Updated June 2026.

THC drinks are finally becoming their own category instead of just “weed water.” A few years ago, most cannabis beverages tasted overly artificial, barely got you high, or felt like someone dumped THC tincture into a LaCroix and called it innovation. Now the category is splitting into actual lanes. There are weed drinks meant to replace hard seltzers, wine, cocktails, mocktails, social spritzes, wellness drinks, and even sleepy nighttime hot cocoa.

And that distinction matters because not they’re not all trying to do the same thing anymore. Some are designed to be crushed ice cold at parties. Others are meant to slowly sip through dinner. Some lean hard into social energy and lower doses, while others try to recreate the ritual and feeling of alcohol without the hangover attached to it.

After trying a ridiculous amount of THC beverages over the past month, I started noticing that the best ones all understand exactly what kind of drink they’re trying to be. The worst ones still feel confused: too weak, sugary, artificial, or trying too hard to imitate alcohol instead of creating their own lane entirely.

These are the THC drinks I’d actually recommend depending on the vibe, flavor profile, and kind of high you’re looking for.

Best THC Drinks Snapshot

• Best Overall: Soul Out of Office Cucumber Melon Lime
• Best Cocktail Alternative: Spruce Cocktail Packets
• Best for Beginners: Mood THC Drink Variety Pack (2 Sodas and 2 Seltzers)
• Best Tasting THC Drink: Cornbread Hemp Salted Watermelon THC Seltzer
• Best for Social Settings: Cann Spritz
• Best Microdose THC Drink: Cann Social Tonic
• Best for Relaxing: Upstate Elevator Adaptogen THC Spritz
• Best for Sleep: Mood Sleep Hot Cocoa
• Best Wine Replacement: Cycling Frog Black Currant THC Seltzers
• Best THC Seltzer: Summit THC Seltzers

Best Overall: SOUL Out of Office Cucumber Melon Lime

Soul’s Out of Office sparkling THC beverage earned the top spot in this roundup because it nails something a lot of cannabis beverages still struggle with: being genuinely easy to drink. Instead of trying to knock you sideways with a heavy dose or overload you with syrupy flavors, these lean clean, subtle, and functional.

The low-dose THC paired with double the CBD creates a mellow, controlled vibe that feels more like replacing your usual hard seltzer, beer, or mid-day spritz than “getting high.” The carbonation is softer than most THC seltzers thanks to the sparkling spring water base, and both flavors—especially the crisp Cucumber Melon Lime—feel refreshing instead of artificial or aggressively sweet.

What really pushed Out of Office onto the list is how approachable and daytime-friendly it feels. This is one of the few drinks that actually works for social hangs, work-from-home afternoons, or low-key weekends without turning your brain into static. The effects stay light, calm, and predictable, even after multiple cans, which makes it ideal for newer consumers, low-dose drinkers, or anyone looking for a true alcohol alternative that won’t wreck their night (or next morning). It’s more “cool as a cucumber” than couch-locked, and that understated approach is exactly why it stood out in a sea of overly intense cannabis beverages.

Read my full review of Soul Out of Office THC Seltzer

Best Cocktail Alternative: Spruce THC Cocktail Packets

Spruce’s THC Cocktail Packets earned a spot because they feel like the natural evolution of weed drinks for people who are tired, busy, and maybe a little too committed to optimizing their nightly wind-down routine.

Instead of another overly sweet canned beverage trying to cosplay as a cocktail, Spruce lets you spike whatever you’re already drinking with a mellow 3 mg THC + 6 mg CBD blend that’s intentionally light, controlled, and functional. The low-dose formula smooths out stress without turning your brain into mashed potatoes, while extras like lion’s mane, cordyceps, magnesium L-threonate, and inositol push it further into “wellness nightcap” territory. It’s peak convenience culture, sure, but it actually works.

Related: The Best THC Mixers Will Have You Swearing Off Booze for Good

I tested Spruce the way most people would actually use it IRL: mixed into sparkling water, tart cherry juice, and random “whatever’s-left-in-the-fridge” mocktails during low-key nights at home when we wanted to decompress without fully checking out. What made Spruce stand out is how frictionless it feels compared to most THC drinks. You’re not committing to a whole can or accidentally getting obliterated off a mystery weed beverage. You’re just adding a little calm to whatever you’re already sipping.

