Cannabis Beverages Are Actually Really Good Now

Over recent years, there has been a seemingly endless number of grim headlines for the wine and spirits industry. 

Supply imbalances, the rise of neo-prohibitionism and declining consumer demands continue to weaken sales and curtail growth. Throw in the current tariff turmoil, and expectations feel even bleaker.

However, while wine sales dropped about 8% year-over-year in 2024, according to the latest data from Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America’s SipSource, legal marijuana is on the rise.

According to Whitney Economics, cannabis sales grew $2.6 billion last year, up 9.4% from 2023, totalling $31.4 billion. Based on the 2024 forecast, the organization anticipates that number will expand to $35.2 billion—another 12.1% increase—this year.

Cannabis beverages are a part of that growth. While there’s no solid data on the category itself, Alexi Chialtas, CEO and co-founder of THC drinks brand Find Wunder, tells us that in Minnesota (one of the nine states where the brand is sold), THC beverages represent 10% of total sales from traditional spirits retailers that sell the product. 

Given those numbers, he estimates that if these drinks were available across the United States, they could become a $25 billion category overnight.

In this episode, Chialtas digs into the business side of the THC beverage world and Jamie Evans, a k a The Herb Somm, fills us in on the basics as she  walks—and tastes—us through her favorite products. Listen in. 

More Cannabis Coverage

• Wine meets weed on Mendocino’s Cannabis Trail.
• Following the emerald green road: Northern California’s cannabis culture heads to wine country.
• Why weed and wine have more in common than you think.
• Canna-curious? There’s a 100-point scale for that.
• Winemakers collaborate with weed growers on new cannabis appellation system.

In the Shop

The Apothecarry Cannabis Travel Train Case

In Stock | $200

Shop Now

Episode Transcript

Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain errors. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting.

SPEAKERS

Sara Ventiera, Jamie Evans, Alexi Chialtas

Sara Ventiera 0:00
Sarah, hello and welcome to the Wine Enthusiast podcast, your serving of drinks culture and the people who drive it. I’m Sara Ventiera, digital managing editor here at Wine Enthusiast.

Over recent years, we’ve been hearing a lot about the pressures faced by the wine and spirits industry, such as younger generations less interested in wine and other adult beverages, the rise of the NA movement and increase in cannabis consumption.

These days, the cannabis market not only includes smokeables and edibles, but beverages too. In quite a few states, these drinks can be found on shelves right near your favorite bottle of cab or burgundy in retailers such as ABC and total lime. But what are these drinks exactly, and how do they work? To answer those questions, I reached out to Jamie Evans, founder of the culinary meets cannabis blog, the herb som mobile cannabis bartending business, the Herbal Cocktail Co. and author of four cannabis recipe books. She walks us through the basics of cannabis beverages and taste us through an array of her favorite products. It gets interesting.

To round out the business regulatory side of the industry Alexi Chialtas, CEO and co founder of cannabis beverage company, Find Wunder, dives into industry trends, stats and the future.

Listen to learn more about this new skyrocketing category in the beverage world.

Hi, Jamie. Thanks for coming on today. Let’s just dig right into cannabis beverages. We can start from the beginning. When did these drinks come onto the market? When did they go mainstream? And how have they evolved over time?

Jamie Evans 1:40
Well, thank you so much for having me on the Wine Enthusiast podcast, and hello to all your listeners. But it’s been a really fun journey being in the cannabis beverage side of the industry, and I think it’s pretty incredible, because cannabis has been consumed as a beverage, dating back all the way to ancient times when it was actually brewed as a tea in India and China. And so this cannabis tea, this was often used for medicinal purposes, kind of like what we use it for today. So, especially for pain relief, digestive issues and many other ailments. But because cannabinoids such as THC and CBD, and we’ll be talking a lot about these cannabinoids today, these are actually not water soluble. So back in the ancient times, when they were brewing these cannabis teas, they actually had to make cannabis-infused emulsions. They would infuse milk or infuse butter to actually infuse the tea and help extract those active those active compounds. So extract this THC and CBD, and this is actually very similar to how we make edibles and drinkables today. So it’s just very like, I just wanted to kind of add that note, because cannabis beverages has have, have been with us for many, many years and centuries, but kind of flash forward to modern times. So I think like, kind of going back to the medical days in cannabis, especially here in California, there were a few different cannabis beverages that you can find out in the market, but they really weren’t like what we’re seeing today. So it really wasn’t until kind of recreational cannabis passed in California, which was in 2018 so it was during this time that a lot of companies, they started specializing in cannabis infused nano emulsions. So these are, like the type of emulsions that you mix into liquids to actually infuse the product. They were developing these which really made cannabis drink shelf stable. All these cannabinoids were actually water stable as well, and they weren’t separating apart from liquid. So because of these things, I mean, cannabis beverages, it’s been driven by innovation, and so it’s been really exciting to see where the category kind of started, and then where we’ve gotten today,

Sara Ventiera 3:54
Amazing. These days they are being marketed as like a social tonic. Can you tell us little bit about why that is and how that works?

