.
“There is a greater focus on creating more complex flavors for infused beverages,” Herb Somm Jaime Evans said. “In the past, some of the early-on drinks didn't offer much complexity or depth -- they were pretty one-dimensional. Today, there are more palatable, balanced drinks.”
This originally published as a sidebar article in The San Francisco Chronicle.
TASTE TEST
Green State taste-tested six different cannabis-style drinkables from five brands. Our taste-test panel included the Herb Somm Jamie Evans; Foreign Cinema bar manager and 2018 Chronicle Bar Star Nicky Beyries; cannabis connoisseur and comedian Ngaio Bealum; Chronicle cocktail writer Lou Bustamante, and GreenState contributor Ed Murrieta. Drinkables were evaluated on flavor and overall appeal. Effects? Individual experiences may vary but do note that our taste-test panelists reported feeling mild euphoria by the end of their happy-hour sip session.
Tinley Stone Daisy and Tinley High Horse
Product description: Cannabis versions of popular cocktail styles, the daisy and the mule. Drink straight from bottles or serve in glasses.
Potency: 5 mg THC per 12-ounce bottle.
Comments: Daisy: Like a sweet San Pellegrino Limonata … High Horse: Like a mule cocktail with a big ginger burst that slow burns on the tongue. A sweet, balanced finish. … Both under-carbonated.
How much: $24 per 4-pack of 12-ounce bottles.
Where to buy: Dispensaries and delivery services.
Lagunitas Hi-Fi Hops 5.5 and Lagunitas Hi-Fi Hops 10
Product description: Sparkling water infused with hops and cannabis, in 5- and 10-mg options. Despite hops and pale-ale color, these calorie-free drinks are not versions of beer.
Potency: 5.5 mg THC and 10 mg THC, respectively, per 12-ounce bottle
Comments: Both refreshing and palate-cleansing with tropical fruit notes, wispy heads and dry finish like Champagne.
How much: $8 per 12-ounce bottle.
Where to buy: Dispensaries and delivery services.
Proposition Turmeric Ginger Mule and Proposition Smoky Margarita
Product description: Non-alcoholic (and non-THC) versions of mule and margarita cocktails in flask bottles.
Potency: 15 mg THC per 6.7 ounce bottle
Comments: Complex ginger bite and deep-yellow turmeric color are intensely alluring. Melting ice softens intensity … Smoked chipotle sear overwhelms margarita citrus.
How much: $6.99-$7.99 per 6.7-ounce bottle, or $54 per six-pack of 6.7-ounce bottles.
Where to buy: Specialty retailers and natural foods stores, propositioncocktail.co.
Tinley ‘27 Coconut, Tinley ‘27 Almond Cask and Tinley‘27 Cinnamon Cask
Product description: Liqueur-style drinks in eight-serving bottles that resemble whisky bottles. Drink them straight by the shot or mix with other beverages such as coffee or hot chocolate.
Potency: Tinley only says “8.5 micro-dose servings” of THC per 375-ml bottle.
Comments: Coconut bouquet like sunscreen with pineapple undertone. Thick viscosity, good mouthfeel. … Big almond amaretto nose, soft root beer notes. Sweet but shy of cloying. … Cinnamon and pine notes. Lacks heat. Not a Fireball. … Bitter, lingering stevia aftertaste on all flavors.
How much: $28-$34 per 375-ml bottle.
Where to buy: Dispensaries and delivery services.
Aurora Lavender Spice, Aurora Cayenne Spice, Aurora Grapefruit Rosemary
Product description: Aperitif-like sparkling elixirs infused with hemp CBD
Potency: 15 mg CBD per 6.7-ounce bottle.
Comments: Coriander notes spice up lavender -- very drinkable, nice bitter finish … Swampy cayenne dankness sinks big, citrusy pomelo nose, not so drinkable … Where’s grapefruit in Rosemary Grapefruit? Notes of dirt and eucalyptus, not drinkable.
How much: $5.25-$5.99 per 6.7 ounce bottle or $28 per 4-pack of 6.7-ounce bottles.
Where to buy: Specialty retailers and natural foods stores, and shop.auroraelixirs.com
Cann Grapefruit Rosemary, Cann Blood Orange Cardamom and Cann Lemon Lavender
Product description: Sparkling tonics infused with THC and CBD derived from cannabis.
Potency: 2 mg THC and 4-mg CBD per 8-ounce can
Cost: $TK
Tasting Notes: Easy-drinking but lacking complexity. Dull citrus flavors need more acidity. Flat and under-carbonated. Lacking lavender and cardamom notes but big whiff of rosemary.
How much: $30 per six-pack of 8-ounce cans.
Where to buy: MedMen in San Jose and via Eaze.com delivery service.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Cocktail-style drinkables deserve cocktail styling
Cocktail-style cannabis drinkables are sold in individual ready-to-drink cans and bottles. You can drink them from the can or bottle, or you can consider these serving suggestions from Nicky Beyries, Foreign Cinema bar manager and one of The Chronicle’s three Bar Stars in 2018.
Cann Grapefruit Rosemary
Serve on the rocks, garnished with a grapefruit slice and a rosemary sprig
Cann Orange Cardamom
Serve on the rocks, garnished with an orange slice and juniper berries
Cann Lemon Lavender
Muddle with cucumber, shake and strain
Tinley ‘27 Coconut
Mix and shake with lime juice and passionfruit, garnish with a pineapple wedge, pineapple frond and mint leaf
Tinley ‘27 Almond Cask
Mix with hot coffee, top with fresh cream and grated cinnamon and garnish with a cinnamon stick
Tinley ‘27 Cinnamon Cask
Serve straight in a shot glass
Lagunitas Hi-Fi Hops 5.5
Serve straight in a wine glass
Lagunitas Hi-Fi Hops 10
Serve straight in a beer glass
Tinley Stone Daisy
Serve on the rocks with grapefruit bitters, garnished with lemon slice and star anise
Tinley High Horse
Serve on the rocks with smashed mint
Aurora Grapefruit Rosemary
Serve on the rocks, garnished with a grapefruit slice and a rosemary sprig
Aurora Lavender Spice
Serve on the rocks, garnished with a white sage leaf and grated cinnamon
Aurora Cayenne Spice
Serve on the rocks with pink peppercorns on rim, garnished with marigolds,
Proposition Turmeric Ginger Mule
Serve on the rocks with angostura bitters, garnished with a white sage leaf
Proposition Smoky Margarita
Serve on the rocks with salted rim, garnished with a lime slice