The effects stay subtle, clear-headed, and functional—less “let’s get ripped” and more “my shoulders finally unclenched.” The Grapefruit Rosemary flavor especially feels surprisingly legit, like something you’d order at a trendy cocktail bar instead of a cannabis product trying too hard to be cool. It’s one of the more dialed-in low-dose THC options we tried, especially for weeknight decompression and replacing that habitual glass of wine.

Read my full review of Spruce THC Cocktail Packets

Best for beginners: Mood THC Drink Variety Pack

MOOD’s THC Drink Variety Pack earned our “Best for Beginners” spot because it lets you try different things and get a sense for what you like before committing. A lot of brands lock you into an entire 6- or 12-pack before you even know whether you like weed sodas, sparkling seltzers, microdosed social drinks, or sweeter “treat-yourself” flavors.

MOOD’s lineup smartly lets you bounce between categories and figure out your own vibe in real time. The sodas lean sweeter, nostalgic, and almost gas-station-slushie-coded in the best way, while the seltzers stay lighter, crisper, and more sessionable for social hangs or weeknight sipping. It’s basically the cannabis version of a starter pack for people who are THC-curious but overwhelmed by the category.

I tested MOOD’s Variety Pack the way most people actually explore THC drinks IRL: casually over a few different nights, rotating between the sodas and seltzers depending on mood, social setting, and whether we wanted something dessert-y or more low-key and refreshing. What made the pack stand out is how clearly each drink occupies its own lane instead of tasting like slight variations of the same formula.

The sodas feel more indulgent and “fun high” coded, while the seltzers feel cleaner, easier to pace, and closer to replacing alcohol or sparkling water rituals. More importantly, the variety pack genuinely helps newer THC drinkers understand what style of cannabis beverage they actually enjoy before committing to a full case. That sounds simple, but in a market flooded with wildly inconsistent weed drinks, it’s surprisingly useful.

Best Tasting THC Drink: Cornbread Hemp Salted Watermelon THC Seltzer

I’m already a spiced watermelon person, and Cornbread Hemp’s Salted Watermelon Seltzer actually delivers on the idea. But it’s not spicy like Tajín on watermelon, and it’s not trying to be. It just has enough of that saltiness to keep the watermelon from tasting like melted candy. It’s light and refreshing without going full candy watermelon, which is usually where these flavors lose me.

At 5 mg THC per can, Cornbread’s seltzers are not trying to ruin your afternoon. I started feeling the light buzz around the half-hour mark: a little easier in my body, a little less pissed by the hot weather, a little more willing to sit outside even though summer in Los Angeles basically feels like sitting in an oven.

It’s not a heavy edible high at all. I consider it more of a low-dose lift. The kind where you realize you’ve unclenched your jaw or stopped checking your phone every 45 seconds. I wouldn’t call it euphoric in a dramatic way, but it does give that “ahh” feeling I want from a THC drink, or really any drink in the summer.

Read my full Cornbread Salted Watermelon THC Seltzer Review here

Best for Social Settings: Cann Spritz

Cann Spritz earned our “Best for Social Settings” superlative because it’s one of the only THC drinks we’ve tried that understands the assignment beyond just flavor.

This thing doesn’t just vaguely taste citrusy and call it a day—it genuinely captures the bittersweet, orange-forward, aperitivo energy of a real Aperol spritz, right down to the ritual of pouring it over ice, topping it with bubbles, and pretending you’re emotionally stable on a patio somewhere in Italy. The Sicilian blood orange flavor actually tastes elevated instead of artificial, and the low-dose THC format keeps the experience light, social, and incredibly easy to pace over a long dinner or hang.

I tested Cann Spritz the way any self-respecting Aperol spritz person would IRL: mixed properly over ice with sparkling water, paired with snacks, and consumed across pre-dinner hangs, solo evenings, and drawn-out social sessions to see whether the vibe really held up.

What made it stand out is how convincingly it recreates the ritual of having a cocktail without the sloppy alcohol spiral that sometimes follows. Instead of getting loud or messy, the low-dose THC slowly eases you into a mellow, social, pleasantly elevated headspace that feels calm and intentional. It’s not trying to get you wrecked. It’s trying to make you linger. And honestly, that’s what makes it such a good Aperol spritz replacement in the first place.

Read my full review of Cann Spritz

Best Microdose THC Drink (low dose): Cann Social Tonic

Cann’s original Social Tonic contains just 2 mg THC, coupled with 4 mg CBD for a drinkable microdose experience that’s perfect for socializing (as the name suggests), as well as just kicking back and chillaxing after (or during) a long day.

