Mocktails Walked So Cannabis Could Fly
And why I don't think this is necessarily a good thing
Happy Friday party people!
My neighbour Sam swung by the other day and gifted me a bottle - they’re gutting their house so it’s been a few weeks of noise and commotion. What bottle you ask? Olive oil. We laughed that olive oil has become the new wine since you practically have to be a baller to buy a large bottle these days. She knew I didn’t drink and came with that instead of wine. I loved it!
Let’s have some good clean with: Mocktails vs Cannabis
(Promo code for Daytrip CBD Seltzers at the bottom!)
I recently got an email from Sechey non-alcoholic bottle shop heralding the launch of their new drink called Juno - a THC seltzer with l-theanine (marketing bullshit) and 35 mg of CAFFEINE. Aside from that scary combination, it got me thinking about cannabis and the noise it’s bringing to the non-alcoholic drinks space.
In high school, I was definitely that girl who said she was allergic to weed. At first it was because I hadn’t tried it, but didn’t want anyone to cop on to that fact. Later, I just didn’t like how it made me feel - anxious, nauseous and then knocked out. After several terrible experiences, it just felt better to say I was allergic whenever it was offered.
Now in my mid-40s, I still can’t wrap my head around the legality of cannabis, but have started happily imbibing on CBD-only seltzers on the occasional Friday night or on vacation. I guess this puts me in the CaliSober category, and I’m fine with that.
A lot of people don’t even realize that THC and CBD come in liquid formats, but it’s slowly become the drink of choice for many mindful drinkers looking for a buzz without the alcohol hangover.
What’s troubling for me is the quiet and safe non-alcoholic drinks category is turning into a perfectly positioned marketing vehicle for THC.
Many mainstream non-alcoholic bottle shops, like Sechey, are selling cannabis drinks
There’s a huge spike in search terms for non-alcoholic drinks that give you a buzz
Huge ‘dry’ mom influencers like SoberishMom continually push Cycling Frog and other THC/CBD seltzers
This may feel counterintuitive to many people, but as always, there are pros and cons to this new lifestyle approach. (cont’d below)
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I’ve revisited the Lorenza sparkling and wow. Am I ever impressed! This may be your only chance to try this small batch non-alcoholic wine. And the two wine adjacent options from Kally are a perfect counterpoint to the sparkling options. A great gift set for someone having a baby, or having a baby shower. Or just for yourself for sipping on something special. Cheers!
(back to regular programming)
Pros
For someone giving up alcohol and wanting something on a Friday night other than alcohol, you could make the case that a THC/CBD drink is a healthier choice
It’s approachable, especially in drink format, to people being mindful about alcohol - it provides the relief of feeling something without the scary thought of having to give that up “forever”
I’ve always said people are looking for the other shoe to drop, when mocktails taste so much like the real thing - this can be a fun experience with the taste of a margarita but the giggly relaxing effects of microdosed cannabis
It’s way less addictive than alcohol
The downsides
The main downside is a big one. Myself and many other have been quietly urging people for years to wean off of the thing (alcohol) that robs you of being present and manipulates your brain chemistry to experience situations differently. Regardless of how you look at it, cannabis is a substance used to dull your experience, and remove yourself from fully processing emotions and situations.
When plant-based seltzers are sitting next to a margarita mocktail on the shelf, it feels like it’s infringing on the peaceful world of non-alcoholic drinks.
A lot of consumers in the non-alcoholic drinks space, including me, have fought our demons and may not want the temptation of physically dulling our world - because this is all about proximity and acceptance. If not alcohol, then what?
Where do cannabis drinks belong?
There are a lot of other things that come to mind, such as education around tolerance. Not everyone can handle the same amounts of Delta 9 levels in a drink. I for one would be flat-out blacked out if someone gave me 25mg of the plant.
At CaliSober Shop in New Orleans, proprietor Monica Roerig Olano is focused on just that - training her staff to educate anyone that comes in the door on all the options, not just the plant stuff.
Olano is also a very vocal advocate for limiting alcohol distribution channels from elbowing in on cannabis and opening up the (very scary) door to having THC seltzers only available through alcohol channels.
“Across multiple states, legislation is being introduced to force hemp beverages into alcohol channels only — stripping consumer access from wellness shops, sober spaces, and independent retailers. Not because it’s safer. Not because consumers asked for it. But because one subsection of the hemp industry partnered with alcohol distributors, secured access to funding, and hired one of the top 10 lobbying firms in Washington,” Olano explained in a recent LinkedIn post.
One thing I do know is alcohol and weed is a lethal combination, just ask anyone who watched me turn green and pass out on a patio back in the early 2000s.
Would you try it?
When my old-school conservative Russian mother-in-law told me she had been using CBD cream, you could have pushed me over with a feather. It was in that moment I realized how effective our governments have been with stigmatizing alternative medicine including THC components. It also opened my eyes to the growing acceptability of using psychoactives among all demographics.
On it’s own, Delta 9 seltzers are fine and god speed to those of you who can handle the plant, but where do they belong? In bars, in restaurants, or next to your mocktails in bottle shops? In Ontario, Canada, the government stores control access to anything related to cannabis including beverages.
For now, we’ll have to continue making room for them in the n/a space until someone says otherwise!
Some options for ‘buzz’ drinks
Daytrip CBD Seltzers
This is my absolute favourite brand for CBD seltzers, because their cherry lime flavour is incredibly tasty. It’s got 20mg of CBD in it plus no THC, and honestly, a half can is enough for me! They also have probiotic sodas that taste amazing if you don’t want the hard stuff.
Use code MAKEITNONALCOHOLIC15 for 15% off your first order at wearedaytrip.com.
Brez
I like Brez because it’s microdosed - meaning it’s a low dose of THC, with a higher dose of CBD and includes Lion’s Mane which is an adaptogen. That part is all marketing BS as you can’t feel the effect of Lion’s Mane right away, but that’s ok. Half a can of Brez is probably all you need to take the edge off. The only flavour I was able to try was Elderflower Lemon and I hate elderflower, but it was a nice mask for the herbal notes from the cannabis.
oHHo
oHHo is a very interesting blend of 5mg THC, 5mg CBD and 5mg CBG (another part of the cannabis plant that is not a psychoactive). I usually only have a few sips for testing purposes and really loved their Cherry Lime flavour. I found the ‘herbal’ taste from cannabis was masked nicely by the tart cherry blend and if I wasn’t so cautious with THC I would have probably had the whole can.
What’s your take on this new trend in drinks and what are you drinking? Leave a comment below and let me know!
Cheers!
Sarah Kate
Next week in Make It Non-Alcoholic (for premium subscribers)
The worst non-alcoholic drinks I’ve ever had…that are STILL on the shelf
If you missed last week’s Make It Non-Alcoholic, I revealed the best new non-alcoholic red wine I’ve had since Zeronimo Zweigelt last fall.
This is great...drink...for thought, Sarah Kate. I've been indulging in low-dose THC beverages from time to time but it takes a lot of education and testing to see what's right for you, if anything. There are certainly dangers to THC over crowding the once purely wholesome non-alc space, and even more dangers to high dosed beverages (like 25-50mg) waltzing in. I think this is a good conversation to continue to have and you lay it all out with pros and cons. In the end, iI see low dose THC bevs as harm reduction and I'm all for that. And lastly, I see a future where alcohol won't be the default. People will have to opt in to alcohol, rather than opt out.