Jamie Evans 4:07
Yeah, so one of the leading beverage brands, they’re actually called Cann. They were one of the first cannabis brands that launched, back in 2018. But they really kind of coined that term social tonic when they first launched their beverages. And they were actually the first beverage company that really offered a low dose of THC in their products. When they launched at the time, they were going into different dispensaries and talking with different buyers, and some of the buyers were like, you’re never going to be able to sell this product, like, nobody wants a low dose product. And so as time went on, they were very wrong. And I think low dose beverages is really kind of the future and where we’re going and having like that low dose of THC, which is kind of like five milligrams or less, it really does make you feel social and makes you feel. Yeah, kind of like a little bit of that euphoria, a little mild buzz. But I think the coolest thing about the drinkables is it’s much different than an edible when you’re consuming it, because the onset is much, much quicker. And so this is really because of those fast acting nano emulsions that we were talking about earlier. And they really, you kind of like feel it within. Well, depending if you have an empty stomach. Or not, but I usually feel between like 15 to 20 minutes, where sometimes, if you eat an edible, you might be waiting around for like an hour or more for it to set in. And then some people think that they’re never going to feel it. So, they actually they eat like another edible, which is not recommended at all. So I think the beverages, because they’re they are so fast acting, it almost gives you that similar experience to drinking a wine or a beer.

Sara Ventiera 5:47
You brought up when we spoke previously, that there’s now different like dosages. One brand that you mentioned was Wunder, and they’ve got a higher vibe versus a more sessionable one. And so the sessionable, would that be, like, the five milligrams?

Jamie Evans 6:05
Exactly, yeah. And I think that’s what’s so great about cannabis beverages, is there are many different options for all different types of consumers. So whether you’re brand new to cannabis, there’s, like, very low dose options. So starting at like two milligrams a can of THC per can. And then if you’re very experienced and you know that you need a higher dose of THC, you can find 100 milligram drinks. So there really is a broad range of products available. But as I always say, as you’re beginning to experiment with cannabis, always start low. So remember that golden rule, go low, start slow, and then kind of work your way up, and then you can kind of find your comfort zone from there.

Sara Ventiera 6:45
And so like, the higher vibes, the 10 milligram THC, is there some way to, like, compare that? I mean, how? How do you compare a high? I’m not really sure, but with,

Jamie Evans 6:55
Yeah, I mean, it’s all about experimentation. So like, if you’re kind of experimenting, trying to find your perfect dose. You know, I always like recommend starting with something below five milligrams. Enjoy that beverage, see how it goes. And then if you feel like you can have more than one next time, then maybe try that 10 milligram drink. And then you can kind of work your way up from there. And it’s also helpful, like, for other products in cannabis, I always like to use, like tinctures, because that’s a really good way to kind of titrate dosages, and kind of figure out where your comfort zone is. But like I said, cannabis beverages, they’re a little bit different than the other types of products, just because of the onset, the duration and how you’re consuming it. So it’s a it’s probably my favorite way to consume cannabis at this point?

Sara Ventiera 7:43
Well, yeah, and that’s obviously you have a whole business around it. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Jamie Evans 7:50
So actually, I started out in the wine industry, and I worked in the wine industry for over a decade. Crossed over to cannabis in 2017 and I launched a blog called The herb som. So the Herb Somm is a culinary meets cannabis blog that really focuses on the culinary side of the industry. Besides that, kind of, over the years, I’ve written four books, so four published books, all about cooking with cannabis, but some of the recent books have been focused on cannabis beverages and how to craft your own cannabis drinks at home. So really, kind of diving into the mixology side of the industry, which has been very fun. So my latest book, it’s the High Times cocktails book. So it’s called seasonal sips and high teas for every occasion. So that came out last year, but that really, writing these books really ignited my passion for cannabis and beverages, and just like launching my company in 2017 I really have seen the evolution of these types of drinks and have been involved in helping kind of grow the industry in several different ways, but it’s just been really fun to see all of the things that have happened since then, but kind of along the Road, aside from my books, I helped launch Herbacée which is a cannabis infused wine product. So that launched back in 2021 and then I recently launched the Herbal Cocktail Co which is a mobile cannabis bartending business, which we make cannabis cocktails at private events, and we also host our own gatherings. So I’m kind of a little bit, kind of in all different parts of the beverage space, but it’s been really fun.

Sara Ventiera 9:26
Yeah, I mean, you’re like a cannabis maven at this point, with all of the different things. And so, you know, speaking of beverages, and I mean, there’s a couple points I’d love to cover. One is, how have the flavor profiles of these beverages changed over time? I, for a long time, was under the impression they did not taste great. That sounds like it’s different now.

Jamie Evans 9:47
It’s much different now, and I’m excited that we’re gonna be able to taste today, because I feel like when drinks originally came out, they were very, very sweet, not very formulated for a very sophisticated palette, I would say. So, there weren’t very complex but now that, like the industry has grown and grown, and there’s been so much innovation, like all of these products, they’re so well made, I think they almost taste like a well crafted cocktail in many, in many ways that you’re going to taste

Sara Ventiera 10:17
And so you use these beverages, sort of as the base or as parts of the cocktails that you make in that side of the business too. Is thatright?

Jamie Evans 10:28
Yeah. So at public events, we definitely use commercially made products. But in the books, I actually teach you how to make your own infusion. So I teach you how to make cannabis infused simple syrups, cannabis infused bitters and kind of you build out your bar pantry, and then you can infuse many other cocktails and drinks. But when we’re in, like, a public setting serving other guests, I 100% use commercially made products, just because they are precisely dosed. So that allows us to really, like, really create that 2.5 milligram cocktail, just so we know exactly what is what, and keeping it very safe and responsible.

