Cannabis Hospitality 101: From Weddings to Welcoming Everyone, part 2

[00:00:06] Jamie Evans: We had wine partners there. We had a mezcal partner, entertainment as well. So kind of bringing all of these worlds together to make cannabis not the outsider anymore, to bring cannabis into that conversation and bring us into more mainstream hospitality.

[00:00:25] Ellen Scanlon: Welcome to How To Do The Pot, the award-winning podcast, helping you feel confident about cannabis. I’m your host, Ellen Scanlon.

[00:00:40] You just heard from Jamie Evans, the founder of The Herbal, a Culinary Meets Cannabis blog and lifestyle brand. Jamie is a four-time published author, a certified sommelier, and an entrepreneur focusing on the culinary side of the cannabis industry. Many people in the cannabis world will tell [00:01:00] you that we’ve entered a new moment in the industry, call it Cannabis 2.0, where THC drinks are becoming more popular and more available all across the country.

[00:01:11] It’s the availability. The access. That’s been a big change. You can have weed drinks shipped right to your door in many states across the us. A few years ago, I started our popular ongoing podcast series called The First Time I Bought Legal Weed, and that’s when the only place to buy legal weed was in a dispensary.

[00:01:33] It’s a great series where women all across the country share their experiences so you can feel more prepared and always have a great shopping experience. Now in this cannabis 2.0 era, I am so curious about people’s first time buying and trying THC drinks outside of a licensed dispensary in liquor stores, convenience stores, and in places where hospitality matters, [00:02:00] like in restaurants and bars.

[00:02:02] I asked Jamie to share the first time she tried a cannabis drink that didn’t come from a dispensary.

[00:02:08] Jamie Evans: One of the first experiences that I had, so I did this event back with ease. This was back in I think like 2017. It was like right when I came in the space and they hired me to do a wine and like terpene pairing at this restaurant in Los Angeles called Rossius Madre.

[00:02:25] And at that restaurant at the time, they’re actually making CBD cocktails. I think they were making like CB, D simple syrups. They’re like making all types of CBD products and then making these beautiful well garnished drinks that you could order from the bar. So I thought that was so cool. And I think that really kicked off my, my curiosity about cannabis beverages.

[00:02:44] So that was like the first time I saw an actual bar. But then we know in 2018 came along, the health department here in California said no more CBD at any restaurants or coffee shops or any of that. So, uh, things definitely changed, but hopefully in the future we’ll see more of that.

[00:02:59] Ellen Scanlon: Well, the first [00:03:00] time that I had a THC drink, I don’t know if it was a bar, it was at a speakeasy for sure.

[00:03:05] Yeah, it was in your event?

[00:03:08] Jamie Evans: Yeah.

[00:03:08] Ellen Scanlon: Amazing. And so,

[00:03:11] Jamie Evans: I mean, is that considered a bar? So we call that our mobile cannabis pop-up bar. So yes, you consider that a bar, but we’ve done lots of events like that. And actually there’s so many people who are brand new to cannabis drinks, and this is their first time experiencing it in an actual like well thought out cocktail.

[00:03:28] And there’s no alcohol on these drinks either. It’s just cannabis infused ingredients as well as like fresh juices and other things that we use. But really our approach with that is to introduce people to kind of this elevated way to consume cannabis. Especially like in a, in a beverage, which makes it very approachable.

[00:03:46] Ellen Scanlon: I’ll share some photos from the terrific speakeasy party that Jamie threw in San Francisco on Do the Pots Instagram. I brought my husband and some friends and everyone had a really great time. I knew I wanted to bring [00:04:00] Jamie onto the show to talk about it and to share what’s possible with cannabis beverages with all of you.

[00:04:06] In today’s episode, part two of my conversation with Jamie, we’re going deeper into the world of cannabis hospitality. You’ll hear about Jamie’s vision for the future, think restaurants with infused food and drinks, and weddings where low-dose drinks are part of the celebration. We also talk about how to mix cannabis and alcohol responsibly without overdoing it.

[00:04:29] I hope you enjoy my conversation with Jamie Evans.

[00:04:42] Let’s talk about some of your recent events. What is your dream for cannabis? Hospitality?

