WYNK THC seltzers fully understand the assignment

Welcome back to FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.

Cannabis based drinks have evolved significantly since the 2018 Farm Bill that expanded the legality of hemp-derived products. As cultivators realized legal ways to create intoxicating effects within the definition of not exceeding 0.3 percent of Delta-9 THC within a product, the field has boomed with gummies and seltzers that go a long way in replicating the feeling you'd get from legal marijuana in states that allow it.

This has been a boon for the casual drinker looking to branch out. The first round of cannabis-infused sips on the national market were decidedly rough. The years since have allowed companies to tweak recipes and tinker with results. You can get cold brew coffees that will get you a little high without the telltale stink. You can get hundreds of different infused sparkling waters with a range of outcomes that run from La Croix adjacent to actually tasting like the product advertised on the can.

That's where WYNK steps in. The brand mixes classic seltzer flavors with THC and CBD in hopes of creating a social beverage with moderate intoxicating effects and minimal calories. For me, however, I just hope it can help with a brain that doesn't shut off at bedtime.

Can it help and does it taste good enough to keep me coming back? Let's find out.

Tangerine: B

It pours effervescent and clear. It smells light and like you just bought a box of Cuties at the grocery store.

The first sip is a wide range of flavors. This is a seltzer like La Croix is a seltzer. The fruit flavor is minimal and unsweetened. You get a little bit of that tangerine. It's crisp and dry and not exactly what I was hoping for but also not bad.

You can taste a bit of that THC essence; a slightly hemp-y, weed-y undercurrent that sticks around through each gulp. It's a little earthy and a little smoky. Sipping from the can mitigates that a little and focuses the tangerine flavor more. Even so, there's enough of a reminder this isn't a typical seltzer even if it isn't overpowering.

After 15 minutes I don't feel much. A little more relaxed, but nothing approaching a buzz. Let's double up that THC content.

Lime: B+

This one seems more like its flavor than the tangerine does. The scent coming off it is heavy citric acid, the calorie-free additive endemic to seltzers. In the back of your brain, you know exactly how this smells.

It tastes a bit sweeter than the tangerine. That citrus is much brighter as well. The tart/sweet balance is on point here, and while you get a bit of that grainy, bready flavor that comes with bubbles and citric acid, it's still fairly easy to drink.

It's a little harsh out of the can -- I'd recommend this one on ice -- but even then it's not repellent. It's not a Sprite, but it's not as underwhelming as a La Croix or a White Claw.

I got about halfway through this one before I began to feel some noticeable effects. Mostly a general feeling everything was moving slower in my world. Or at least that *I* was moving slower. Then I got tired and forgot to finish this review.

So yes, I think it's safe to say this legal THC has at least some effect.

Black Cherry: B+

There's a certain level of tartness that accompanies the pour that keeps this from smelling like old school, slightly-off-brand cherry soda. Which is a shame, but not a bad thing. It's clear the citric acid here will play a role. We'll see whether that's tempering the sweeter side of black cherries or merely covering up some flaws while making this whole thing taste like a White Claw.

It's a little of both, in fact. This certainly nails the dry aspect of a regular seltzer. The bubbles impart the kind of crispness that will keep you coming back.

The taste itself runs as deep as those bubbles, so when you've cleared each sip you're not stuck with any lingering effects. You start off candy sweet, but that doesn't last. By the end you're getting a little bit of that acidic sourness and the carbonation to create a dry profile.

You get a minor THC taste involved, but this is one you could reasonably mistake for a regular sparkling water. A pretty good one, too.

Mango: A-

It pours cloudy and smells like sweet, dry mango. That's been a cheat code for low calorie sodas and seltzers. It imparts a sweet, creamy flavor despite its artificial base. The can says there is real mango flavor in there, but at zero calories, it can't be much.

On first sip that flavor shines through much more clearly than WYNK's other offerings. It's sweet and crisp, a punch in the mouth compared to the other flavors. It's sweet but not overpowering, giving in to the bubbles toward the end for a dry finish.

That creates a crushable fizzy water that might just get you messed up if you don't watch it. Mango's inherent flavor makes it such an easy win in the seltzer game. WYNK understood that and took the easy A.

Cran-Blood Orange: B+

WYNK added a slightly seasonal flavor late in the process. Cranberry is a bit divisive and blood orange always feels like a trend rather than a real flavor, but the brand has been good enough to earn the benefit of the doubt so far.

Cracking the can tosses a wave of bog-berry and juuuuust a little weedy undercurrent at you. The opening sip starts dry, but the orange plays off the tartness of the cranberry to create a balanced drink. It's not bitter or sour, but leans into the heavy carbonation underneath to give you a seltzer that feels like they actually made La Croix taste like something.

That makes it easy to get through a can. As usual, the THC is a low, calm rumble that sets in after about half an hour. It's not especially impairing after one (though, as usual, don't drive after imbibing) but it does help reduce the volume on whatever anxieties are floating around at the time. It's enough to give me a clear path to my nightly REM cycle.

Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's?

This a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I’m drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That’s the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm’s. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink WYNK over a cold can of Hamm’s?

I'd drink it after a couple Hamm's, replacing that last beer to help me sleep a little better with less booze (and fewer calories) in my system. So far, it's led to much more pleasant mornings.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: WYNK THC seltzers fully understand the assignment