Sara Ventiera 11:05
And are there different, like, strains of THC slash cannabis cocktails like, I know I hear words being thrown. I mean, THC is the obvious one, but like CBD, Delta nine,

Jamie Evans 11:18
That comes down to, like, the specific emulsion that a beverage company is using. So you can use whatever kind of cannabinoid you want. Like, I’ve had beverages that have a mix of THC, THC and CBD. Sometimes people include another cannabinoid called THCV, which is almost like, kind of like the Adderall of cannabis. It gives you like these, like this boost of energy. There’s also like CBG, which is more of a relaxing cannabinoid, and people are really kind of like customizing these drinks to produce a particular effect. So it’s very cool, and it’s because of these nano emulsions, and you can really customize it that way, and then also create emulsions that are very terpene driven. And today, we’re going to be tasting a product called Klaus, and he actually uses a hash rosin to make his infusion. So it’s going to be a lot more cannabis flavors, or be more pronounced, but it really mixes well with with the ingredients that are in that beverage. And what I like to say is, anytime you’re mixing with cannabis, you want to, like, complement the flavors, versus trying to mask it. So, I think there’s a lot of flavors that play well with, kind of, like, those plant flavors,

Sara Ventiera 12:30
Yeah, like more herbal green type.

Jamie Evans 12:35
yeah, yeah, right. And citrus. Citrus is, like, one of the best ingredients to mix with.

Sara Ventiera 12:39
So, can you buy them in every state now? Where are they available?

Jamie Evans 12:44
Yeah, so it really depends on the state for the most part. I think with hemp derived beverages, there’s just different legalities and different regulations depending on where you’re at. So I’m actually based in California, and currently, all hemp beverages have been banned. This is as of last September, I think it was. And so now you can only find cannabis infused beverages at licensed retail spaces. So this is like you go into a licensed dispensary or a delivery service who will deliver it to you. But before the ban, you could actually go into Total Wine & More. You can go into Bevmo and actually purchase a product that had cannabis in it. And I fully believe that cannabis beverages do belong at retail locations where you can find other adult beverages. I think it really makes sense. And a lot of times, like a dispensary, for instance, they don’t have refrigeration for drinks. There’s very limited shelf space, and they’re just not built to really deliver kind of a beverage experience. So I know there’s a lot of people working towards kind of giving these cannabis and hemp beverages kind of back into off premise and hopefully on premise one day that would be great.

Sara Ventiera 14:03
Yes, and we’re going to be digging into that next Alexi Chialtas of Wonder is going to bring us into the business of cannabis beverages and what’s going on in that space. And here we have Alexi chialtus of Find Wunder to talk about the business of cannabis beverages and the state of the industry. So I’ll just start off. Alexi, can you tell me a little bit about Find Wunder and how you got started?

Alexi Chialtas 14:33
Yeah, definitely. Hi, Sarah, glad to be here. So find wonder was founded, I think the initial kind of commitment to the category of the idea of THC beverages in a can came in 2019 so we started in 2019 in California, launching in THC dispensaries. And within, I’d call it 12 to 18 months. Realized that the business model then was gonna be really challenging for many reasons, but first and foremost, dispensaries and that entire supply chain where cannabis is usually sold is, frankly, not designed or set up to move beverages which are heavy volumes. They take a lot of space, and as a business generally require a lot of volume. So that would lead us forward to 2022 where we would shift towards other places outside of California that were starting to sell THC beverages next to alcohol. And I think that’s where the story and the business gets really exciting, where we launched in Minnesota, which was the first state to have kind of codified progressive regulations around the ability to sell THC beverages next to alcohol, and now we’re in over nine states covering about a fourth of the US population, adult population today.

Sara Ventiera 15:53
Wow, that’s really impressive. And so those are all, are those all the states where cannabis is legal, or are there different rules for the beverages?

Alexi Chialtas 16:03
Yeah. So the I think the thing around THC beverages, which a lot of people are referring to, which I think for consumers, is a little bit strange, but people are calling Delta nine beverages, hemp derived THC beverages, is another way to think about it. But the regulations on THC beverages is a little bit of a sliding scale. So you have some states that have completely banned it because they’re like, wait, wait, wait, what is this? Slow down. I’m not sure what this is. I’m not comfortable with that. So, a state like that is California, where they’ve said you cannot sell this next alcohol today, but at the same time, there are active conversations between people in the THC beverage category, or the hemp industry, alcohol retailers, alcohol distributors, and legislators to say, let’s make some sensible regulation that really clarifies what can and can’t be done with THC beverages. So for us, with the states that we’re in. So the call it the nine states covering 25% of the of the US adult population. Those are states where we’ve, we’ve the regulations are either extremely clear or about to become really clear, and so we feel like there’s low risk of really regulatory shutdown. So there’s a sliding scale. Most states are kind of silent to moving towards positive, with a few states that are really positive, and some states saying no, not now, not yet.

Sara Ventiera 17:26
And so, you know, I mean, you kind of mentioned a little bit about how they can be sold at retail outlets that also sell alcohol. Is that the case, you know, can you is that where you normally would buy these beverages? Or, like, you know, where do most consumers find access to them?

Alexi Chialtas 17:43
Yeah, so, like, in the and that’s, that’s a really exciting point. So when you think about the, let’s just take alcohol beverages. For example, there are different channels. So call them sub channels, however you want to refer to it. So, you know, if you think about, where can you buy alcohol while it varies by state? And in a large way to think about it, you can think of the major channels as being packaged liquor. So traditional liquor stores, like Total Wine & More, ABC, those are some of the big names. There’s convenience store, there’s grocery and there’s kind of like the Walmarts of the world, kind of mass pack. And so the interesting thing about it is, like, you know, clearly, Walmart’s not selling it today, but if you fast forward, so there’s, there’s this idea of channel expansion, where Walmart, if you fast forward 1224, 36 months, could be selling these drinks. Who is selling it today and has really embraced the category and really brought light to the category, and the potential here is packaged liquor. And so those are the ABCs of the world, or the Total Wines of the world, which I’ve realized these drinks are not only, frankly, the same volume as something like craft beer, so 12 ounces or something like that. So they cost the same to move from place to place, but generally have a higher margin dollar, the same margins and extremely high velocities. So what you’re seeing from a business perspective is that the different stakeholders in the industry are all very interested in this category. And so I would call it package liquor is the chain of today, and now where you’re seeing convenience stores start to open up, you’re starting to see these other channels. And so that’s what the future, in the near future, could look like. But today, you know, for us, something like 70% of our volume is done through package liquor.