[00:04:49] Jamie Evans: Yeah. Well, I think the more we can educate, the better for the category, and I would love to see within culinary cannabis, if regulations can finally catch up. I would love to see like. [00:05:00] Infused restaurants where people can go in, sit down and have a freshly prepared cannabis infused meal.

[00:05:07] I think that’d be great. And also like cannabis infused beverage bars. But with events, I think this is really the gateway to show people that it can be done and it can be done in a very safe and responsible way. I think especially with the events that I’m focusing on now, it’s really introducing people to cannabis cocktails.

[00:05:26] In a very fun, elevated way. The last one that you came to is actually a speakeasy event. So this is one that we hosted in San Francisco, and I think it was just really important to me to showcase what we can do with cannabis infused ingredients, but then to work with other partners that are not in cannabis.

[00:05:43] So we had wine partners there, we had a mezcal partner, we had a couple like wine industry people as there, and entertainment as well. So kind of bringing all of these worlds together. To celebrate cannabis, to celebrate entrepreneurship, and to kind of make cannabis not the [00:06:00] outsider anymore, to bring cannabis into that conversation and bring us into more mainstream hospitality as time goes on.

[00:06:07] We’re starting to see that happen more and more, but like I would love to see like cannabis at Aspen Food and Wine one day and, and kind of more of those mainstream events, but I think we’ll get there eventually.

[00:06:18] Ellen Scanlon: Yeah, it, when you said that, that cannabis has always been the outsider, it reminds me of a conversation I had several years ago with the founder of Arte Xander.

[00:06:28] Yeah. Saying that his moment of inspiration was, he was at a Thanksgiving celebration with his family. They were in a cold place and he and his cousin were outside freezing, smoking a joint, looking at all their family inside enjoying drinks and, and they were like. Why does this have to be this way? Just because we prefer, you know, a different effect.

[00:06:49] And I’m so curious about what you think of the, the change in tone around alcohol and what that may have provided for cannabis in terms of [00:07:00] sort of an entryway.

[00:07:01] Jamie Evans: Yeah. Well I think as we’ve seen with younger consumers, they’re not really trying to drink alcohol. They’re really looking for those alternatives.

[00:07:09] And cannabis beverages really is the perfect alternative. It gives you kind of like that little buzz that you’re looking for, but none of the negative side effects. So I think just with timing, it was like honestly ideal to see what is happening over these past couple of years. And I think people after COVID, they’ve just really changed their consumption habits.

[00:07:29] I think now, like this year, I’ve started seeing people go out more than previous years after COVID. But people are very much comfortable being home, you know? And there’s so many, like cannabis beverages, there’s so many RTD different, but like there’s just so many different types of beverages that are out there.

[00:07:47] So there’s more competition, there’s more options for people, and you can go to a. Social function and have a cannabis beverage and not feel like you don’t have anything in your hand to, to be like a cocktail party or something like that. [00:08:00] So I think it’s just been really exciting to see the growth of this category, and I’m excited to see where we go next with it.

[00:08:06] Ellen Scanlon: Yeah. And you are just. At the forefront of it. I mean, California has been at the forefront of cannabis for so long. I think we’ve given up a little bit of our, our edge with all of the challenges in the industry. But the roots of cannabis are so strong here, and, and you have done such a great job of blending the, the roots of the wine industry and bringing cannabis in, and I just think you’ve done such a great job.

[00:08:29] It’s been so much fun to Oh, thank you. To watch you grow and to watch this, I mean. One of the things that I think we talked about before was you have dreams of like bringing your mobile cannabis bar to weddings, to to work events, you know, like tell me more about

[00:08:43] Jamie Evans: that dream. Yeah, so we actually just, we were part of our first wedding experience, so this was at the beginning of April, and it was so cool because the couple, they were not.

[00:08:53] From the cannabis industry. This was, um, they live in San Francisco. They were just looking for something different to have at their [00:09:00] wedding, and so we actually hosted the full bar experience. We did alcohol cocktails in cannabis cocktails. We also did an edibles lounge and a smokeable experience. So there was like.

[00:09:12] A lot of different cannabis components to the event. And it was really interesting. It was such a great case study to see like who was drinking the cannabis drinks, like who was partaking in the edibles. And it was really like everyone, and even if people had never had cannabis before, they would come to the bar and they’re like, I would love to try cannabis drink.

