THE FUNKY MONKÉ

BK: “Highly sessionable,” meaning: easy to drink and remain social?

JR: We wanted to create a social beverage, something you could have more than one of with friends as a substitute for your vodka seltzer or beer. In Canada, we use Vertosa’s micro-encapsulation emulsion which gives you an effervescent social high with the calming and relaxing effects of the CBD, plus a fast onset (around 15 minutes). Both the consistency of the onset and offset, along with the 2:1 balance, makes for a very accessible high - a great time, every time.

BK: How does the CBD interact with the THC to avoid couch-lock?

BY BEN KAPLAN

Green Monké is a fast-growing, delicious, cannabis-infused alcohol alternative on the cannabis cutting edge. With infused options offering a range of THC blends—with CBD ratios designed not to overwhelm—Green Monké is transforming the Canadian cannabis drinks market, one can at a time. KIND editor Ben Kaplan opened a Green Monké with Jen Robinson-Lockwood, Green Monké’s Chief Marketing Officer, and got the goods on Canada’s funky new Green Monké bunch.

Ben Kaplan: I feel like you came out of nowhere to being at every barbecue I hit. What’s the origin story behind your drinks?

Jen Robinson-Lockwood: Green Monké launched in the UK in 2018 as a hemp drink and quickly outsold the competition 10:1. In early 2020, my good friend and co-founder Pat Gleeson, took me to the UK to try the drinks, and we decided that the product was too good to not have at home! So we put a little THC into it and launched the brand in California in April 2021, and in Ontario the following December. We have since launched in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Maine, and Massachusetts. Pat and I wanted to design our Green Monké beverages as a low-dose alcohol alternative and to be highly sessionable. We also have a CBD, and a Delta-8 version of our drinks available in almost 30 states in the US.

JR: Incorporating CBD helps take the edge off of THCs intoxicating properties. With many experiencing THC as a head-high, adding CBD to the experience allows for a whole-body-buzz, while still staying clearminded and social along the way, which was important to us to make this drink an alcohol alternative.

BK: What you’re doing with innovation is a big boost for the legal market—creating things that the illicit market simply can’t. Can you talk about what’s next? What are you learning that your customer wants and how are you building upon these lessons?

JR: We’re so excited to be bringing our 10mg Tropical Citrus drink to Canada this summer. With 10mg of THC and 20mg of CBD, it comes with a quick onset and higher dose of THC and a double dose of CBD that will keep you social.

BK: There’s almost nothing better than a citrus cannabis drink. I read somewhere that like 80% of the people who try one said they’ll try one again.

JR: Right? And the other major benefit of cannabis drinks as opposed to your “standard edible” is the way your body processes the THC. In liquid form, the THC is absorbed through all of the pores in your mouth and esophagus on the way to your stomach, reaching more cannabinoid receptors in the body. This means that where with your typical “edible” the body processes about 25-30% of the THC you eat, with beverages, your body processes between 60 and 75%.

BK: I didn’t know that, but I always suspected that was the case. Can you tell our readers about the skinny Pina Colada you’re launching?

JR: We wanted to create something that was familiar, delicious, and sugar-free. Our newest canna-cocktail, Pineapple Coconut, will have our signature 2:1 ratio, is sweetened with natural sugars like erythritol and stevia, and it’s only 5 calories and has 0 grams of sugar. The taste profile is for a slightly more mature palette and the perfect happy-hour drink heading into the summer.

BK: Lastly, looking into your crystal ball, what’s new and what’s next? This summer, where do you expect Green Monké to be?

JR: 2023 is shaping up to be the summer of Green Monké! We’ll be launching two new drinks in Ontario and British Columbia. We’re also Cookies’ Global Beverage partner and this January we launched three cobranded 10mg THC iced teas and a lemonade in California and will be launching them in Ontario and B.C. this summer!

BK: Sounds like an awesome growth plan. Thanks so much for your time, and thanks for the great product.

JR: It’s our pleasure and thanks for spreading the word about Green Monké in KIND !

5 Star Legacy Punch

Ingredients

5 Citrus Blend (Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit, Lime, Pineapple), Orgeat, Non Alc Cocktail Bitters, Dissolving THC Powder, Tropical Fruit

Method

• Fill shaker with ice

• Pour all juices into shaker

• Add 1 shot orgeat into shaker

• Add 5 dashes non alc aromatic bitters

• Add 1 pouch of dissolving THC powder

• Shake vigorously, and strain into glass filled with ice

• Garnish with 2 pineapple fronds, starfruit, kiwi and edible flower

@DOPE.COCKTAILS