Sara Ventiera 19:33
Oh, wow. And so, I mean, speaking of volume and sales, how many of these units or cans are being sold?

Alexi Chialtas 19:47
There’s not really Nielsen or some of these traditional data numbers yet. But there are additional ways of measuring, like, how big is a category? How big are these brands across boards? So I think what you have to do is you have to kind of infer, and I think that there’s been numbers that I’ve seen that said the industry today could be a billion dollars in terms of beverage sales. You know what I’ll say is that in some markets that are further along in terms of their development. And so when I think of development, it’s like supply chain, essentially, like the does the consumer know about the category? Where consumers know about it and know where they can buy it, they’re buying it frequently. You know that’s that’s broader category adoption. But there’s some states where maybe no one’s distributing it, or hardly anyone is, or they just started to distribute it. So there’s not that many retail partners, etc. And so where I’m going with this is that it is not uncommon in a state like Minnesota to see packaged liquor stores that sell alcohol, that sell all these products that we know today, to have north of 10% of their total store sales be the THC beverage category. So if you think about that and you think, well, alcohol is a $250 billion market in the US, 260 whatever number you want to use. That means that, you know, overnight, if this was available and being distributed, there’s no reason why, in 12 months, this couldn’t be a $25 billion category. And so where it is is it’s, you know, it’s probably somewhere in between, right? Like, Minnesota is not the biggest state, but the largest liquor and packaged liquor stores are selling these products in Florida, states like Tennessee and elsewhere, and Texas. Texas, you have the largest retailer, specs, 250 stores selling these products in their doors for consumers and so. And this is just the beginning. And so what the actual category is today? I couldn’t tell you, but I would say that, you know, most states that are selling it is probably somewhere between three to 10% of alcohol sales in the stores that are selling it.

Sara Ventiera 21:50
Wow, that’s impressive. So what is the future like? What do you what are you expecting for the future of the cannabis beverage category in general?

Alexi Chialtas 21:59
Yeah. I mean, I think, if you think about it today, so you know, again, like, if you compare it to what the potential is, there’s something like 240,000 locations that sell alcohol, find wonder is in call it 2000 so I think the what the future of this category looks Like, and is starting to look like, is you’re starting to see bigger and bigger retail outlets sell it you’re seeing, and that’s only being supported by the fact that consumers are trying it, are repeat buying it, are exploring. Are saying, I will try. If you have six products on the shelf, I will try all six, and see which one I really like. And so there is a natural gravitational pull that is or demand that is being generated by consumers saying, I will buy these products. I will buy them at a premium. I will and I’m interested in them. And then retailers saying, we need to pay attention to this. Alcohol distributors are already paying attention to it. Many of them are selling it. So you’ll see more and more of these. And I think that that will culminate, not culminate, but I think the next step that you’ll see in the next 12 months is you’ll start to see arenas starting to sell it, the large, large music venues, you know, football games, baseball games. You can start to see this in some of these states and and so what you know the immediate future looks like is, I think just increased momentum, increased awareness. I think that will also cause some people to say, Wait, what is this that is being sold? And like, you know, I don’t believe in it. So there, I think there will be, you know, an equal or opposite reaction in the other direction. But I also, you know, I think the future is just more ubiquity in terms of availability. So, you know, I obviously Costco or Walmart selling these types of drinks is possible, and I think we’ll be there. And so I think that’s what the future holds for this category.

Sara Ventiera 23:50
Amazing. Well, yeah, next step. I’m going to taste them for the first time, so I’m excited about that. But thank you very much, Alexi, for your input. This has been really illuminating and helpful in understanding what’s going on in the market.

Alexi Chialtas 24:04
No problem. Sara, anytime

Ad 24:11
Are you tired of showing up to dinner parties with run of the mill line that doesn’t excite you or any of your friends, wish you had a personal sommelier to guide you toward epiphany inducing bottles that’ll rock everyone’s world. Some station is here to help. Its expert team seeks out incredible wines from top independent producers, aka bottles you won’t find in grocery stores or on liquor store shelves. These are the opposite of mass produced wines. Some stations online wine shop features hundreds of bottles, hand crafted with meticulous care, with top notch fruit by the most skilled winemakers, also in the mix, curated wine club options that’ll have you discovering new favorites, whether you’re in the market for a single bottle, virtual tasting experiences, private tastings, or wine club membership. Som session makes it easy and can make your wine experience even more special. Explore

Ad 24:58
NOW at some. Innovation.com, backslash, why enthusiast.

Sara Ventiera 25:09
Okay, and so now we’re gonna do some tasting. Jamie, could you please guide us or guide me through this afternoon tasting. We’re going to see how this goes.