[00:09:31] And that gave us the opportunity to have. That first touch point and explain what a cannabis beverage is. And I think the drinks that we were making, there were 2.5 milligrams to HCA very low dose. And people would come back like an hour later like, I feel so great. This is such a cool thing. And they were like very, very excited to, to try this again, having to do that and.

[00:09:52] Being able to educate in that way and seeing people so excited about it makes me very excited. So I hope that we can do more of these [00:10:00] events. Um, but yeah, so we’re very focused on private events at this, at this point.

[00:10:03] Ellen Scanlon: The dosage question is one that I have no qualms telling people to start with. Two, maybe three milligrams Yeah.

[00:10:10] Of THC, like that two milligrams is perfect, but I don’t feel like the. Industry is really giving that same message to consumers and we’re seeing higher and higher dose products. Yeah. And now 10 milligram beverages. And five and five, and how do we make low dose Cool. Yeah. Like, how do we make people think that that is the right place to start?

[00:10:32] Jamie Evans: Yeah. Well there’s, there’s this golden rule that we, some of us say in the industry is go low, start slow. So very like low milligrams. And just be very patient as you’re enjoying cannabis. Because sometimes, especially with edibles, it can take an hour or more to kick in, so you never wanna double down and eat more if you’re not feeling anything.

[00:10:50] But I think the most important thing is everyone is so different, and so it’s really about experimenting to find your perfect dosage. And I think like [00:11:00] a really great way to do this is actually using like a tincture product. And kind of like titrating the dose, finding what works for you, that’s gonna really allow you to kind of customize like whether you like CB, D more or THC products more, and kind of like customize what works for you because nobody is the same.

[00:11:18] So it’s not, it’s not one size fits alls.

[00:11:21] Ellen Scanlon: I feel like people who are nervous to try cannabis today already have enough concerns, but what is sort of like, what happens if you have too much? What happens at your parties if someone has too much? You know what is like the practicality of being out at a social event and you are not feeling the way that you want?

[00:11:42] Jamie Evans: I think if you like consume too much, it’s definitely an unpleasant experience. Most of the time people get either like very tired. Sometimes people get dizzy. So I think the best thing is have like fresh water available at all times. Also to have a hundred percent CBD [00:12:00] products to help kind of like balance the THC, but really when people come to my events, it’s really helping them like guide them through the experience.

[00:12:08] And so I don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable or overly high, even like beginning with like the invitation to communicating with guests before they arrive at the event. I want them to know exactly what they’re getting into, what the. Will be like, give them a chance to ask questions if they have that.

[00:12:23] At my cannabis infused dinners, it’s really about allowing them to customize their dose. I think that’s so important. I’ve been at dinners where they gave everybody 30 milligrams of THC. Wow. And this was like a press dinner. So a lot of people are brand new to cannabis.

[00:12:40] Ellen Scanlon: Wow.

[00:12:40] Jamie Evans: So. The best approach is communicating what the meal will be, the dosages, and then allowing your, your consumers or your guests to kind of figure out what’s best for them, um, and then working with a chef who can actually execute that too.

[00:12:54] And there’s so many talented cannabis chefs that I’ve worked with that can precisely dose each person’s meal, [00:13:00] which is incredible.

[00:13:01] Ellen Scanlon: I don’t know if it’s a nervousness or or what it is, but I feel like sometimes people feel like they’re sort of obligated to try a higher dose. Yeah. And I wanna say to them, and maybe I should, like, you might just fall asleep.

[00:13:14] Like you might wanna go home and go to sleep, so Right. Don’t, like, this isn’t about being macho. This isn’t about any of those things. This is really. When you have too much cannabis, you probably are going to want to go to bed, so don’t have too much.

[00:13:28] Jamie Evans: Yeah, and I think now, like when I first joined the space, I did feel I guess more pressure to like do higher dosages and smoke all the things and do everything.

[00:13:40] But now I think it’s okay to talk about low dose. It’s okay to talk about microdosing, like all of those things. It’s such a more open conversation and I think that’s what really makes. Cannabis is in this day and age more approachable, is like, there’s so many ways that you can consume it and everyone’s different.

[00:13:57] So I think do what works [00:14:00] best for you is my advice.

