How Cannabis-Infused Beverage Mixes Are Made

Last updated April 20, 2026 | Published on July 20, 2021 

It sounds like something straight out of a futuristic lab: Stir a powder into your favourite drink and, within seconds, it’s infused with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD). Welcome to the world of water-soluble cannabis — a highly innovative format that can turn almost any beverage into a cannabis-infused drink.  

Cannabinoids like THC and CBD naturally mix well with fat-rich foods such as chocolate and oils, but mixing with water isn’t their strong suit. It can take 30 minutes to two hours to feel the effects when ingesting traditional cannabis edibles made from these ingredients — much slower than smoking or vaping.  

That’s where nanoemulsification comes in. This process turns cannabinoids into a liquid-friendly substance and improves their bioavailability. That means they can be absorbed more quickly into the body.   

Let’s look at how single-serving beverage mixes are made — from choosing the flower to filling the unique packaging.

Step 1: Pick the flower

The entire process starts with the cannabis plant. Licensed Producers (LPs) can choose flower that’s grown either indoors or outdoors, or a blend of both. Whether they plan to make a THC-dominant, CBD-dominant or balanced beverage mix, LPs don’t have to use just one strain. The distillation and formulation processes ensure the finished product has a consistent amount of cannabinoids, regardless of the plant’s genetics.  

Once harvested, the cannabis flower is dried and cured in drying rooms before being milled into a fine or medium powder. From there, it’s ready for extraction.

Tip: Adding some beverage mixes directly to carbonated drinks may cause foaming, so premix them with a tablespoon of water before stirring in.

Step 2: Create the extract

Here’s where the process starts to get technical: The milled cannabis is processed to isolate the essential cannabinoids (THC and/or CBD). The technique is similar to the process for making many other cannabis concentrates: The cannabinoids are separated from the plant material to create a highly concentrated distillate.  

Many Licensed Producers use supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) extraction. CO2 is exposed to high pressure and temperature until it reaches what’s called a “supercritical” state, in which it acts both as liquid and gas at the same time. This helps break apart the trichomes and pull out the cannabinoids. A careful adjustment of the temperature allows the targeted cannabinoids to attach to the CO2 to be collected as a concentrated extract.

Step 3: Mix oil and water

Now the real science happens. While LPs may use their own proprietary method, the idea behind nanoemulsification is the same: Suspend microscopic molecules of cannabinoids in a lipid (or fat). “Nano” describes something extremely small, and “emulsification” means mixing two liquids that normally don’t mix, like oil and water. 

First, the cannabis distillate is blended with a carrier oil, such as sunflower or fractionated coconut oil. Then it’s nanoemulsified to turn the cannabis distillate into water-friendly particles. The next step is to stir in emulsifiers like polysorbates, as well as water and any other ingredients, such as sorbitol and antifoam powder.  

A quality check ensures the entire batch is mixed evenly — that is, that the cannabinoids are dispersed homogeneously throughout. Once it passes this test, the mixture is blanketed in nitrogen to reduce oxidation and left to dry for three days. At this point, it undergoes another round of quality-control testing.

Step 4: Test the products

Beverage mixes must meet all Health Canada requirements, and that includes thorough testing — both in-house and through accredited third-party labs — to ensure the purity and integrity of the products.  

Licensed Producers also ensure the powder will work well in the real world. Its dissolvability is tested in many types of liquids, including coffee, water, soda and juice. Most beverage mixes dissolve clearly and are both odourless and flavourless, making them compatible with most of your favourite liquids. However, some LPs note that they may not dissolve as smoothly in tannin-rich drinks, like green tea. 

Step 5: Fill the single-serve packets

Once testing is complete, the powder is poured into a specialized filling machine that dispenses it into moisture‑resistant single‑serve stick packs. A dose of nitrogen is added to help protect the product from oxidation.  

Because beverage mixes are considered edibles, they are labelled like any other edible cannabis product. Among other information, each pack must bear the required standardized THC symbol (if it contains more than 10 micrograms of THC per gram), the THC and CBD content, a list of ingredients and a nutrition facts table.  

For added safety, the stick packs are placed into child-resistant containers. These are X-rayed to ensure there are no foreign materials inside. The checked packages are then excise-stamped, put into cases and prepared for shipment.

Beverage mixes may act faster than traditional solid edibles. Start low and go slow to help reduce the risk of overconsumption.

Beverage mixes aren’t just for drinks. They can be added to foods like frozen desserts, whipped cream, vegetable oil and even salad dressing. Combining a beverage mix with alcohol, however, is not recommended — doing so may cause severe levels of impairment and adverse effects.