Give Your Holiday Gatherings an Elevated Drink Option!
‘Tis the season to revel in good times with good people. For decades, it has sort of been the assumption that holiday gatherings and alcohol go hand-in-hand. Well, the cannabis industry is changing that dynamic and offering an alternative. Thanks to the growing revival and acceptance of this beautiful plant, you have options. Whenever your gatherings include cannabis-friendly friends and family, why not offer the gift of a new twist for your cocktails? Elevated mocktails are the way to go!
In August 2019 I attended the Weed and Wine Symposium in Sonoma County California. As part of the programming, BDS Analytics, a leading data company presented insights and infographics on how cannabis is disrupting the alcohol industry, including wine. The data showed that small intimate groups gatherings, daytime fun and creative motivation were environments that drew the greatest shift toward cannabis consumption, while large celebrations, special events, date nights and high energy settings retained the highest stability for alcohol use. In digesting those insights, keep in mind that cannabis is still very young and mainstream consumers are not yet fully aware of their cannabis drinkable options. The inaccurate stigma of cannabis still lingers, but progress is being made. As consumers grow more educated, cannabis drinkables will continue to grab market share from alcohol and grow as a product category. Here are just a few reasons why…
Choose Your Effect Range
Cannabis today is a choose-your-own-adventure landscape. Just like the beer industry offers a full spectrum of choices from non-alcoholic beer to twenty percent alcohol, cannabis drinkables offer a similar range of options. A CBD or Non-THC drinkable for example is a non-psychoactive cannabis product that is the equivalent of the non-alcoholic beer products we are all familiar with. The more adventurous and seasoned cannabis user might opt for a 10 milligram THC-infused drinkable in an effort to feel that relaxing and elevated effect that cannabis is so famous for. Then there is everything in between, from zero milligrams of THC to 10 milligrams of THC or more, consumers are able to select what strength or level of cannabis effects they desire.
Cut the Calories
Cannabis drinkables across the board are healthier. They often come in the form of tasty, refreshing flavored bubbly water and have reduced or zero calories. For consumers that are watching the waistline and selecting healthier options, cannabis drinkables offer a new way to relax, socialize and avoid those unnecessary calories from alcohol.
Enjoy the Ride
Cannabis induces different effects from alcohol, very different. The concept of ‘bring drunk’ often goes hand in hand with being louder, more outgoing, more animated or even a bit sloppy. In extreme cases, people will ‘black out’ or forget conversations and events from the night before. Being high from cannabis, on the contrary, is known to induce the munchies, belly laughing or, in extreme cases, will drive people to their bed to sleep it off.
Embrace Elevation Without the After-Effects
Health and wellness is a pop culture trend and cannabis is aligned. Consumers are growing increasingly exhausted with the brutal hangover aftermath of a big night out with alcohol. Once a consumer is educated about cannabis products and dosing levels, they are able to choose a cannabis drink instead of alcohol. Drinking a cannabis infused beverage allows one to avoid that nasty hangover component that goes hand in hand with alcohol.
A simple Internet search can pull up lots of recipes and options for your mocktails this holiday season! And remember, cannabis as a drinkable beverage is not exactly a new concept. For centuries, cultures around the world have been creating cannabis beverages and teas as medical and spiritual applications. Today in the legal THC land of California, the drinkable game is evolving the product category even further. It comes in the form of health and wellness first and foremost and will continue to evolve how and what we consume at social gatherings that call for a bit of intoxication. The data is young, but trends are indeed forecasting extraordinary growth for cannabis-infused beverages of all kinds.
Cheers!