[00:14:01] Ellen Scanlon: Yeah. And, and when people don’t know what is best for them, I always say just really start out with a little bit. Oh yeah.

[00:14:09] Jamie Evans: Like a half gummy, a quarter gummy, and then kind of work your way up.

[00:14:11] Ellen Scanlon: And I think that one of the things that I really like about beverages and and beverages for new consumers is the onset is a lot faster.

[00:14:19] So I say like, like people are more comfortable waiting 15 minutes to see how they feel than like. An hour to 90 minutes, which sometimes can happen with edibles. And so I think that the technology in in the industry is also sort of giving us low dose friendly people. A little edge here, which is like, just wait 15 minutes.

[00:14:38] Jamie Evans: Right? Yeah. And I think with cannabis beverages too, like the duration of the high is not as long. So for me, like I’ll feel a little bit of a buzz maybe for like an hour and a half to two hours, and then. I come back. So it’s like almost the duration of how long you feel like a glass of wine or a glass of beer and like the effects hit you very quickly.

[00:14:55] Sometimes on an empty stomach I can feel within like five minutes. So [00:15:00] it depends on like what beverage you’re consuming, what type of like emulsion they’re using. But I think like that has been the biggest game changer in cannabis beverages really is the innovation that’s gone into it. And having that fast acting experience is crucial.

[00:15:15] Ellen Scanlon: Yeah, absolutely. If you want to host like a sophisticated, fun event that includes cannabis, whether it’s one of the only things, or whether it’s an alternative to alcohol, what are three things that you have at every event that you recommend for every person?

[00:15:33] Jamie Evans: So I think signage, number one. So if you’re having, uh, any infused products at your event, especially if it’s like a food spread, always label.

[00:15:43] What’s infused and what’s not infused, that’s crucial. And then always kind of label what, how many milligrams are in each of the foods. I think that’s super crucial for more of, um, an upscale event. I love like tray past items and that really allows like your server [00:16:00] to communicate. What it is, um, how many milligrams are in the drink, and it’s like just a nice way to kind of greet your guests, like with a little like chichi.

[00:16:09] I think at the event that you went to, we had, like, when you entered the event, you would have a splash of champagne, or we offered a little sip of, um, a drink called Wonder, which was about like one milligram of THC. Just as you’re entering the space. So I think that’s always fun. And then I think with, just like any event, you really have to think about like the atmosphere and the vibe.

[00:16:29] Especially like for cannabis, I always wanna make people feel very welcome. I like to have music and just really set a vibe for people to have that, that really fun cannabis, that high that you get, and really let them like tap into like that good vibe that you’re setting, so,

[00:16:46] Ellen Scanlon: mm-hmm. We’ve talked on other shows I’ve had chefs on who talk about how cannabis enhances your sense of smell and your sense of taste.

[00:16:56] Jamie Evans: Oh, definitely.

[00:16:57] Ellen Scanlon: I get a lot of questions about the munchies.

[00:16:59] Jamie Evans: [00:17:00] Oh yeah.

[00:17:00] Ellen Scanlon: There are a lot of physicians and researchers who will tell you that the munchies are kind of. In your head that it’s not really something that necessarily, like you, you need to be eating tons of food. But what is very real is that it makes food taste and smell better.

[00:17:17] And so if you’re a little bit hungry and you taste something that is delicious, you might want a little bit more. How do you think about the munchies and and what do we know about them now?

[00:17:27] Jamie Evans: Yeah. Well I think like at any cannabis event, it’s always good to have snacks. Like that is just number one, like good advice to have.

[00:17:36] But for me it’s like really dependent on what type of cannabis I’m consuming. Like cannabis beverages really don’t give me the munchies. I usually get the munchies when I’m like smoking for some reason. And then it just depends on what strain. So I think if you’re thinking about like the terpenes that are involved in that strain, the, the, the compounds that are in that individual strain and then how it’s working with your own body.

[00:17:57] It’s just really interesting how some can trigger [00:18:00] that munchies and then some don’t. My experience, I think with culinary cannabis too, it’s always been great to combine cannabis with food and beverage. I think that makes a lot of sense. Um, and like they, like the chef said, it really enhances the meal so.