While one Cann doesn’t do much for an experienced user like me, the barely-there high and significant relaxing qualities of the double dose of CBD puts anxious beginners quickly at ease, as one of my (extremely lightweight) colleagues shared with me (can’t relate).

But even for seasoned stoners, this is the perfect replacement for something like a light beer in social settings. One was just enough to take the edge off, two got me feeling pretty good, chatty, and open, and after three, I was feeling elated and very relaxed. Which, let’s be honest, is a lot more than you can say about Bud Light.

Best for relaxing: Upstate Elevator THC Spritz

Upstate Elevator’s Yuzu Lemonade Spritz is one of the rare mushroom-infused cannabis drinks that doesn’t feel like someone dumped a wellness podcast into a can.

Most mushroom THC beverages either taste aggressively earthy or throw around buzzwords like “adaptogens” and “brain support” without the experience actually backing it up. This one genuinely feels dialed in. The combination of THC, magnesium glycinate, GABA, and L-theanine creates a calm, level-headed high that feels functional instead of foggy, while the yuzu lemonade flavor stays bright, tart, and clean without that muddy mushroom aftertaste a lot of these drinks can’t escape. Honestly, it drinks more like a sophisticated citrus spritz than a supplement stack pretending to be fun. It avoids the earthy aftertaste a lot of mushroom drinks struggle with. I call this a functional “lemon tek.”

I tested Upstate Elevator’s Yuzu Lemonade Spritz the way these kinds of “functional” THC drinks are actually meant to be used IRL: solo evenings, low-key hangs, walks without headphones, and quiet nights where you want to decompress without completely checking out. What made it stand out is how unusually smooth and mentally quiet the experience feels. The THC settles in fast, but instead of becoming loud or overly heady, the adaptogen blend keeps everything calm, steady, and weirdly emotionally organized. It’s the kind of drink that makes you want to sit outside, stare at a tree, and suddenly stop doomscrolling for an hour.

The brand positions it as a “pro-social refresher,” but honestly, it shines even harder as a solo-nightcap-for-people-whose-brains-won’t-shut-up situation. Calling it a functional “lemon tek” honestly feels accurate. It delivers a noticeably elevated THC experience without spiraling into chaos.

Read my full review of Upstate Elevator’s Yuzu Lemonade THC Spritz

Best for Sleep: Mood Sleep Hot Cocoa

MOOD’s Sleep Hot Cocoa feels less like a cannabis product and more like the adult version of getting tucked in for the night. Most THC sleep products come in gummy form and feel weirdly clinical or aggressively medicinal, but this turns the whole experience into an actual bedtime ritual. Between the rich Guittard and Ghirardelli cocoa blend, mini marshmallows, and heavy-hitting combo of THC, CBD, CBN, magnesium, reishi, and ashwagandha, it basically drinks like a weighted blanket. It’s cozy, calming, and noticeably more indulgent than the endless sea of berry-flavored sleep gummies on the market.

I tested MOOD’s Sleep Hot Cocoa the way most exhausted adults would actually use it IRL: an hour before bed, once with just hot water and another night with milk after dinner to see how much harder it hit when paired with fat and food.

What made it stand out is how intentionally slow and body-heavy the experience feels. About 40 minutes in, the THC + CBN combo settles into this deep exhale of a high where your shoulders drop, your brain stops buffering, and suddenly scrolling your phone feels physically exhausting. It’s definitely stronger and more sedating than most THC drinks we tried, but that’s also why it works so well as a true nighttime product. Instead of knocking you out like melatonin with next-day regret, it eases you into sleep in a way that feels warm, comforting, and honestly kind of luxurious.

Read my full review of Mood Sleep Hot Cocoa

Best Wine Replacement: Cycling Frog Black Currant THC Seltzer

Cycling Frog’s Black Currant THC Seltzer earned a spot because it does something surprisingly rare in cannabis drinks: it actually scratches the “I want a glass of red wine” itch without tasting like sad grape juice or artificial berries.

The rich black currant flavor, softer carbonation, and balanced 10 mg THC + 10 mg CBD ratio create a mellow, wine-adjacent vibe that feels more grown-up than most THC seltzers flooding the market right now. It drinks closer to a Stella Rosa Black or sangria-inspired cooler than a sparkling water, making it one of the best options we tried for winding down at dinner, movie nights, or low-key hangs where you want to sip slowly instead of shotgun a weed drink.

