Our six-step review process
We buy it ourselves.
Every drink in a 'best of' ranking is purchased at retail with WellSip funds. We don't accept PR samples that come with strings, and gifted product is disclosed and never weighted differently than purchased product.
We verify what's in the can.
We pull each brand's most recent third-party Certificate of Analysis (COA) and check that the cannabinoid content matches the label. Drinks without a current public COA are disqualified, full stop.
We taste it like a normal person.
Each drink is sampled chilled, on its own and (where relevant) over ice with a single mixer. We note flavor, mouthfeel, finish, and how 'real' it feels as an alcohol replacement — not just whether the THC works.
We track the onset honestly.
On the same evening (no other cannabis, no alcohol, on a normal stomach) at least two editors independently log onset, peak, and tail times in 15-minute intervals. We average and report ranges, not single anecdotes.
We test it across experience levels.
Every product is sampled by at least one beginner (less than ~20 sessions of THC ever) and one regular consumer. If a 5 mg seltzer floors a beginner, that goes in the review.
We score it on five fixed axes.
Taste, dose accuracy, onset, value per mg, and 'would I actually replace a drink with this'. Scores are recorded before we look at the brand's price or marketing — to keep aesthetics from inflating ratings.
The scoring rubric
Every product gets a score from 1–10 on five axes. Weights are fixed and published below — so a brand can't move up the rankings by being prettier or louder.
| Criterion | Weight | What we're asking |
|---|---|---|
| Taste & mouthfeel | 25% | Does it work as a drink, not just a delivery vehicle? |
| Dose accuracy vs. COA | 20% | Does the can do what the label says? |
| Onset & predictability | 20% | Fast-acting? Consistent across the same SKU? |
| Value per mg of THC | 20% | Price, can size, and total mg compared to category. |
| Replacement quality | 15% | Would a non-drinker pick it up at a dinner party? |
What disqualifies a product
- No current, publicly available Certificate of Analysis from an ISO-accredited lab.
- Cannabinoid content on the can is more than 15% off from COA results.
- Marketing makes therapeutic claims (treats anxiety, cures insomnia, etc.).
- Brand requires a sponsored or paid relationship in exchange for review access.
- Product is sold into states where it's clearly illegal under current state law.
What we don't claim to be
WellSip is a consumer guide, not a clinical research outfit and not a law firm. We don't run clinical trials, we don't represent that any product is safe for any specific person, and our state legality coverage is editorial — not legal advice. For more on that line, see the medical disclaimer.
Read more
- Editorial standards — independence, sourcing, and corrections
- Fact-checking process — how we verify legal and health claims
- Best THC drinks (2026) — the methodology in action