Review: MXXN Cannabis-Infused Alcohol Alternatives

Hear me out on this: What if you don’t want to drink alcohol… but you don’t mind replacing it with cannabis… and yet you still want to drink cocktails?

That’s the promise of MXXN — pronounced “moon” — which is a hemp-infused non-alcoholic spirit designed for cocktailing. The idea? You won’t be consuming alcohol, but you’ll still “feel something” after you drink up.

Available in three flavors, MXXN is designed to emulate tequila, gin, and whiskey. In lieu of alcohol, a 1.5 oz. “shot” of each product gives you 6mg of THC. The company does not suggest drinking them straight but rather proposes using them in cocktails. I sampled them both ways, of course. Thoughts follow.

MXXN Jalisco Agave – Surprisingly, this really smells the part of a tequila, with a sharp and peppery nose, followed by a vaguely herbal note and a squeeze or two of lemon-lime juice. There’s a sharp, peppery burn on the palate, and while it doesn’t taste like great (or even good) tequila, it could certainly pass for Cuervo Gold. A margarita is definitely the right move for this. B+

MXXN London Dry – Designed to emulate gin, this is moderately less “authentic” than the Jalisco Agave expression, with an indistinct greenery quality that evokes notes of sage and rosemary. Again there’s a lemon overtone that isn’t out of place in a gin, but which feels just a bit overdone. A harder lean-in on lime would have worked better. On the palate, the spirit is sharp and pepper, much like the Agave expression, the overall impact indistinct. Again, however, this really perks up as a mixed drink. With a good tonic, everything comes into focus and balances out the bitter quinine with some lively evergreen notes and a little citrus. I didn’t think it even needed a lime wedge, but it didn’t hurt. A-

MXXN Kentucky Oak – Intended as a faux whiskey, MXXN doesn’t say what kind. In fact, it doesn’t much resemble any whiskey I know, with a chocolate-forward nose and a torched sugar quality that evokes burnt marshmallows. Moderate smoke throughout. Imagine all that, plus a peppery burn and some visible terpenes. Really bizarre on its own, with a strong, charred sugar finish enduring. Unlike the other two, I didn’t much care for this in a cocktail, as the pungent terpenes dominated the lemony fruit of a whiskey sour, though in smaller ratios to your mixer it’s more palatable. B-

As for the impact of all of these, it’s mild but definitely noticeable, with an energizing (rather than sleepifying) effect that does appear to work as advertised.

each $80 (750ml) / enjoymxxn.com

The post Review: MXXN Cannabis-Infused Alcohol Alternatives appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.