I tested Cycling Frog the way wine people would actually use it IRL: poured into a wine glass with dinner, then again later during a movie night to see whether the vibe held up outside of a social setting. What made it stand out is how naturally relaxed and “wine-drunk-adjacent” the experience feels without turning sloppy or overwhelming. The 1:1 THC-to-CBD ratio keeps the high calm, social, and surprisingly clear-headed, while still delivering that warm little buzz people usually chase with alcohol.

It kicked in slower than some fast-acting drinks we’ve tested—closer to 25 minutes—but once it settled in, the mellow effects hung around for hours in a way that felt smooth instead of chaotic. Honestly, this is one of the few THC drinks we’ve tried that genuinely feels like an adult nightcap instead of just sparkling weed juice in a can.

Read my full review of Cycling Frog THC Seltzer

Best THC Seltzer: Summit THC Seltzers

Summit THC Seltzer earned a spot on our list because it’s one of the few cannabis drinks that genuinely feels built to replace a hard seltzer instead of just cosplay as one.

The fast-acting 5 mg THC + 10 mg CBD formula kicks in quickly without steamrolling your brain, making it ideal for people who want a social buzz without accidentally ending up horizontal on the couch. The flavors stay crisp, light, and low-sugar, especially the Orange Passionfruit, which tastes closer to a cleaner High Noon than a typical weed drink. It’s balanced, sessionable, and easy to pace—which, frankly, is harder to find in THC beverages than it should be.

I tested Summit the way most people would actually drink it IRL: ice cold, straight from the can, during a low-key hang with friends to see whether it could realistically replace a couple hard seltzers without wrecking the vibe. What made it stand out is how controlled and predictable the experience feels. The doubled CBD smooths out the THC enough that you stay social, clear-headed, and functional instead of spiraling into that “am I too high right now?” mental territory.

The onset hits surprisingly fast—under 20 minutes during testing—but instead of building into something chaotic, it levels off into an easygoing body buzz that just quietly hangs in the background. It’s the kind of THC drink that works especially well for people who are over alcohol but still want something that feels social, ritualistic, and actually enjoyable to sip.

Read my full review of Summit THC Seltzer

How We Tested

I tested these THC drinks the way people actually drink them: cold from the can, poured over ice, mixed into mocktails, paired with dinner, brought into house parties, and used during nights when I wanted something that felt social without opening a bottle of wine.

For each drink, I paid attention to five main things: flavor, dose, onset, effects, and sessionability.

I also looked at how each drink fits into real-life rituals. Could it replace a hard seltzer? Does it make sense with dinner? Would I bring it to a party? Is it better as a nightcap? Does it taste better over ice? Could someone newer to THC understand the dose?

You could think of it as just weed in liquid form, but the best drinks in this roundup all had a clear identity and intention. These selections knew whether they wanted to be a seltzer, a spritz, a mocktail, a wine replacement, a sleep drink, or a functional little decompression beverage for people like me whose brain has too many tabs open.

What to Look for When Buying THC Drinks

The THC drinks I like the best are not always the strongest, cheapest, or cutest cans in the fridge. The best drink brands make the boring-but-important stuff easy to find on the can or packaging: cannabinoid dose, ingredients, and a way to access the current lab report or certificate of analysis (CoA) showing a breakdown of what’s actually in the drink.

First, look at the dose. For new drinkers, 2.5 mg to 5 mg THC is usually the sweet spot. For regular cannabis users, 10 mg may feel more satisfying. If a drink is 20 mg or higher, treat it like a serious edible and do not get cocky with it.

Next, check the cannabinoid ratio. A drink with THC only may feel more direct or heady. A drink with both THC and CBD can feel smoother, calmer, and easier to pace. A 1:1 ratio, like 10 mg THC + 10 mg CBD, often feels more balanced than straight THC. A CBD-forward drink can feel lighter and more functional.

Then look at the formulation. If a brand calls itself a nano THC drink or a fast-acting beverage, it should kick in faster (around 15 to 30 minutes) than a standard edible (~90 minutes). That obviously doesn’t mean instant, but it should not feel like waiting two hours for a gummy to do its job.

Flavor matters too. A good THC beverage should still taste like a real drink. Not medicine, not fake weed candy, and not sparkling bong water with a citrus essence.

Finally, check the price in a way that makes sense. Price per can matters, but price per milligram can also help you compare value. A $6 low-dose social seltzer and a $6 higher-dose nightcap are not offering the same thing. The right question does not start and end at, “is this cheap?” It’s “does the dose, flavor, effect, and use case justify the price?”