Jamie Evans 25:21
Absolutely. Yeah. So we have a really great lineup of brands that we’re tasting today. We have a few flavors from wonder. I know you just spoke with Alexi, so I’m really excited to talk about these, these products. He probably touched a lot about kind of like the inception of wonder, and where they’ve come from, but just some notable things that I’ve that I’ve I’ve worked with them for several years now, but I just really love how they’ve always focused on using kind of like other cannabinoids in their formulations, which I think is very different from some of the other brands. And they spent a lot of time working specifically on the taste profile. So I think they’re very elevated. Um, really great brand. I think they’re delicious. They also have, like, their higher dose beverages. I think we have their higher vibes, two of their higher vibes, and then they have a lower dose, which is called sessions that we’re gonna taste today. We’re also tasting a brand called our Tet. And so this is a brand that’s really focused on kind of mixology. It’s actually family owned, so it was their kind of idea to create products that you could easily mix into cocktails. So I actually use Aret all the time at my events, and I think it’s one of the best kind of cannabis appertif that’s out there. So we’re gonna be tasting that. And then they also have some canned kind of cocktails that we’re gonna be tasting. And then the final brand is called Klaus. And Klaus is created by my, my kind of, my mentor in the cannabis beverage space, Warren Bobrow. So he is a very famed mixologist. He’s also known as the cocktail whisperer. So he came out with this line. It’s actually, yeah, he has three new flavors, which is fantastic. And he actually wrote the very first cannabis book back in 2015 the cannabis drinks book, I should say. So he’s been in cannabis cocktails for a very long time, so I’m really thrilled to kind of taste those with you. Amazing.

Sara Ventiera 27:18
So yeah, where should we? Which one would you like to start with? Let’s dig in.

Jamie Evans 27:23
I think, let’s start with the Wunder Higher vibes. We’ll do the BlackBerry lemon, okay, and just looking at the can itself. So this has, I always look at the milligrams first. So this is 10 milligrams. THC, 10 milligrams. CBG, so very fun. Kind of cannabinoid blend. Pop these open, and we are pouring these into a wine glass.

Sara Ventiera 27:49
Yes, I have my very long stem glass right now. I feel very fancy.

Jamie Evans 27:54
So like, right away. I mean, the thing is, about cannabis beverages, I actually evaluate this, just like you would evaluate a wine, right? So we’re looking at the color. This is a beautiful, kind of, like, pink, purpley color. And wow, the the flavors and aromas are just like, bursting out of the glass, right? Yeah, yeah. Very like, citrusy. I mean, obviously fruity. I feel like, yeah, getting a lot of that Blackberry, a lot of the Blackberry, ripe, yes, yeah. Very ripe, very like, yeah, that nice, like, citrus is coming through. Kind of like a perfect summer drink, honestly. And so I’m gonna give it a little taste, yeah. So I think, like, a lot of those aromas that were on the nose are really coming through on the palate. So a lot of great like, red and black fruit notes, also a lot of great citrus and nice acidity, which kind of cleanses the palate. Also some bubbles. I think bubbles are a key part of the cannabis beverage experience,

Sara Ventiera 28:51
yeah. I mean, I could see it’s quite tasty. They could probably get you into trouble, because it does. It is pretty crushable in many ways.

Jamie Evans 29:03
Yes, that’s true and like, that’s also a part when you’re like consuming cannabis drinks, is to always be mindful that this is infused. All right, cool. So that’s the BlackBerry lemon. Okay, I think the next one we’ll try. Actually, I love this one is, I think, my favorite wonder one, this is the blood orange bitters. So this is out of their higher vibes collection.

Sara Ventiera 29:28
Ooh, yeah, it’s got a really nice, like, blood orange color.

Jamie Evans 29:31
Oh yeah, the color’s beautiful. Oh, this one smells

Sara Ventiera 29:35
It has more of a weed smell to it, though.

Jamie Evans 29:39
Yeah, I think because of, like, the bitters that’s in the product, it gives more of that, like, adult beverage experience, yeah, I love the blood orange smell. That’s so yummy. Yeah? It

Sara Ventiera 29:49
almost reminds me of, like, I mean, different, but like, a some sort of, like, orangey IPA type situation,

Jamie Evans 29:56
yeah, oh yeah. I could see that for sure. There’s also. Kind of like a, like, a floral component. I love, like, the, like, the tart citrus, the bitters, yeah, I love how it, like, kind of lingers on your palate. And I’ve actually made a lot of mixed drinks with this, like, at parties, it’s really easy to mix into different cocktails, which has been fun,

Sara Ventiera 30:17
yeah, like, what would you mix it with? Oh my gosh.

Jamie Evans 30:21
So we actually, at my last event, this was a couple weeks ago, we made a really fun drink, and we mixed it with Pathfinder, which is a non alcoholic spirit, and it kind of added these almost like amaro effects, I want to say. But it kind of like gave this, like really elevated experience. We’d like to mix a little fresh citrus and some club soda. And so it had, like, all of this complexity and no alcohol, which is great. So it’s a fun home. Yeah, yeah.

Sara Ventiera 30:48
I mean, I guess that the all the NA spirits only make, you know, the possibilities for cannabis beverages like that much White Earth, which is exciting, right?

Jamie Evans 30:59
Yeah, I know. And then you can actually mix the two, and you still get a buzz because of the cannabis,

Sara Ventiera 31:07
which is great, great for the California sober folks, yeah, yeah. It kind of reminds me of like an adult Orangina a little bit.

