Participating in Dry January has become a popular way to reset after a holiday season, at the beginning of a new year, and beverages containing CBD and THC provide one alternative. Seltzers from St. Louis-based Mighty Kind also give your body a break from sugar and calories, with a range of cannabis infusions and dosages in flavors such as Heady Lemon, Violet Mango, and Cherry Blossom. Other locally made infused beverages include the Free Space NA CBD seltzer collaboration between Proper Cannabis, Mighty Kind, and 4 Hands Brewery; the CBD sparkling craft water from WellBeing Brewing; and the CBD sparkling waters from Zenly. (See below.) Here are a range of options if you’re looking for infused beers, cocktails, and seltzer in St. Louis.
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BARS & RESTAURANTS
The Cola Lounge (2034 Cherokee): As a private club dedicated to moving cannabis culture forward in a safe and authentic way, this lounge from the St. Louis Cannabis Club is an excellent option for learning the ins and outs of foods and drinks infused with THC over social activities such as painting, games, or comedy shows. And keep an eye out for events in partnership with the mindful drinking pop-up bar Barpothecary, which offers NA drinks and infused cocktails.
Hello Juice and Smoothie (100 S. Newstead, 10463 Manchester): If you’re looking for a morning dose of relaxation, the Hello Chill line of CBD-infused juice shots come in 2.5-ounce bottles with 25 mg of CBD from St. Louis-based Beleaf Medical, parent company of cannabis dispensary Swade.
Pop’s Blue Moon (5249 Pattison): The iconic bar on The Hill has been a leader in alternatives to alcohol; it was one of the first to introduce infused cocktails made to order with tinctures. This past May, Pop’s Blue Moon celebrated a quarter-century of good times under the current owners, the family of Joshua “Loyal” Grigaitis, who’s also the founder of Mighty Kind (see below).
Steve’s Hot Dogs (multiple locations): Wash down a hot dog flight with a root bear float, made from Mighty Kind’s cannabis-infused root beer, during the third Saturday of the month.
Plenty of other bars and breweries now stock THC and CBD canned drinks. Among the options:
- HandleBar (4127 Manchester): Cycling Frog
- Hidden Gem (3118 Locust): Mighty Kind
- Platypus (4501 Manchester): Urban Swade
- Thaxton Speakeasy (1009 Olive): Mad Tasty
BEVERAGE BRANDS
4 Hands Brewery (1220 S. 8th): In partnership with Proper Cannabis and Mighty Kind, the St. Louis-based brewery and distillery created the Free Space non-alcoholic CBD seltzer, featuring mango passion fruit and elderflower options.
Mighty Kind: The local maker of botanical seltzers and cannabis-infused drinks regularly launches new beverages. Recent examples include a root beer with 10 mgs of hemp-derived THC and an unflavored water with 100 mg. Flavors tend toward the fruity (mango, cherry, lemon, watermelon, banana kush), with a range of strengths and sweetness levels. Customers can order Mighty Kind’s CBD- or THC-infused drinks or Cheerz (non-infused) products online or find a retail shop via the nationwide store locator.
Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.: The brewery continues to offer a tropical Urban CBD seltzer within its line of sparkling hop waters.
WellBeing Brewing: While the St. Louis brewery is best known for its NA beers, customers can also order CBD sparkling craft water, with such as flavors as watermelon-lemongrass and yuzu bloom, from the Mighty Kind website.
Zenly: While a number of local companies that tried to enter the market with canned CBD-infused beverages over the past five years have fizzled out, this Missouri-based company is still going strong with its line of CBD-infused sparking waters, which come in four flavors: Honeycrisp apple, bliss berry, lime mojito, and blood orange.
THE BACKGROUND
Five years ago, the St. Louis market was just starting to enjoy the arrival of cannabidiol, or CBD, drinks. Today, beverages with relaxing and/or intoxicating effects from something other than alcohol are everywhere—and local bars, restaurants, and retailers are evaluating how much they wish to invest in the exploding array.
Of course, the legalization of recreational marijuana in Missouri has made a significant difference in the market. It’s now legal for dispensaries to sell drinks containing THC, the psychoactive compound responsible for making you high. (They’re found under the “edibles” category along with gummies, candies, and such.)
Still, many people prefer drinks with hemp-derived intoxicating cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC, which are available outside dispensaries. It’s been a whirlwind summer for these products in Missouri. After a series of state-level actions including an executive order, a lawsuit, a health-related ban, an emergency rule, and more, federally legal, hemp-derived THC beverages are back on store shelves in Missouri. (One outlet described Missouri as doing the “hokey pokey on hemp ban.”)
Without getting too in the weeds about THC extraction methods, consumers should keep in mind that there are a multitude of techniques that yield different properties in the resulting concentrates. Likewise, the infusion methods vary. Some producers use nanoemulsion, which allows the THC to be absorbed by the stomach rather than having to go through the liver to be processed, which means the onset of the effect is quicker.
A final note about strength: In general, 2 to 5 mg of THC per serving is considered a microdose; 5 to 10 mg is typically recommended; 25 mg might be up there with drinking a bottle of wine; and 100 mg could hit a novice like a bottle of 80-proof vodka.
