This ‘vodka of cannabis’ promises a buzz, no hangover

America’s booze cruise has entered choppy waters, with only 54% of Americans in July telling Gallup they consume alcohol—the lowest since Gallup began tracking drinking behaviors in 1939.

But it’s decidedly smoother sailing for cannabis-infused beverages, with sales expected to increase from $1.1 billion in 2024 to $1.38 billion this year, and to more than triple by 2032, to $4.19 billion, according to a report by Whitney Economics, a cannabis business consultancy.

Now 1906—the 10-year-old cannabis brand—is introducing its first beverage. But unlike popular canned flavored beverages like Cann, the company is introducing 1906 Spirits, a neutral cannabis spirit meant for mixed drinks like cosmos that it’s calling “the vodka of cannabis.”

A 1.25-ounce shot contains 10 milligrams of THC, and with 5–10 milligrams being popular low-to-moderate dosages for edibles, cannabis users will have a sense of whether they want to start with a half or full shot for their maiden voyage.

It’s the first beverage for 1906, which specializes in THC tablets that contain plant extracts and claim specific effects, with product names like Bliss, Chill, and Genius.

Peter Barsoom, founder and CEO of 1906, said he’d been hoping to introduce a beverage since the brand launched in 2015.

“If you think about the three legal intoxicants or psychoactive substances that we have—nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol—two out of those three are in something that we could drink,” Barsoom told Retail Brew. “We are used to consuming psychoactive substances in a liquid format, and so the evolution into THC-based spirits is consistent with market and consumer demand.”

Kindred spirit: Non-alcoholic beverages have grown popular as more Americans adopt a sober-curious lifestyle, but Barsoom said they may fall short for some consumers.

“Mocktails are great, but they lack the feature that we often look for in alcohol, which is, ‘I want to feel less stress, more relaxed [and a] reduction in social inhibition,’” Barsoom said.

Posts promoting 1906 Spirits on social media claim that it also spares users one of booze’s downsides: a hangover.

The product launched in September online and in about 75 liquor stores in New Jersey, with plans to introduce it in liquor stores in other states including Texas, Florida, and Tennessee, Barsoom said.

Its THC is derived from the hemp plant, which means that because of a loophole in the 2018 farm bill, its sale and distribution do not face the same gauntlet of restrictions as other cannabis products.

Bar chart: While vodka brands gravitate to clear bottles to highlight clarity, 1906 Spirits is slightly opaque and is bottled in matte brown glass. Its design, by Joe Doucet x Partners, has a broad-shouldered silhouette reminiscent of Hendrick’s Gin.

While the new product is not yet served in any bars, it is Barsoom’s expectation that it will be someday, and that informed its design.

“I can’t wait for the day that it’s sitting next to a bottle of Hendrick’s” in a bar, Barsoom said. “The design inspiration definitely came from the belief that it’s got to look gorgeous behind a bar.”