The RTD cocktail market is still incredibly hot. It’s reportedly grown more than 100 percent in the last two years, and projections suggest the category will be worth a whopping $40 billion by 2027. The THC beverage market isn’t nearly as big, but it’s growing as cannabis becomes legal in more states. Recently, a leading THC beverage brand just launched a canned cocktail that it hopes will follow the RTD trend. And while the drink doesn’t contain alcohol, the concept was certainly inspired by canned beverages from the spirits world.
Actually was founded last year and has been targeting the NA spirits category since the beginning. Its first products were 750-milliliter bottles of THC “spirits” that came in high-dose (10 mg per serving) and low-dose (5 mg per serving) versions (there is now a 2 mg microdose version as well). These are intended to be enjoyed in your favorite NA cocktail, drunk neat or poured over ice. The ingredients for these variants are cannabis extract, water, sugar, citric acid and preservatives, making them fairly flavorless and therefore perfect for mixing.
However, Today’s new Canned Cocktails are literally ready to drink and are available to consumers in four new recipes: Original, Spicy Lime, Citrus and Berry. “Expanding into canned cocktails was a natural next step for us,” Today’s CEO and co-founder Justin Tidwell said in a statement. “Our bottled spirits have been incredibly successful and we wanted to build on that by turning everything consumers love about Today into a canned version for an elevated ready-to-drink experience. This innovation allows us to reach even more people and continue to grow the brand.”
These canned cocktails are considered low-dose at launch, with just five milligrams of THC per drink. Of course, everyone reacts differently to THC, so you can start with half a can if you’re not sure about the effects, which supposedly kick in after about 15 minutes. But generally, five milligrams of THC is considered a pretty low dose. The ingredients in these drinks are similar to those in bottled spirits, although all of them list the vague term “natural flavors”—presumably that’s what gives them a berry, lemon, or tangy lime flavor. And each can contains just 25 calories and about four grams of sugar, so don’t expect a sugary drinking experience (which sounds good).
These aren’t the only canned THC “cocktails” on the market, of course. Some brands are modeled after the popular hard seltzer category, like Wynk, which comes in black cherry and mango flavors, while others like Cann call themselves “social tonics” and come in flavors like blood orange and cardamom. But Nowadays seems to take more inspiration from the non-alcoholic spirits category, which actually makes it stand out. Currently, the six-pack of various flavors is available on Nowadays’ website for $32 (six-packs of individual flavors are coming next month), and some online retailers like Total Wine also carry them. And remember, like alcohol, you must be at least 21 to purchase these drinks.