Cannabis cocktail trend predicted in US

Cannabis cocktails could soon be served at US bars as a growing number of states seek to legalise and decriminalise the Class C drug.

Bloomberg reports that “bartenders and bud-tenders are coming together” to create cocktails featuring THC tinctures – the potent part of the herb.

In addition, less potent cocktails are being made based on the green, herbal flavour of marijuana.

While predicted to take off, the cannabis cocktail trend is still very much an underground movement with public consumption currently banned even in states where the drug is legal, such as Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington.

However, Bloomberg reports that Roberta’s in Brooklyn has been serving THC-infused cocktails since 2012.

“You go out to drink cocktails to feel something, whether you call it relaxing or loosening up. In terms of recreational benefits, you’re opening the window a little bit more,” creator of the cocktails Mike Stankovich told Bloomberg.

There are risks involved in combining marijuana and alcohol, including impairing your perception of time and distance, making driving a dangerous proposition.

Jane West, owner of Denver-based cannabis event production company Edible Events, believes the liquid landscape will change dramatically over the next decade.

“Alcohol companies will create low alcohol, THC-infused products that taste like a Bourbon,” she told Bloomberg.

The American market for legal cannabis grew 74% last year to US$2.7 billion, making it one of the fastest-growing industries in the US.

An underground cannabis wine scene has been thriving in California for years, while last year American singer Melissa Etheridge launched a cannabis laced wine aimed at cancer sufferers.

Closer to home, last year a home-brewed ale made using cannabis leaves went on sale at a pub in Devon, while Chicago-based Earth Mama release a “marijuana-inspired” vodka infused with herbs and botanicals.

Reality TV star and founder of Skinnygirl wine and Skinnygirl cocktails Bethenny Frankel is reportedly due to launch “Skinnygirl Marijuana” onto the market.

Frankel, who starred in The Real Housewives of New York, was snapped leaving the Green Dragon cannabis dispensary in Aspen late last year and is reportedly keen to capitalise on the legalisation of the drug in certain states.