Jamie Evans 31:19
They spend a lot of time formulating, and I’m just really proud of like, the products that they develop, and it’s been fun to work with them over the years. So okay, cool. So that was, uh, a few of the Wunder products that we tasted. We have more drinks coming up, so I guess we’ll hop over to Artet and if you want to open their strawberry basil spritz, okay, so strawberry basil, when I first discovered this brand, I just fell in love with their packaging. It’s beautiful. It’s very art driven. And I think when you look at the can itself too, it just, it’s it’s really nice. They did a really great job. It’s very modern, chic, artistic, like I said, Yeah, and kind of like helped elevate the beverage category. But when I smell this spritz, lots of bright, kind of strawberry notes, so like, very fruit forward. But also there was, like, almost like this spicy, like peppercorn, like pink, citrus thing going on, which I think is really interesting, and almost like these ginger and cardamom notes. So it’s like, pretty complex, yeah, and that really comes through because our Tut’s, like signature emulsion. It has kind of like these, like very like baking spice notes, which you’re gonna try in their upper teeth. But it comes through in the canned products as well.

Sara Ventiera 32:36
Oh yeah, it really does have, I mean, when I first smelled it, it was like, it, I got, like, herbal notes. But now that you call it out, I’m like, oh, that really is, like, very cardamom ish.

Jamie Evans 32:53
You know, there’s like that really, like, interesting, like, nuanced spice note to it, right? Yeah, it’s fun, I know. So it’s like, definitely something you wouldn’t expect of something called, like strawberry basil, but it has, like all of these other elements, which I think kind of speaks to the complexity of the types of beverages that are out there. So I really enjoy this product, and also this has a good balance of THC and CBD. So this is a five milligram THC to five milligram CBD drink, which is kind of my happy place. I really enjoyed the five to five.

Sara Ventiera 33:22
And what does that I mean? What does that mean exactly when you’re combining them like that? So

Jamie Evans 33:29
I think if you’re just having THC in a product like you’re kind of limiting the experience, because cannabis is really it works best as like, a full plan experience. So having other cannabinoids available kind of gives you a better high, or better, I think, just like onset and feelings and and so when we’re talking about ratios in the cannabis space, so depending on, like, the type of product, you can find something that’s like an 18 to one, which is like a higher ratio of CBD, low ratio to THC, and on and on and on. But a balance ratio is when you have the same amount of milligrams of THC as the same milligrams of CBD. So we really call that a balanced ratio, which really delivers, I think, the best drinking experience. But everyone is different. Some people really like to get that full, like, Delta nine, THC high. But I really love mixing in other cannabinoids, just like we saw with wonder they used the CBG, which is, like, it kind of gives those nice, like relaxation notes that CBD does, and helps balance, kind of the THC that’s in there. So I think that’s really important when you’re formulating,

Sara Ventiera 34:41
and so is the CBD known for more of like, I mean, you don’t get high from CBD, correct? So

Jamie Evans 34:48
CBD doesn’t give you those intoxicating effects that you’re going to get from Delta nine. THC, it’s mostly great for, like, definitely helping balance out the THC. Experience. But also, if you’re looking for products, like for health reasons, it’s great for like inflammation and other purposes, where THC is really great for pain relief, but acting together, this is where you’re going to find the greatest benefits is having kind of that full plant experience with many different cannabinoids. And they kind of call this the entourage effect. This is a term we use in the cannabis space, but I really do feel like that’s true, and so I think it just gives you, yeah, a much more pleasant kind of like tasting, if you will, especially for a beverage,

Sara Ventiera 35:34
yeah, well, and it’s delicious. So that’s also helpful, very true.

Jamie Evans 35:39
Okay, so with Artets. You also have their, let’s see the mango ginger spritz is another great one. Okay, should we do that one next? Yeah, let’s do that one next. Okay, so Artet, when they first launched, they actually came out with their aperitif, which is the large 750 bottle that we’re gonna taste. And then they later came out with these canned options, which are great, and they’re like, these cute little like, eight ounce cans.

Sara Ventiera 36:04
Nice packaging, lovely design, yeah, 40 calories.

Jamie Evans 1 36:09
Oh, yeah, that’s another thing. Is cannabis beverages definitely have way less calories than alcohol. So, yeah, I think the wonder they were actually 20 calories total. So that’s, that’s really cool. Oh

Sara Ventiera 36:23
yeah, and only six grams of sugar per can I didn’t even think to check that.

Jamie Evans 36:30
Yeah, added bonus. Okay, so back to the Artet So this is their mango ginger spritz. I really, really enjoyed this product. I love mango as a fruit. And then I really love kind of the ginger aspect of this product. But there’s also a lot of like citrus that jumps out when I when I smell this, this drink, so almost kind of like a blend of, like lime, grapefruit and tangerine. But also this element of like florals, like white blossoms here. And then, of course, like all the kind of baking spices, and ginger,

Sara Ventiera 37:06
Yeah, more cardamom, yeah, more cardamom, yeah.

Jamie Evans 37:10
I think that’s like one of the key flavors of our Artet Yeah. But I love it. It’s, it’s so delicious. I love cardamom, me too. Oh my gosh, it’s one of my favorite baking spices. But, yeah, I think because of, like, the mango too, it kind of gives you, like, that exotic fruit note,

Sara Ventiera 37:27
yeah, really refreshing, like, sweet, but not too sweet, a little bit tart, nice acid, yeah, right, yeah.

Jamie Evans 37:34
And like these little bubbles that kind of tingle the tongue, very crisp. Yeah, I’m into it. I know it’s a fun one. And then, okay, so next we can taste the art upper teeth. So this is in a big sum 50 bottle. And I think, like when you taste this, you’ll kind of recognize some of the nuances in the other products.

Sara Ventiera 37:55
And this was the first thing that they released, yeah.