[00:18:14] Ellen Scanlon: Yeah, I got a tip once. I love popcorn and so if I am having a THC drink at home, I’ll often make popcorn because yeah, it’s crunchy, it’s munchy, it’s salt, salty, like all those things, and it just makes the experience kind of, you know, I don’t really go to the movies. In the theater anymore, but that’s part of that experience that’s so much fun.

[00:18:35] And if you are watching something funny and having a little THC in your house to have a nice kind of small thing that also, if I eat a whole bowl of popcorn, I’m, I’m still gonna be okay. I’m gonna feel fine. It’s not like I ate, you know, I don’t know, a giant chocolate cake or something. So a little bit of.

[00:18:51] Planning can also make the munchies something that is like a welcome edition. Yeah. Rather than waking up the next morning being like, oh my gosh, you know I went to [00:19:00] Taco Bell or something.

[00:19:03] Jamie Evans: Yeah, for sure. Popcorn is definitely like one of my go-to, like any like salty snacks. I’m just very drawn to.

[00:19:09] Ellen Scanlon: How do you recommend that people have a great experience if they are mixing cannabis and alcohol?

[00:19:15] Jamie Evans: Yeah, I mean, just like I said, like start low, go slow. You can still use that mentality and everything in moderation. I think like for the most part you just wanna be sure you’re not over drinking alcohol. ’cause I think that’s what’s gonna make you very dizzy and sick. Especially if you add in like a smokeable that can make people very dizzy.

[00:19:33] But, uh. I think for the most part though, I’ve done so many events now where people are consuming both, and I think when cannabis comes into the picture. People are just more aware of what they’re putting into their body. ’cause they don’t wanna get overly high or they don’t wanna feel dizzy. But like I said, it’s just education goes hand in hand with that.

[00:19:51] So it’s just really helping guiding that experience and making sure people feel great.

[00:19:55] Ellen Scanlon: Yeah. My experience has been that it’s sort of [00:20:00] enhances both. Mm-hmm. So if you’re having a little bit of weed and you’re having a little bit of alcohol, you kind of feel more of both. Is that how you would explain it?

[00:20:09] Jamie Evans: Yeah, I think for some people, and then for me personally, like I actually do en enjoy consuming both because I think like alcohol for me kind of takes some of like the, not like the paranoia, but like it takes me like out of my head. ’cause sometimes when I consume too much cannabis, you can get very into your head, but then alcohol kind of brings me back down and you’re very like kind of balanced in that way.

[00:20:30] But there’s a fine line of like. Mixing too much, but it’s really about listening to your body, just everything in moderation.

[00:20:38] Ellen Scanlon: Yeah. For me, I love to have like a THC drink and a beer. Yeah. Uh, I love to drink beer and so I feel like both of them together. ’cause I, I’m sort of like a one, maybe two drink person and I don’t really like the effects of two alcohol drinks anymore.

[00:20:54] I think I’ve gotten so into the cannabis world and two, cannabis drinks is a little bit much for me, [00:21:00] but one of each kind of feels perfect. You found your perfect ratio.

[00:21:06] Jamie Evans: I love that.

[00:21:07] Ellen Scanlon: I’m sure that you try everything and have tried everything and you have a wide lens on what’s available in cannabis, but what are your personal favorite products and you know, what do you like for winding down and for going out?

[00:21:22] Jamie Evans: Yeah, I think one of my favorite drinkable products to mix with, I work a lot with our, I just love their aif. It’s served in the seven 50 bottle. The flavors are really great and they did such a good job of like really giving it so much nuance and mouth feel that when you actually use this in a cocktail, it totally replaces the alcohol.

[00:21:43] So when you like try something, it really gives the complexity, it gives all these different nuances. And I’ve used it so many times now at the different events that I’ve done and it works well with so many different flavors. And we were recently making it with a rhubarb Paloma. It was [00:22:00] fantastic, so that’s definitely one of my favorite Drinkables.

[00:22:03] I also love wonder. They’re another great drinkable product that’s out there. And then in terms of like other products, I love Garden Society. They’re gummies, they have wine country gummies. I think it’s like a five to one ratio of CBD to THC. But I eat those like on the daily, I think it’s their like sparkling rose gummy.

