I Tried It: Collingswood’s Surprisingly Legal THC Cocktails
The town that can't sell alcohol can, in fact, sell you drinks infused with marijuana's active ingredient.
From left: a can of Mighty Kind THC Watermelon Seltzer, Weed Wooder, and Bee’s Knees. / Photograph by Kae Lani Palmisano
It’s been about 30 minutes since I ordered my drink, and I’m starting to feel a little funny. My legs are getting heavy, my perception of time is slowing down, and the anxious chatter that usually fills my mind is getting drowned out by the positive vibes of Len’s one-hit wonder “Steal My Sunshine” playing on the radio. This is a dry town, but I’m buzzed — not from alcohol, but from a drink infused with THC (the psychoactive component of marijuana).
Last week, I caught wind that Mercantile 1888, Collingswood’s N/A bar and curated gift shop, is teaming up with Nunzio for a “No Booze, All Buzz 4/20 Munchie Madness Pairing Dinner,” featuring cannabinoid-infused beverages. At first, I thought this would be a one-night foray into the world of THC and CBD cocktails, but no: Cannabis drinks have been on Mercantile 1888’s menu for a couple of months.
“Most of it is a microdose. It’s not going to get you blasted. It’s just for a chill factor,” co-owner Stephanie Kinney says. All of the cocktails they offer are mixed with cans of hemp-derived Delta-9 THC seltzers and teas. They use brands such as Happi, Mighty Kind and Cali Sober which range from 2.5 mg of THC to 10 mg. Most come in at 5 mg.
Yes, it’s all legal.
Of course, New Jersey legalized cannabis for recreational use for residents 21 years and older in 2021; on April 21, 2022, licensed sales began. But these canned beverages are legal under the 2018 Farm Bill which reclassified hemp, making it legal for farmers to grow. The bill also allows products to have hemp-derived THC as long as it doesn’t exceed the federal limit of 0.3 percent Delta-9 THC by volume. Everything that Mercantile 1888 offers falls under that limit. And despite the fact that Collingswood does not permit the sale of alcohol (with the exception of one microbrewery, Devil’s Creek, which closed and will soon be replaced by Swedesboro Brewing’s Raccoon Taproom), there are no rules against cannabis. You just have to be 21 years and older to partake.
Mercantile 1888’s Weed Wooder cocktail made with Mighty Kind THC Watermelon Seltzer. / Photograph by Kae Lani Palmisano
The Weed Wooder cocktail I’m drinking has about 5 mg of THC thanks to the can of Mighty Kind THC Watermelon Seltzer it’s made with. The bartender only mixed about half the can into the drink (the rest she passed to me like a sidecar) but I’m mellowed out. Granted, I am a lightweight and this is the first time I’ve had any kind of cannabis in over a year. Compared to my usual glass of red wine or old fashioned, I actually feel more lucid with the Weed Wooder. Another plus: it doesn’t have that pungent weed-flavor aftertaste that edibles tend to have. The only floral notes I’m getting are from the hibiscus and rosehips in the New Orleans bitters.
Kinney and fellow co-owner Amanda Lewis opened Mercantile 1888 in Collingswood last June. It started as an artisan gift shop that had a small N/A bar, but after the holiday gift-shopping season ended and dry January began, they noticed a growing demand for a place locals could grab tasty cocktails with friends. And in a town that’s been dry since 1871, leaning more into the zero-proof bar side of their business made sense. “We wanted to create a space where anybody can come, regardless if they’re a drinker or not,” Kinney says.
At first, Kinney and Lewis were slow to introduce cannabinoid-infused products. CBD, CBN and CBG came first, and as they continued working their way through the cannabinoid alphabet, customers actually started requesting THC.
A selection of THC-infused canned beverages. / Photograph by Kae Lani Palmisano
“We wanted to tread lightly,” Lewis says, adding that they were mindful of their sober customers. Kinney, who has been sober for 12 years, doesn’t use any mind- or mood-altering substances, but she says everyone’s definition of sobriety is different. According to Kinney, there’s an increasing number of visitors coming to Mercantile 1888 who are “California sober,” meaning they only use cannabis and nothing else.
So far, the response to the new THC drinks has been overwhelmingly positive.
The welcoming attitude of the staff at Mercantile 1888 and the casual nature in which you can imbibe THC is another step toward normalizing its recreational use.
But, according to Lewis, another key to ensuring people have a good experience is education. For many who come in and order from the functional menu (functional meaning the drinks provide a feeling or a benefit of some kind), it’s their first time. The staff are all trained on how to talk to customers about their functional cocktails, the dosages of THC and CBD, and the effects of each product. They even held a “Teach and Taste” class recently all about their wide range of hemp-infused beverages. “We want everybody to know they’re not judged. We want to make sure that everybody feels good,” Lewis says.
If THC isn’t your thing, but you still want a little something to take the edge off, there are other functional beverages to choose from. I followed my Weed Wooder with the Bee’s Knees, a syrupy sweet cocktail of red-clover syrup, lavender-infused honey, lemon and Dromme Calm, a zero-proof blend of botanicals, adaptogens, and nootropics meant to make you feel relaxed. It even comes with a sticky little square of honeycomb, for some extra sweetness.
The drink selection at Mercantile 1888. / Photograph by Kae Lani Palmisano
In addition to the THC cocktails on the menu, Mercantile 1888 sells cans to go. Since most of the restaurants in Collingswood are BYOB, locals can technically show up to dinner with a THC-infused beverage instead of a boozy one. “To be honest I wouldn’t really care,” Richard Cusack, owner and chef of June BYOB, says. “I don’t think someone drinking a microdose of THC would be an issue compared to some people showing up with a bottle of vodka and getting hammered. If anything the people drinking the infused drink might get the munchies and order more.” Maria Beddia, owner of Maria’s Bread Sandwiches, is also cool with customers showing up with THC-infused drinks. “I think it’s great! We are BYO-friendly all around,” she says.
I’m not stoned after the Weed Wooder and the Bee’s Knees, but I’m certainly feeling a little lighter. On the walk home, I get a good chuckle at the fact I just got buzzed from a THC cocktail in a dry town.