Jamie Evans 37:59
So this is, like, their flagship products, okay? And so this, this specific product is made to be mixed with other things. So think about this as like, like an NA spirit, or like an out, like an alcohol spirit. But this is like the cannabis version that you’d replace with that. So, but a lot of like baking spices, ginger and has that like body and that viscosity, that almost like the alcohol gives to a cocktail. And I I think that’s like

Sara Ventiera 38:27
like that. The texture is amazing.

Jamie Evans 38:33
Right? So, imagine mixing this into like, like a Paloma, or, like, some other type of of drink, and then having kind of like all of those elements. It really adds that, like the complexity, because it is a very complex liquid, a lot of elements and layers that are going on in there.

Sara Ventiera 38:51
And so if you were gonna make, like a Paloma out of it, what? What other products would you use?

Jamie Evans 1 38:56
Oh my gosh. So I would actually just use this. So I’d use fresh grapefruit juice, a dose of our tut, which is 2.5 milligrams, a little bit of fresh lemon juice or lime juice, and then maybe some simple syrup. But actually, because it’s spring, I would probably do like a rhubarb simple syrup, mix it up a little bit, which is something that we’re playing around with. We have an upcoming event for the herbal cocktail co so we’re actually making a Paloma that has the the rhubarb syrup. So, oh, man, that sounds really good, but I mix it with all kinds of things. Okay, cool. So let’s move on to Klaus. These are really fun. I actually have not Well, I tasted the mezzer all once, so Warren recommended, there’s a tasting order, so we should do mesereal first.

Sara Ventiera 39:43
Okay, also, I love the can of the mever all. It’s got this really cool, gorgeous, like spy, not spiral, but like circular design with lots of beautiful colors.

Jamie Evans 39:57
Yeah, the packaging all the beverages, um. For Klaus is very innovative and beautiful. Oh yeah. I can even smell the cannabis right when you open the can. Oh yeah. And so this is different than the other ones, because he uses the hash rosin, yeah. So it’s definitely gonna give the emulsions more of, kind of like a cannabis forward note, wow. But it mixes really well with everything that’s in there. So the miserable, wow, you can definitely smell that, like spicy ginger syrup, yeah, and the lime puree,

Sara Ventiera 40:27
And I feel like I can, like, feel the cannabis in my nose, you know? Oh, yeah, that, like, herbal green, yeah, it’s nice.

Jamie Evans 40:36
And he used super Lemon Haze, that’s the strain he used to create this specific emulsion. And I can actually smell kind of like that lemon note, yeah, and you taste it too. Yup, I like it. That’s so good.

Sara Ventiera 40:53
I guess I haven’t had a whole beverage yet, but we’ve been doing this for, what, 15 minutes now, and I’m still feeling pretty normal.

Jamie Evants 41:03
I feel a little tingle.

Sara Ventiera 41:13
Yeah, I feel more relaxed that. I’m gonna have to figure out what to do with the rest of these cans when we’re done.

Jamie 41:18
You’ll have to have friends over for tasting

Sara Ventiera 41:20
Yeah, call my neighbors here. Yeah. Happy Wednesday.

Jamie Evans 41:24
What’s interesting too, about Warren’s products is he really tapped into, like, brands and things he would use when he was in the mixology world. So a lot of these things are, like, really high quality ingredients that you would find in, like, a bar,

Sara Ventiera 41:41
Yeah. I mean, that’s really delicious and nicely nuanced. Okay, yeah, super nuanced. Oh, Mirin vinegar, interesting.

Jamie Evans 41:50
Oh, right, yeah, and it’s like a dry mirin vinegar, not sweet, so it kind of gives that that nice dryness.

Sara Ventiera 41:57
Yeah, the ingredients say a zippy, tangy tangle of spicy ginger, zesty lime juice and dollops of picant. I can never say that word right, mirror and vinegar to finish.

Jamie Evans 42:08
I like the tanginess. That’s a great descriptor for the product, yeah. And I love Yeah. It’s really well balanced. Yum. Okay, so next we have and these, all of these drinks are 10 milligrams THC and less than one CBD. So they’re definitely, uh, different than the other ones that we’ve tried that have more CBD in them.

Sara Ventiera 42:32
So these are going to be more of, like a just a high rather than a all encompassing feeling.

Jamie Evans 42:40
Yeah, this will definitely have a more pronounced Delta nine experience, okay, especially with the hash rosin. All right, so the next one we’re gonna open is the Bosphorus, okay, oh yeah. This is also very, I love the packaging on this. Really pretty.

Sara Ventiera 42:57
Yes, it’s very like 60s flower Childs, but modern and so Bosphorus says exotic citrus oils, apricot puree, rose petal, simple syrup, finished with mirin vinegar.

Jamie Evans 43:10
Yeah, you can even tell the color is different than the first one we tasted really pretty color. It’s almost like a like a golden color, like apricot,

Sara Ventiera 43:18
Yeah, it almost kind of looks like an orangey pet-nat.

Jamie Evans 43:24
Oh, yeah, it does that is, yeah, totally, ooh. I really like the nose on this, yeah, I would say it’s like a very pretty nose. It has that, like apricot, the floral components.

Sara Ventiera 43:35
I’m definitely getting a lot of the apricot on the nose, hmm. It’s really well balanced, though, on the tongue.

Jamie Evans 1 43:41
Yeah, it is that one’s really good, really yummy. I actually, I’ve never, I haven’t this is the first time I’ve tasted this. It’s delicious. Yeah,

Sara Ventiera 43:51
I’m gonna say this is probably one of my I mean, they’re all, they’ve all been good, but this is definitely ranking high up on my list of favorites.