[00:22:22] I just love those. They also have a really good cheat CV gummy. And so THCV for those who are listening is a cannabinoid that kind of really gives you like these uplifting effects, almost like drinking a cup of coffee. And so those ones are really fun to try if you’ve never tried. THCV. And then I think my favorite flower brands, I’ve several different ones that I love, but I’ve worked a lot with Bohemian Chemist.

[00:22:46] They’re based up in Anderson Valley and Mendocino. They specialize in rare cannabinoid rich flower, Sunrun flour. And I really do think, like after you try their products, there’s really nothing like it. And then another grower [00:23:00] that I love is called ALP and Glow Farms. They’re up in southern humble and they just have the most terin expressive, beautiful flower.

[00:23:07] And they always do such a great job of educating, like on their social media too. They, they take you on like farm tours and you can really like see an inside look at their plants. So yeah, those are just a few of my favorites.

[00:23:19] Ellen Scanlon: Those are great. And one of the things that I love about talking to cannabis industry experts is usually you are very dialed into what you wanna try when you’re doing what.

[00:23:29] And I feel like that’s been such a, a wonderful thing for me that I know, like what I want for a walk, what I want for a workout, what I want for a dinner out. How do you think about, you know, if you are, it’s summer, we’re probably gonna have, you know, a lot of hopefully really fun events. Like is a day at the beach different for you than like an evening barbecue?

[00:23:50] What do you bring for a different situation so that you feel your best?

[00:23:55] Jamie Evans: Yeah, so like for me it’s like if I’m going to a social setting, like whether that’s the [00:24:00] beach, the barbecue, like I always wanna bring in cannabis beverage. That’s like just my go-to. And then for me it’s like really like what I’m thinking about before I sleep.

[00:24:08] Sleep is just so important. And I actually started using cannabis in the first place to help with my sleep. So I’m very intentional about the type of products that I use. Um, I actually think like tinctures work the best for me personally and they always have to be kind of like indica based and typically with, even if there’s like some CBN, which is like the sleepy time cannabinoid, I think tinctures have worked the best for me in the past.

[00:24:34] Sometimes smokeable products, I can get a little bit too much in my head before sleep and it actually activates my brain. And then for some reason just drinkables just make me very social and bubbly. So I don’t really get tired from the cannabis beverages, but I think like, yeah, I, I definitely have my routine and I think it’s very important as you’re coming into cannabis to kind of identify what works best for your routine and kind of go with that.

[00:24:58] And sometimes [00:25:00] with like. C, BD rich products. I like to use those more in the morning. ’cause CBD actually gives me a lot of energy where other people makes them tired. It’s just about experimentation. Find what works best and then kind of builds your routine around that.

[00:25:12] Ellen Scanlon: Yeah, and I really feel like cannabis can be such a support.

[00:25:16] You know, we’ve talked before on the show about the endocannabinoid system and balancing your endocannabinoid system. And so for me, sometimes when I, you know, I’ve had a long day and I’m going out to something, it’s hard for me to kind of make the switch from like my practical mom brain doing everything to something fun.

[00:25:31] And so like a 20 to one or a three to one edible or a two to one cannabis drink can just help me really feel my best so that by the time I get to the party, I’m not. Experiencing like I don’t feel high. I just feel like myself when I’m relaxed. And I think that is really kind of the magic of what understanding how cannabis works for you can really do.

[00:25:55] Jamie Evans: Yeah. But one of the coolest brands that you can actually experiment many different [00:26:00] ratios, and I think they still make, is care by design. They have. So many different tinctures and like every ratio that you can imagine. So like when I was first coming into the space, I tried like all of their ratios just to see like which ones like worked best at different times.

[00:26:15] And that’s kind of how I learned for myself. And there’s different products that are out there. But yeah, it’s just really about finding your perfect ratio. Then just remembering that cannabis works when all the cannabinoids are working together. So it’s not about isolating one away from the other. It’s really that full plan experience.

[00:26:38] Ellen Scanlon: Thank you for listening to how to Do the po. For lots more information and past episodes, visit do the pot.com, and that’s also where you can sign up for my substack newsletter. If you like how to do the pot, please rate and review us on the podcast platform that you use for listening. It really helps more people find the show.

[00:26:59] [00:27:00] Thank you to our producer Nick Patri. I’m Ellen Scanlan, and stay tuned for more of how to Do the Pot.