If you’re a low-key stoner who also happens to love wine, I have some good news for you.
Apparently, you can pour yourself a glass of vino that will get you extra lit because weed-infused wine is now a real thing.
That’s right. For the first time ever, winemakers in California are commercially producing marijuana-laced wines, known as Canna Vine.
So now, you can get drunk and high at the same damn time, without making your whole apartment reek like bud.
Apparently, celebs like Chelsea Handler and Melissa Etheridge drink this wine on the reg, and Etheridge has even said that getting high off of weed-infused wine puts you in a “really beautiful place.”
But before you empty out your bank account to buy a lifetime supply of marijuana merlot, there are a few things you need to know.
First of all, this glorious ganja wine is only available in the wonderful state of California, since all other 420-friendly states — Washington, Oregon and Colorado — do not allow alcohol to be infused with marijuana.
Second, this wine is Rx only, so you’ll need a medical marijuana license to get your hands on a few of these bad boys.
Last but not least, you better be ready to spend some serious green if you want to turn up with pot-laced pinot because this stoner-approved wine does not come cheap.
Some of these weed-infused wines will cost you anywhere from $120 to $400 for just half of a bottle.
Cannabis aficionados shouldn’t be surprised to hear that a micro-distillery in Humboldt County, in the heart of northern California’s Emerald Triangle, is brewing batches of vodka infused with Cannabis sativa. Humboldt Distillery, which makes organic vodka and spiced rum in addition to pear and apple brandies, recently introduced “Humboldt’s Finest,” a limited release premium small batch vodka that’s been infused with legal U.S.-grown hemp.
We have two questions. How’s it taste? And will it make you intoxicated in more ways than one?
Humboldt Distillery claims the finished product has “an aroma reminiscent of fresh cannabis” and serves as a fine substitute for gin in cocktails. That makes sense, as the hemp would contribute an herbaceous quality similar to gin’s shrubby juniper flavor.
The answer to the second question is a definite “no.” Hemp refers to the non-psychoactive varieties of Cannabis sativa L, meaning the plant contains less than 1% THC. So why would alcohol manufacturers bother to infuse their booze with hemp?
The most obvious reason is marketing. Cannabis is, to quote Mugatu, “So hot right now.” With legalization in the headlines, it makes sense for alcohol manufacturers to slap a weed pun on their labels to attract a double-take from shoppers.
Of course, anyone familiar with the cannabis industry knows that a legal cannabis-infused spirit that produces psychoactive effects is about as likely as D.A.R.E. adopting the slogan “Drugs Are Really Entertaining.” Given cannabis’s federal illegality, alcohol manufacturers would be prohibited from transporting a truly infused product across state lines.
Plus, I’m betting that most brands would think twice before taking on the legal risk of selling a beverage that’s doubly able to impair your state of mind. Studies have found that when consumed together, alcohol may increase THC concentrations, making that joint or bowl feel stronger than usual. (Anecdotally, I call this sensation “sweasy,” or a mix of “sweaty” and “queasy,” which I learned the hard way after a night of vaping coupled with a few too many vodka gimlets.)
On the other hand, we are talking about the alcohol industry, the same folks who brought you Four Loko and Scorpion Vodka, so you never know.
“Humboldt’s Finest” isn’t the first brand of cannabis-infused liquor to hit the shelves. Here’s a roundup of other special spirits you may have noticed:
Liquor
Victoria Spirits out of British Columbia has a “Left Coast Hemp Vodka” that’s distilled with organic Canada-grown hemp seeds. Its tasting notes describe the flavor as “hazelnut and a hint of spice,” with a “long, clean and refreshing” finish.
Also hailing from Canada, Mary Jane’s “Primo Hemp” vodka and gin are available for purchase at select Alberta liquor stores, or you can special order them if you live in another province or territory. (Sorry, Americans, no True North hemp booze for you.)
For something distilled stateside, Earth Mama vodka is hemp-infused and available in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. High Times described the flavor as “leafy, stemmy,” and “not bad.”
Beer
Surprise surprise, another Humboldt-area brewer has hopped on the hemp bandwagon. Humboldt Brewing Company has a hemp ale that’s brewed with toasted hemp seeds to “add a unique, herb-accented flavor.”
Red Hook Brewery tipped its cap to Washington’s legalization milestone by brewing a limited edition “Joint Effort” amber/red ale in 2013. The brewery even made pull handles that looked like bongs. One reviewer described the flavor as “Lightly caramelly with some resiny hops and a light funky je ne sais quoi that might indeed be the hemp seeds.”
Germany makes a hemp brew called “Cannabia” that’s been around since 1996. It’s a typical German Pilsener with a flavor that beer aficionados have described as “piney” with “herbal crispness.”
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