Jamie Evans 43:59
Oh, good. Yeah. And then he says that he used a Pineapple Express for this emulsion, which I can definitely tell. It has like that kind of tropical fruit component to it.

Sara Ventiera 44:12
And so to confirm or clarify, the Pineapple Express is a strain, a flower strain.

Jamie Evans 44:18
Yeah, that’s right. And then he’s using like, a hash frozen emulsion. But, yeah, it begins as pineapple express the flower. Good, good. Question. This is really yummy. It’s like, almost like you’re biting into, like, a fresh, like apricot, and then it like, explodes with, like, all of these other elements. Yeah?

Sara Ventiera 44:36
I mean, I feel like, like they’re definitely getting some of the rose.

Jamie Evans1 44:41
Yeah. It’s like, nice and soft in the palette. Yeah, well done.

Sara Ventiera 44:46
That’s yummy. Yeah, would definitely drink that one again for sure.

Jamie Evans 1 44:50
Cool, so we’re coming to our last beverage. This is also from Klaus. This is the 1851 zombie. Yeah? This one I love, like tropical cocktails, so I’m excited to see what this one tastes like.

Sara Ventiera 45:08
Oh yeah, this one, okay, so, so cinnamon, citrus, pineapple and cherry. Warren’s take on a Tiki Bar classic of beach bum berry fame. Hmm.

Jamie Evans 45:19
Oh, wow, yeah, oh, wow. Like that smells very pineapply, very pineapple. I love pineapple. Is my favorite fruit, so I love it.

Sara Ventiera 45:29
You’re sold already. Yeah? It reminds me of a tiki drink.

Jamie Evans 45:36
Definitely. It’s almost like it’s very thick on the palette too, yeah?

Sara Ventiera 45:40
And in the glass. I mean, my glass is like, coated.

Jamie Evans 45:45
It’s interesting, because it’s like, it doesn’t really give me a lot of sweet notes.

Sara Ventiera 45:48
I feel the pineapple on my tongue, but it’s like, I’m not, it’s not super, you know, it’s not the sugariness aspect of it, right?

Jamie Evans 45:57
Yeah, a lot of, I think it’s that citrus puree probably that’s giving it that weight, or maybe even the sweet cherry puree, I would say, very interesting. I love how all of these, they’re completely different, like all of the Klaus drinks, yeah,

Sara Ventiera 46:17
Yeah. And they interesting directions, cool gently for a half an hour, and add exactly one cube of ice to a chilled glass. Yeah,

Jamie Evans 46:25
it’s very specific. Yeah, with the tiki drink I would want to pour it into, definitely, with some ice, for sure. Yeah?

Sara Ventiera 46:33
But they are completely, I mean, they’re like, completely different experiences, yeah?

Jamie Evans 46:39
And for different consumers, depending on on what your flavor profile is. Are you feeling a little buzzed now?

Sara Ventiera 46:49
I think so. I mean, you know, I am feeling buzz definitely. I’m like, if I have to think about it, I’m feeling buzzed. I’m feeling much more relaxed. My work day is the stress is gone. Oh yeah, ready to take the dog for a nice, relaxing hike. So that sounds fun. I just don’t know what I’m gonna do with the rest of these cans. I’m gonna have to try to pawn them off all your friends are,

Jamie 47:11
Yeah, and I think too, like, we tasted through quite a few beverages, but it is such, like, kind of a light, high and like, I still feel like, very bubbly and social and, yeah, I love it. Yeah,

Sara Ventiera 47:24
these are fantastic, and I really appreciate it. I, I, you know, as I mentioned to you earlier, I was kind of skeptical of the cannabis beverages. I, you know, have been more of a traditionalist in my cannabis consumption, in, you know, throughout my life, but I’m into them. I think I’m, yeah, maybe I’ve become another cannabis beverage adopter.

Jamie Evans 47:45
I mean, that’s the goal. And I think too, there’s just so many different like formats, like we saw, like the can products. There’s different cannabis drinks that you mix as a cocktail in the mixology world, and there’s just so many ways to approach it. And then also, like, what I teach in my books is how to make your own infusions. So there’s also kind of that aspect as well. So

Sara Ventiera 48:05
I mean, anyone that wants to, you know, get on the train has all different ways of doing it, whether they want to just be, you know, go for what’s done and have things that are delicious, or go all out and turn into their own cannabis mixologist.

Jamie Evans 48:22
Yep, it turns into like, almost like a science lab.

Sara Ventiera 48:26
Oh, yeah. Well, thank you so much, Jamie. I really appreciate you walking us through all of this.

Jamie Evans 48:31
Of course, thank you for having me. This was so much fun.

Sara Ventiera 48:34
Yeah, great afternoon. I’m gonna enjoy the rest of my evening. It’s gonna be wonderful.

Jamie Evans 48:39
Yeah, same I’ll probably finish one of these and go for a walk as well.

Sara Ventiera 48:43
I think that sounds like a great plan.

Jamie Evans 48:46
Okay, Sarah, thank you, and so much. A big thank you to all the listeners that are out there as well.

Sara Ventiera 48:50
Yeah, thank you. Are you interested in giving cannabis beverages a try? We’d love to know you can email us your comments and questions at podcast at wine enthusiast.com Remember, you can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, and anywhere else you listen to your favorite shows. You can also go to wine enthusiast.com backslash podcast for more episodes and transcripts. I’m Sarah Ventura. Thanks for listening. You.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

The post Cannabis Beverages Are Actually Really Good Now appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.