Pick your poison. A fruit cocktail? Maybe it’s beer or bourbon. Perhaps you’re a vodka soda and lime sort of person. Maybe you’d prefer a CBD-infused alcoholic drink.
Wait, what? A CBD-infused who?
When picking your go-to drink, CBD-infused alcoholic beverages may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But it’s not what you think.
CBD-infused beers and cocktails go through a dealcoholisation process. A brewer or distiller takes alcohol out and puts CBD in. The process is identical to how brewers and distillers make non-alcoholic beverages.
While making a CBD-infused alcoholic drink at home is possible, no commercial brands sell CBD-infused alcoholic beverages. Not legally, anyway.
With that in mind, let’s explore the top four CBD-infused alcohol brands in the marketplace.
Top 4 CBD Infused Alcohol Drinks
Flyers Cocktail Co
Flyers Cocktail Co. may be a New York-based company, but three Australian cannabis connoisseurs founded it.
They began during the COVID pandemic. Hungover, tired, and looking for a healthier alternative to booze, they began testing different mixes of CBD-infused drinks.
Months later, they’re crafting sparkling cannabis cocktails with natural ingredients. Whether you enjoy a highball or a spritz, they have a line of products sure to wet your taste buds.
An excellent, CBD-infused hangover-free alternative.
Lagunitas
Lagunitas is your typical craft brewer, focusing on all kinds of hoppy IPAs and spiked teas. But in 2017, they teamed up with a California cannabis company (AbsoluteXtracts) to produce CBD-infused sparking water that tastes like a beer.
For their first product, they combined cannabis terpenes with beer. This product ended up technically illegal, and they had to shut it down.
But Lagunitas came back strong with Hi-Fi Sessions. This hoppy sparkling drink has zero calories and zero carbs. Infused with both THC & CBD, this is as close to CBD-infused beer as you’ll get without wandering into legal grey areas.
Although only available in California and Colorado, Lagunita pushes for broader market access.
In the meantime, Australians may be able to find this beverage on the “green” market, where high-quality cannabis products are available without a medical prescription.
CERIA Brewing Co
CERIA Brewing Co is a non-alcoholic brewer with a unique line of cannabis-infused drinks. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for CBD-only beverages, their beers are either THC-based or blended with CBD and THC.
That said, if you like hoppy beer, their Indiewave is for you.
An IPA brewed with light caramel malts; this CBD beer also includes Cascade, Citra, and Amarillo hops to give it that smooth, citrus taste.
In addition to CBD, Indiewave includes other terpenes known for inhibiting inflammation. These include myrcene and humulene.
While you can find this CBD-infused beverage in over 140 stores in the United States, it’s hard to come by in Australia.
This is where a forward freight company comes in handy. But do your research. Importing CBD products to Australia using this method isn’t quite aboveboard.
CBD Vine Wines
Not a beer drinker? Not a problem. CBD Vine Wines specialises in, well, you guessed it: CBD-infused wine.
Based in Texas, CBD Vine Wines ensures that no THC is present in their final product. They offer various CBD-infused wines, including chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, pinot grigio, pinot noir, and red blends.
The beauty of CBD-infused wines is the combined benefits of both substances.
Moderate wine consumption provides you with antioxidants which improve the heart. Antioxidants also have anti-aging effects and can reduce skin damage from UV rays.[1]
The antioxidants in wine can lower your risk of cancer and protect your teeth, eyesight, and mental health.[2]
Likewise, CBD has all kinds of benefits. We won’t rehash them here since it goes without saying.
A CBD-infused wine is perhaps the healthiest CBD infused alcoholic drink you’ll find.
Where Are All the CBD Infused Alcoholic Drinks?
Infusing CBD with various products is becoming more popular. Not only in food and drink product categories but also in creams, salves, and balms.
So why not alcohol?
In places like California or Colorado, alcohol regulations remain tightly controlled. As Lagunitas learned with their first CBD infused alcoholic beverages, mixing alcohol with any cannabinoid, even CBD, is verboten.
The situation in Canada is similar. You can find CBD drinks at every local cannabis store. But a brand that sells CBD infused alcoholic drinks? They don’t exist.
With a market like this, what hope does an Australian have in finding CBD infused alcoholic beverages?
We mentioned freight-forwarding companies as one option. The “green” market is another one. But when all else fails, you can always mix some CBD oil into your cocktail and see how that turns out.
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