You can drink your high this Fourth of July with these five cannabis-infused drinks
This Independence Day isn’t just the first major holiday of summer; it’s also the first opportunity for many Californians to gather safely in larger-than-household numbers since the state reopened June 15. If you’re a cannabis consumer, that means you may be trying to suss out how to get high around other people again — and in an era of heightened germ-awareness at that. The answer? Go with a THC-infused beverage that you can sip — instead of smoke — to get high.
Since it’s a big — and rapidly expanding — segment of the legal cannabis market, I’ve winnowed the field to five festive Fourth of July favorites. These pot-packed potables will ensure that the pool party, backyard barbecue or other social scene you’re headed to this weekend will be next level. (While cannabis is legal under California law, consuming it in public — even if it’s in a drink — is not.)
ALT
This relatively new product (launched at the end of last year) isn’t a beverage per se but more of a mix-in to be added to your preferred potable. ALT (short for Advanced Liquid Technology) is available in 5 or 10 milliliter vials filled with a clear, water-compatible odorless and (mostly) tasteless zero-calorie liquid containing 5 or 10 milligrams of THC, respectively. Add it to ice tea, lemonade or your other beverage of choice, though consider proceeding with caution if you’re adding it to an alcoholic beverage, lest the fireworks start early. Prices start at $6 for a single 5-milliliter dose. Additional information, including a list of stockists, available at altlife.com.
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Cann Social Tonic
Wildly popular and madly refreshing, this line of low-calorie, low-dose (8 to 35 calories, 2 milligrams of THC and 4 milligrams of CBD per 7.5-ounce can) sparkling beverages positions itself as a “social tonic” by keeping the THC levels low and the flavor profiles high, with offerings that include lemon lavender, grapefruit rosemary, blood orange cardamom, ginger lemongrass and pineapple jalapeño. They’re vegan, gluten-free and packaged in cute-as-button cans. $20 per six-pack. Additional information, including a list of stocking dispensaries and how to order for delivery, is at drinkcann.com.
Lagunitas Hi-Fi Hops
Nothing screams backyard barbecue like a cold beer, and this hopped-up sparkling beverage — a partnership between the Petaluma, Calif.-based craft brewer Lagunitas Brewing Co. and the Santa Rosa-based AbsoluteXtracts — is about as close as you’ll get in a cannabis-infused drink. (Legally, anyway, since selling alcoholic beverages containing cannabis is verboten under California law.) Each 12-ounce bottle of IPA-inspired sparkling water serves up zero calories and zero carbs and is available in three CBD-to-THC ratios (CBD is the nonpsychoactive cousin to the high-causing THC). Unplugged (18 milligrams of CBD and less than 2 milligrams of THC per bottle), Tuner (5 milligrams each of CBD and THC) and Reverb (10 milligrams of THC and no CBD). Prices are $4.80 per bottle / $16 per four-pack. Availability, delivery and additional information at hifihops.com.
Pabst Blue Ribbon Cannabis-Infused Seltzer
If you want the look of an old-school beer can, the taste of a seltzer and the buzz of a pipe puff, consider bringing a four-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon Cannabis-Infused Seltzer to the party. The 12-ounce cans are available in two doses (5 milligrams or 10 milligrams of THC) in lemon and strawberry kiwi flavors (with raspberry and mango versions set to drop later this summer). Iconic branding aside, don’t expect there to be any alcohol involved — the 177-year-old brewing company doesn’t make the beverage but licenses the name and logo to L.A.-based Pabst Labs. $24 per four-pack. Stockists and delivery options at pabstlabs.com.
House of Saka
If you’re looking for something that drinks like wine, connects like cannabis and looks upscale enough to give as a hostess gift, Napa Valley-based House of Saka’s infused luxury beverages will tick all the boxes and tickle your palate at the same time. Made from California grapes fermented and aged like wine before the alcohol is swapped out for 8 milligrams of THC per serving, the “vinfusions” are available in three flavors: white (made with chardonnay grapes), pink (pinot noir grapes) and mimosa (a carbonated drink made with chardonnay grapes and the essence of orange blossoms and nectarines.) The pink and white retail for $49 per 750 milliliter bottle, the mimosa for $6.99 per 187 milliliter bottle. Additional information and a list of stockists at houseofsaka.com.
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