What Are THC Drinks and How Do They Work?

THC beverages include sparkling seltzers, sodas, spritzes, cocktail packets, mixers, shots, teas, hot cocoa, and basically anything else brands can reasonably infuse without making it taste like bong water. Some are trying to replace hard seltzers, some are going after wine. And some want to be your weeknight mocktail, your social drink, your functional mushroom beverage, or your sleepy little hot cocoa before bedtime.

The main reason these feel different from traditional edibles is formulation. THC (and any other cannabinoid) is oily, and drinks are water-based, so brands have to make the THC mix evenly into the beverage. A lot of newer THC-infused drinks use nano-emulsification, which breaks the THC into much smaller particles so it can disperse through the drink and absorb faster than a standard brownie or gummy.

That’s why you’ll see brands use terms like “nano THC drink” or “fast-acting THC beverage.” Annoying phrase, useful concept. In real life, it usually means the drink starts hitting or affecting you sooner than a classic edible. Most I’ve tried begin to hit somewhere around 15 to 45 minutes, though your tolerance, the dose, what you ate, and your general body chemistry can absolutely change that.

The other difference is pacing. With a gummy, you eat the whole dose and wait to see what happens. With a drink, you can sip slowly, pour it over ice, split a can, or stop halfway through if the vibe is already vibing. That’s part of why these drinks work so well as an alcohol alternative: the ritual feels familiar, but the effect is usually lighter, calmer, and less “why did I text my ex?” than drinking.

Just don’t let the can fool you. A 2.5 mg microdose is very different from a standard 10 mg THC drink, and anything higher than that, depending on your tolerance, should be treated like a high edible dose. It may look like a cute little seltzer, but it is still THC.

Are THC Drinks Legal? Where Can You Buy Them?

Legality is annoying because the answer is basically, “Yes, but also check your state before you get too comfortable.”

Most of the THC beverages you can buy online are made with hemp-derived Delta-9 THC, not marijuana-derived THC you’d typically get from a local dispensary. That distinction comes from the 2018 Farm Bill, which separated hemp from marijuana based on Delta-9 THC concentration. Hemp is cannabis with no more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC by dry weight.

But this is still cannabis law, so obviously it can’t just be simple. Some states allow hemp THC drinks. Some allow them but add rules around serving sizes, testing, packaging, or where they can be sold. Other states have moved to restrict or ban intoxicating hemp products, even if they technically started from federally legal hemp.

There’s also a bigger federal fight happening around intoxicating hemp. The 2018 Farm Bill opened the door for hemp-derived Delta-9 drinks, but lawmakers have been trying to narrow that door again. So the rules around legal THC drinks may keep changing, especially for products that feel a little too close to dispensary edibles.

So yes, you can buy THC drinks online in many places, but “hemp-derived” does not mean “ships everywhere.” Before ordering, check whether the brand ships to your state and look for the boring but important stuff: dose per can, cannabinoid breakdown, lab results, ingredients, age gate, and shipping restrictions. If a THC drink brand makes it weirdly hard to find testing or legality info, that is usually the review right there.

THC Drinks vs. Alcohol: Key Differences

THC drinks are becoming popular because they borrow the ritual of alcohol without copying the exact effect.

You still get a can, a glass, a flavor, a little social object to hold, and something to sip while everyone else is drinking. The difference is the actual feeling. Alcohol usually gets chaotic as the night goes on. THC drinks tend to feel more dose-dependent and mood-specific. A low-dose THC seltzer might make you feel relaxed, chatty, and slightly floaty. A CBD-balanced THC drink might feel calmer and smoother. A higher-dose drink might make the couch look like a landing pad.

The next morning is also a major reason people are swapping alcohol for cannabis drinks. THC drinks can still make you feel weird if you take too much, and they can absolutely impair you, but they do not come with the same classic alcohol hangover.

But THC drinks are not just “healthy alcohol.” They are their own thing. The best ones give you the pacing and ritual of drinking, but with a cannabis effect that can feel lighter, slower, and more intentional.

Bottoms Up

The biggest thing I realized after trying all these is that cannabis beverages are getting mainstream. They’re becoming replacements for specific drinking rituals people already have.

There’s something on this list for wine people. Something for hard seltzer people. Something for mocktail people. Something for staying home and watching movies. And of course, the main use case for these, IMO—socializing without waking up hungover the next morning.

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