I waited a long time for this.

It was Monday. Work for the day was done. The sun was bright, the weather was primo.  Mid to high 70’s. I stood on my balcony, immediately overlooking downtown Seattle. The space needle to the right and the tops of the Olympics off in the distance. A Mirth Provisions Rainier Cherry Legal sparkling tonic in my hand. The stage was set.

Ever since Mirth Provisions sparkling tonics hit the shelves of pot shops (outside of Seattle) last Summer, I have been waiting to get my hands on one of those elixirs.

It took some time for these beverages to make it to Seattle. First of all, recreational marijuana stores didn’t began opening until July. And secondly, Mirth Provisions had a little malfunction of sorts when some of their bottles blew up inside of stores. This caused a delay in shipments.

Once fall arrived and the winds came, I reluctantly told myself I would wait until next year when the weather warmed up. I know it may seem dumb, but I had my mind made up that I was going to enjoy one of these things when the weather was toasty, the sun was beaming, and everything was lined up perfectly.

So I waited. And waited. And waited some more.

And then Monday, April 27, 2015 arrived.

First, I knew the weather was going to be just right because I checked the forecast on weather.com and it said so. Secondly, I made sure I took care of all responsibilities by mid-afternoon and made no definite plans for the evening. Everything was lined up perfectly.

I took a walk to Uncle Ike’s Pot Shop. I actually called them to make sure they had Mirth Provisions Legal Rainier in stock. It had to be Rainier Cherry because I am a sucker for anything cherry, especially when the weather is primo. They only had two left. I reserved them both.

Uncle Ike’s Pot Shop is an efficient and well-thought-out retail store. A member of the Apache 6 security team stands outside the door to greet you and make sure you have proper identification that shows you are 21 years of age or older.

Once inside, they have a line that winds around. I have never been to Uncle Ike’s without a line. In fact, I have been there at least a half dozen times and there is always a line.

But, to make your waiting make more sense, they have diner style menus readily available for you to browse their selection. The menus also include prices and descriptions. Usually, by the time I’m done with the menu, I am next in line. When a budtender is available, they will call you over.

To be honest, I like pot shops where you can browse from counter to counter, side to side. I like to be able to see all the products through the glass, check out the different brands, and take my own sweet time. Although, Uncle Ike’s may be too busy of a pot shop for that. Then again, that’s just me. My brother, on the other hand, would just rather get in and get out.

At $19 a bottle, Mirth Provisions is not exactly cheap. I was hoping for $15 at the most. But, there have been nights I have dropped at least 50 bucks on alcohol and woke up the next morning feeling like absolute crap. When I thought of it this way, $19 didn’t sound like a lot of money to me.

I returned home with my prized possessions.

 

The Presentation

The first thing that stands out is the packaging design. It is absolutely stellar. Mirth Provisions, and the Portland based company who is responsible for the packaging design and branding, nailed it. From the shiny custom older world inspired ‘Legal’ font, to the fun modern ‘stoned’ squirrel embedded into the Mirth Provisions logo, to the many easter eggs and wordings on the label:

“Relax, it’s Legal.”

“Liquid Joy.”

“The Good Stuff Inside.”

“Legal Until Further Notice.”

“Behold, the gods of chilling have smiled upon you…”

“…pairs well with music festivals, house parties, and riding through the clouds on the back of a mythological beast.”

And that’s just a sample.

The Details

It’s what inside that counts, right? Mirth’s sparkling tonics are no different. Not only are they infused with 20mg of locally grown cannabis but they are infused with Washington State’s very own cherries. They like to keep it local.

In addition, the drink seems to be as natural as it gets: Carbonated water, Washington cherry concentrate, apple juice concentrate, agave nectar, clarified lemon juice, cherry essence, coconut oil, marijuana extract, quillaja extract, potassium sorbate.

The only added sweetener seems to be agave nectar.

 

The Taste

To be honest, one of my biggest concerns was if this tonic would even taste good. Would the taste of cannabis be too strong? Would this drink taste like ripe juicy sweet cherries, or a bitter sour tangy ones?

Simply written, I was blown away. At the risk of sounding scripted, it was a perfect taste. Sweet with just a hint of tanginess. But what surprised me the most is how well the cannabis is masked. Maybe the secret lies in using only natural ingredients?

The sparkling tonic tastes so good,  it would be nice if Mirth Provisions could also package these beverages in packages of two. One cannabis infused and one not. This way, one can continue to enjoy sipping the same taste, while enjoying the initial high.

 

The High

According to the label, the Mirth Provisions sparkling tonic is two servings. The label suggests you consume half of the bottle (1 serving) and wait an hour before consuming more.

Standing on the balcony, overlooking downtown Seattle, the Space Needle, and the Olympics, I consumed half of the Legal beverage.

Over the next half hour, the body buzz and an euphoric head high overtook me. It’s a good thing I only consumed half, because, I had not eaten since lunch. I was off to la la land.

I drank half of the tonic at about 6:30pm. A half hour later I ate my dinner. Once my high plateaued, I drank the rest around 9:00pm.

The next several hours I played my guitar, played a video game, talked on the phone, started to do a little work and then questioned why I was even thinking of doing work, played more guitar, sat and stared at nothing, tried reading a book, and played guitar again. Wow. Before I realized it, the digital clock in the living room showed 2am. Now, try maintaining a buzz with beer for almost 8 hours. Not only does it become expensive, but you will most likely regret it the next day.

The high, for me, was strong. And obviously it lasted a while. Granted, I did consume half of the bottle on an empty stomach, which – to me –  makes a huge difference when consuming edibles.

Keep in mind everyone is different. I know people who can consume a whole bottle and get just a mellow buzz. On the other hand, I know people who would only be comfortable consuming 1 serving.

 

The Next Day

After I went to bed, I did not get up once that night. When I awoke, the daylight was shining through the window. I had slept like a log and was well rested. No hangover and no ill effects. Just a little dreamy in the head, but it brought a grin to my face.

 

Verdict

Highly recommended.