EXPANDING CANNABIS CULTURE
Southern California as a whole is helping to further push the cultural world by aiding the alcohol and cannabis partnership with cannabis-infused cocktails and brews. One example of this alcohol and cannabis partnership is an upscale vegan Mexican food restaurant in Los Angeles, which is now serving CBD-infused cannabis cocktails with cannabis sourced from San Diego. Serving up a menu that is only plant-based and 100 percent organic, Gracias Madre in West Hollywood is a classy restaurant known as a favorite spot for celebrities due to its impeccable flavors and a wildly unique beverage program.
According to Daily Mail, Gracias Madre’s resident bartender Jason Eisner has created three cocktails that contain CBD from 100 percent organic cannabis grown in San Diego.
The Stoney Negroni is a gin drink that has a dash a CBD, and its garnish is a twist of lemon with the words “puff puff pass” stamped on it. The Rolled Fashioned is a version of an Old Fashioned cocktail with Bourbon, Mezcal Anejo and more. Of course this drink features a dash of CBD and a vegan churro as garnish. Lastly, the Sour T-Iesel features tequila blanco, agave nectar, sage leaves, lime juice, mint and more, with a dash of CBD and Matcha green tea powder dusted into a cannabis leaf shape on top.
These infused drinks are legal and not considered for medical or recreational use, because they utilize CBD extracted from the cannabis plant’s stalk. Customers of course must be 21 and over to order the specialty drinks.
Cocktail drinkers are not the only ones who will enjoy cannabis-infused libations, as a San Diego brewery has collaborated with a reputable extract company to create terpene beer. Referred to as the first collaboration of its kind by BrewBound, Thorn Street Brewery and Jetty Extracts have come together to create OG HighPA Session IPA. This 4.20 percent ABV beer contains a mixture of beer hops and cannabis terpenes, which gives the beer distinct cannabis qualities without containing any cannabinoids.
Brewmaster and co-owner of Thorn Street Brewery, Eric O’Connor, shared his passion for this beer’s flavor with BrewBound, “We love experimenting with new flavors and aromas and being on the cutting edge of craft beer. Beer is all about how it tastes, though, and the flavors from the extract really blend well with the hops. It’s a subtle flavor and the smell is unmistakable without being overpowering.”
If you’re interested in getting a taste for yourself, the beer is available in Spring and Summer at the Thorn Street Brewery tasting room or throughout drinking and dining establishments in San Diego County.
Overall, Gracias Madre and Thorn Street Brewery are two Southern California establishments, which serve as key examples of the growing partnership between alcohol and cannabis and the mainstream acceptance of the cannabis plant in all its glory.
