This Thanksgiving-flavored Thc Drink Will Get You Through The Holidays With A Cann-do Attitude

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Tryptophan, you lackadaisical sedative bastard, there’s just not enough of you in a turkey to calm my frayed nerves. Thanksgiving is stressful enough to many of us that one of the things we’re thankful for is that once it’s over, we’re 364 days away from the next one.

Wouldn’t it be great if Thanksgiving just came in a can that you could pop open like a Sprite? And maybe if somebody sprinkled in some THC, that’d be all right, too. Perhaps the reason the Pilgrims were so pissed off all the time is because they didn’t think of it.

Image: Matt Jancer

Available for just a limited time, this seasonal release of Cann’s THC drink marries two keystone flavors of Thanksgiving’s gastronomical palette: cranberry and sage. As a substitute or just a break from beer and wine, it offers up a different sort of high.

crammed with cran

Tasting cranberry, I’m off to a good start. And sage. You know stuffing? Sage is often one of the most up-front flavors in any stuffing recipe, no matter how else it’s made. The addition of sage makes this a much more interesting flavor if Cann had just gone straight cranberry.

Luckily for us, Cann knew when to stop. If they’d have gone ahead and put turkey juice or gravy in it, it’d have just been a gimmick. But the sour tang of cranberry works well with the complex fragrance of sage, and the flavor is tasty without being overpowering.

The tart sourness of the cranberries is cut by a subtly, not-too-sweet foretaste and the carbonation, and then the sage rides in on the back end of the flavor profile, leaving a floral note lingering, as if you’re hunched over the Thanksgiving table and huffin’ stuffin’.

Image: Matt Jancer

The ingredients list is short and easy to decrypt, which is always a good thing. The longer the laundry list of unpronounceable ingredients in a beverage, the more suspect it tends to be in my eyes.

It contains only carbonated water, real cranberry juice, agave nectar, industrial hemp extract, and “natural sage flavor.” There are only 10 g of sugar, 12 g of carbs, and 45 calories per can. That’s more sugar, 1/3 the calories, and the same carbs as a 12 fl. oz. Miller High Life.

I’m pleased that Cann kept the ingredients all natural and kept aspartame away from their recipe. I’m also happy that it doesn’t contain Stevia, a plant-based sweetener that’s become a popular substitute for both cane sugar and aspartame recently, but with a peculiar aftertaste.

Gaining altitude like a Macy’s Balloon

“One Hi Boy has a similar effect to a Martini or Double IPA,” says Cann. I’d say that’s not quite accurate, as alcohol and cannabis products, including THC and CBD, affect the body in different ways. I don’t feel quite the same drinking one as I do the other.

Cann markets its THC drinks as suitable substitutes for alcoholic drinks, though, and I’d say that’s a fair use. The feeling will be different, but if you’re alcohol-sober but want to join in on the same sort of slow-sipping, gentle buzz alongside drinkers, a Cann or two does the trick.

Image: Matt Jancer

Each 12 fl. oz. Hi Boy contains 5 mg of THC and 10 mg of CBD. The THC is the psychoactive component that offers the archetypical weed high, and the CBD is a non-psychoactive component that provides a calming effect without adding to the high.

I’ve felt—and friends have corroborated this with me—that liquid THC hits harder than an equivalent amount in edibles, so while a 5 mg serving of THC in a Delta 9 gummy would be somewhat mild, the Cann’s 5 mg of THC felt stronger.

Cann Hi Boy Cranberry Sage vs. Cann Cranberry Sage

There’s also the confusingly named Cann Cranberry Sage. It tastes similar, but its effect is lighter. It’s got 2 mg of THC and 4 mg of CBD per 8 fl. oz. can, compared to the Hi Boy’s 5 mg and 10 mg, respectively, per 12 fl. oz. can.

Alternatives That DOn’t taste like thanksgiving

If you don’t think a weed drink should taste like a Simon and Garfunkel song (can’t relate), we’ve got a few other favorites that should see you through the holidays (and all their attendant tedious dinner convos) juuuust fine.

Like the THC in Cann, most THC drinks are of the Delta 9 variety. It’s rare these days to find a THC drink that packs Delta 8 instead. Each Mighty Kind contains 20 mg of Delta 8, which stimulates anti-inflammatory properties but provides a lot less of a high than Delta 9.

We have an explainer that lays out the differences between Delta 8 and Delta 9, if it piques your curiosity.

The Crescent Canna contains 6 mg of THC, similar to the Cann’s 5 mg. But it has only 3 mg of CBD compared to the Cann’s 10 mg. It also packs 40 mg of caffeine, which is a bit more than a 12 fl. oz. can of Coke (34mg), but less than a same-sized Diet Coke (46mg).

With caffeine and less CBD, the Crescent Canna will provide more of an energetic pick-me-up and less sedated, CBD-induced effect than the Cann, while providing about the same high feeling, due to their nearly identical amounts of THC.

The last drop

Cann‘s focus on all natural ingredients, and not too many of them, strikes the right chord with us. Cannabis has shed much of its outlaw status and now attracts an awful lot of folks with wellness on the top of their mind, and agave syrup and real cranberry juice are major pros.

It’d all be for nought if it didn’t taste good, though. With far less sugar than a soda, it certainly drinks more like a flavored, slightly sweetened seltzer, so expect a light caress of taste. What gentle flavor is there is unique and refreshing. Adding the sage was a bit of genius.

Image: Matt Jancer

For those new to consuming THC in liquid form, I’d follow Cann’s instructions to “start with one Cann and wait to feel its effects before going in for another.” And if you want to down a few, say while watching the big game, go for the lighter version, as the Hi Boy packs a punch.

As the cannabis industry matures, you’re going to see a lot more about THC drinks. And that’s something we can be thankful for this year.

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