Since cannabis beverages burst on the scene a couple of summers ago, they’ve often been billed as the future of partying. But in the few years that weed drinks have been around, I’ve never seen anyone drinking them at a non-cannabis-related event besides myself. A second issue, which surely predicates the first, is that THC alone is not a social lubricant. In fact, the isolated THC distillate that is found in most cannabis beverages can often cause social anxiety, paranoia, and all-around neggy vibes — especially for the novice users that these drinks tend to be marketed to.
Alcohol makes you litty, carefree, and ready to experience large groups of people at once. Cannabis tends to do the opposite, leaving you introspective, thoughtful, and more inclined to spend time in nature or get some food than energetically elevate to the level of drunk people.
For a weed drink to get you lit, it needs to contain more than just an isolated THC distillate. You may have heard of the entourage effect, in which the rainbow of healing chemicals found in cannabis works with your body’s endocannabinoid system to make you feel fucking amazing. That’s what’s often missing with most of these drinks. THC needs to be balanced by other active chemicals in the plant, like CBD and terpenes.
When they’re created by people who care about weed and know how it works with our bodies, these drinks can be amazing. They can function as an alternative to alcohol, while still offering the “drinking in public” thing that makes up a lot of our cultural dependency on the sauce. We just want to drink stuff that makes us feel buzzy around people who are drinking stuff that makes them feel buzzy, too — which is kind of poetic, in a sad way.
Anyways, to get things straight on this misunderstood genre, we’ve rounded up the most social cannabis beverages and ranked them on a scale of party-readyness. As a drinker who’s always trying to drink less, I’ve personally tried all of these more than a few times and can vouch for their social swig-ability.
Cann Roadies
Cann is leading the pack in the wild world of weed drinks, with massive billboards up and down Sunset Blvd and a host of celebrity buzz from stars that orbit wellness like Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson.
A newish counterpart to their flagship canned drinks, Roadies are little sauce packets of the 2mg THC, 4mg CBD Cann mixture you can put into any beverage, anywhere. I call Cann my freak-out drink, as every time I’m having an anxiety or stress attack I crack one, and it melts away instantly. This attribute lends itself to the social experience, especially for those who experience crippling social anxiety and often rely on alcohol to get them out of that hole.
That being said, when it comes to turning up the party, I don’t think these drinks really do that. For me, who gets high often, the feeling is barely detectable, more like feeling less bad than getting super high.
Bottom Line:
Suited for the total weed noob who is curious about cannabis drinks, but scared to get too high.
Buy it here: $18 (Eight Pack)
LIFT Seltzer
LIFT Seltzers are similar to Cann, but they have more CBD (2mg THC and 6mg CBD) and less bougie flavor profiles. Also well suited for novice users or high-stress situations, these are great daytime companions as they enhance your experience without getting you too high to enjoy. They’re small enough to fit in any bag, and the feeling is bright, fun, and ready for anything.
Bottom Line:
Perfect for social events where you need to be mentally “on” — while still taking the edge off.
Buy it here: $18
Pamos
Pamos is a unique beverage that lends itself to the cocktail genre. It’s aromatic and a little bitter, with a blend of citrus and fruit. It almost tastes like a cocktail version of apple cider, but more complex and dark.
They have a microdose version (2mg of THC and 2mg of CBD per shot), and a low dose version, which I prefer, with a great ratio of 6mg THC and 2mg CBD. I drank it before an event, and immediately started feeling silly and upbeat, which shook me from my too-much-weed-in-the-morning malaise.
Bottom Line:
A really interesting base that also works on its own, this is a great option for cocktails and mixology.
Buy it here: $65
Wunder’s Blueberry Lemon Higher Vibes
Wunder’s new line of high dose drinks, called Higher Vibes, is a wavy line of beverages that makes you feel kind of drunk. The combination of 10mg THC and 10mg Delta-8 adds a carefree, potent element that isn’t usually found in weed drinks.
To be clear, most Delta-8 products are not worth checking out. D-8 is a synthetic cannabinoid derived from CBD that should usually be avoided due to the unregulated nature of the synthetic cannabinoid market, meaning many D-8 products are not lab tested and can be unsafe. However, Wunder is a reputable brand that shines some light on the synthesized cannabinoid — which can be fun and not sketchy if it’s done right.
The flavor is pure, pleasant, and fruity. The feeling is ready to party. I drank one before a party and felt laid back and saucy, like I had consumed two or more glasses of wine. Hence this dispatch in my iPhone notes: “The world drips like warm water. Sharp experiences like stress are replaced with a yacht-like buoyancy. I don’t feel weird at all.”
Bottom Line:
This is a great drink for social situations, and those who want to be social in situations but don’t want to drink alcohol to get there.
Buy it here: $23 (four pack)
Space Gems Blackberry Gem Juice
Space Gems Blackberry Gem Juice is more of a drink enhancer than a drink in and of itself, but it deserves a spot on our list because it has one of the most anxiety-relieving highs of anything I’ve ever tasted in my life, alcohol included.
Unlike the THC or CBD distillate that most weed drinks contain, Space Gems uses the same single source solventless ice water hash in Gem Juice as they do in their Space Gem gummies, which are — hands down — my favorite edibles on the market.
I mix a little bit of this extremely potent beverage (600mg THC per 4oz bottle) with a sparkling water or Spindrift, and enjoy. The feeling is like melting into a hot spring, lost in a fit of laughter with your best friends. The high is fun, euphoric, and calming, but still silly, giggly, and stoned. Gem Juice tested for more cannabinoids than any other drink on this list, including THC, CBD, THCV, CBN and CBC. When it comes to filling out the cannabinoid spectrum, the more there are, the better you’ll feel!
Bottom Line:
Gem Juice offers the same glittering high as smoking a joint of the best weed ever.
Buy it here: $20
Herbacée
I love Herbacée because it provides a similar experience to drinking wine spritzers. Key words are tart, quench, bubbles, relief, excitement, and smile.
This 5mg THC and 5mg CBD per can beverage features a blend of grapes from the Central Coast of California and has a flavor that is wine-ish without going too hard in that direction. It’s not sweet in the slightest, a blend of cherry and currant, with around the same density of bubbles as champagne.
It has the melty anxiety-relieving high that lowers inhibitions, without taking you to a place of being saucy and weird. This drink also has the giggle factor that wine has, which makes it fantastic for being at parties. Instead of getting wrapped up in your stoned ass thoughts, you just don’t give a fuck, which is the key to having a good time!
Bottom Line:
Perfect for the drinker who is trying to drink less.
Buy it here $28 (4 pack) $8 (Single Can)
Artet x Aster Farms Founder’s Blend No. 1 Live Resin Aperitif
Founder’s Blend Live Resin Aperitif is a collaboration between Artet (haute weed bev brand) and Aster Farms (sustainable, sun-grown farm), and is the most sophisticated weed drink, IMO.
The bottle is gorgeous and gift-worthy. The flavor is a complex ginger Campari-eque liqueur minus the bite. And the high, well, that’s the is the best part! Full-spectrum, nuanced, and super social! Instead of a THC or CBD distillate, this drink uses a live resin extract from Aster Farms sun-grown strain Honeydew Funk, meaning the full expression of this strain, which was selected for its uplifting and giddy effects, remains intact as you consume the beverage.
The high is social and jubilant, possessing alcohol-like energy, without all the pitfalls of being drunk.
Bottom Line:
Bringing this bottle to a dinner party is the best look ever.
Buy it here: $50
