Review: Nowadays Cannabis Infused Beverage
As the wave of cannabis legalization washes over the United States, new variations of cocktails are emerging at a rapid clip. Here to help fuel the wave of weed-based innovation is Nowadays Cannabis Infused Beverage, a tart, fruit-forward infusion of low-dose or microdose cannabis that lends a refreshingly unusual flavor profile to the mixologists’ toolkit.
Unlike other cannabis-related beverages we’ve tried, many of which either infuse cannabis terpenes for flavor only, or pack CBD with little to no THC, Nowadays presents as an alcohol-free, THC-infused option for those who’d rather get their high from pot than from booze. As such, Nowadays breaks free of the profile we find in the typical spirit and even in the CBD waters or terpene-infused beers we’ve reviewed here on Drinkhacker.
Pull the bottle from its box and you’d be forgiven for mistaking its appearance for nigori sake. Nowdaways isn’t a brown liquor or a clear spirit, but a milky white solution. Pop the cork and the soft aromas of strawberries and mint come wafting from the bottle, mingled with a gentle weedy aroma that is not overpowering, but still reminds you there’s cannabis in this drink. In many respects, the aromatic experience is like that of a highly floral nigori right up to the first sip, at which point the flavor profile takes a sharp departure from its fermented-rice doppelganger. Nowadays has no alcohol flavor at all, because it contains no alcohol. Instead, it tastes strikingly like a solution of dissolved berry Sweetarts. That flavor profile might be off-putting in a conventional spirit, but Nowadays manages to balance the sweetness and tartness well enough to merit further sipping, and I enjoyed a couple of shots back to back. It also lends itself nicely to fruity cocktail recipes such as daiquiris and berry margaritas.
My sample bottle of Nowadays delivers 6mg of THC per 1.5-ounce shot, and I found a single shot set me up nicely for a light, heady buzz before bedtime, while two shots put me in the moderately stoned zone. As with any THC product, set, setting, and individual constitution will affect the experience dramatically, so I would suggest starting with one shot and waiting 30 minutes or so before trying a second. In addition to the 6mg/1.5oz low dose recipe, Nowadays also offers a microdose version containing 2mg of THC per 1.5 ounces.
