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Morristown businessman Matthew Rosenhaus grew rich selling Geritol in the 1950s and 60s, marketing it as a curative tonic for people with “iron-poor tired blood.”

“It was snake oil,” his grandson, Warren Bobrow, recalls today. Yet Bobrow still embraces the family’s entrepreneurial spirit. He’s trying to forge his own legacy by manufacturing a cannabis-infused beverage that, unlike Geritol, delivers precisely what it advertises: good flavor and a good buzz.

Sold in bottles and served by the spoonful, Geritol was hawked shamelessly from coast to coast with a relentless ad campaign that sponsored “The Lawrence Welk Show,” among other 20th-century TV hits.

“It was ethyl alcohol, caramel colorings and flavorings,” said Bobrow, 61, who grew up in Morris Township. “All it was was whiskey. It didn’t even have vitamins in the early days. And it was sold in every pharmacy in the United States, if not the world.”

In 1972, a Geritol TV ad campaign also coined the cringe-worthy tagline, “My wife, I think I’ll keep her,” which was mocked by the growing feminist movement of the time.

“It made my grandfather a pretty successful guy until the government sued them,” Bobrow said. Rosenhaus at one point was the largest individual shareholder of filmmaker Columbia Pictures Industries and also served on the board of Nabisco Inc.

Geritol is now manufactured as a vitamin supplement by Meda Consumer Healthcare of Georgia, but it’s no longer a staple of U.S. medicine cabinets as it was for decades.

The formula worked for years until the Federal Trade Commission derailed the gravy train. In 1973, the agency imposed what was then the largest fine in its history, accusing Geritol of “false and misleading claims” and leading to the company’s decline.

Can Klaus Mezzrole ‘transform’ cannabis drinks?

Bobrow, a graduate of the Morristown-Beard School, would eventually grow estranged from his family. So he carved his own niche in the spirits industry as a brand ambassador known as “The Cocktail Whisperer.” He has authored six mixology books including “Apothecary Cocktails: Restorative Drinks from Yesterday and Today.”

A subsequent book, “Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails and Tonics,” put him on a new professional path: formulating, manufacturing and distributing his own concoctions to ride the wave of marijuana legalization across the U.S. Last year, he introduced Mezzrole, the first in a planned line of “Klaus”-brand beverages. They’re sold exclusively in California’s legal cannabis market.

The drink is a variation on a rum-based cocktail known as a ti’punch. But the “punch” of the rum has been replaced by 10 milligrams of infused cannabis resin in each 8-ounce can, from an “Indica-leaning hybrid” strain of marijuana known as “Hippie Crasher.”

The Mezzrole formula, like a ti’punch, is non-carbonated and flavored with French lime puree, rice vinegar and a ginger beer syrup Boborow substitutes for rum: “When you leave out the rum, you need something to give it a little spice and backbone, because it’s extra hot and spicy,” he said.

A July review on the “Good Spirits” blog described the drink as “tropical and vibrant,” noting it contains only 16 calories per can and is “alcohol-free, so no need to worry about mixing booze with your buzz.”

A ” first-of-its-kind product,” Klaus is likely to “transform the way you think about cannabis-infused beverages,” it said.

Indica strains of cannabis are known for increasing relaxation and reducing insomnia, often referred to as a “body high.” A Sativa “head high” is said to increase creativity and focus while reducing stress and anxiety. Hybrids contain elements of both.

“It’s not overwhelming. It’s a nice calm, no stronger than having a craft cocktail,” said Bobrow, who writes for three cannabis-industry magazines and recently attended the annual MJBizCon convention in Las Vegas with 35,000 other industry insiders. “What it does is offer a little deeper depth and balance to the experience of a craft cocktail, without the alcohol.”

That’s important to Bobrow. While he’s a recognized mixology expert, he quit drinking distilled spirits in 2018 “because it was killing me.” Addiction was not the issue, he said, but rather his need to drink frequently while working as a brand ambassador.

“I’ve lost two shoe sizes and 100 pounds since then,” he said.

Raised on Geritol Jr.

Bobrow smoked his first joint at age 12 and his taste for weed led to his wealthy family disowning him.

“My mom gave me Geritol Jr. every morning before school,” he recalled with a touch of irony. “It was 20% alcohol.”

Now 61, Bobrow said cannabis has helped him find balance. He acknowledges others may disagree with his preference for pot over alcohol.

“They would be wrong,” he said.

Medical experts may disagree, but Bobrow, who recently moved to Mendham, asserts cannabis “is not intoxicating, is not habit-forming, is not incapacitating and you don’t have a hangover the next day.”

He’s hoping for national distribution, but so far, only California has cleared Mezzrole for sale. New Jersey laws on recreational cannabis prohibit products in edible or drinking form. There’s talk of liberalizing the state’s rules, “but it will take a while,” Bobrow said.

Initial sales of Mezzrole were strong, but they’ve slowed as Bobrow moves to a new distributor and makes plans to expand the product line.

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In California, his business model includes retail sales, but Bobrow expects the bulk of his future distribution will be “direct to consumer” through his website. A can of Mezzrole currently sells for $12 retail, or $40 for a four-pack. The website teases future varieties of Klaus cannabis cocktails, including “Bosphorus” and “1851 Zombie.”

Each has a flavor as colorful as its name. Bosphorus promises a “trip to sunny, sultry Istanbul, not Constantinople” with traces of bergamot (a citrus fruit), apricot and a touch of mirin (Japanese rice vinegar). Meanwhile, 1851 Zombie is “a lovable combination of sour leading into sweet becoming everything naughty” with three cannabis strains in place of rum.

Bobrow chose the name Mezzrole as a homage to Mezz Mezzrow, a musician and the notorious pot “connection” for jazz legend Louis Armstrong, who was well-known for his love of weed.

“He brought tons of Mexican cannabis up from south of the border during the Jazz Era and was very much a favored individual in Detroit and Chicago and New York,” Bobrow said. “A well-rolled cannabis cigarette was known as a ‘mezzrole.'”

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com 

https://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/local/morris-county/2022/12/28/morris-nj-warren-bobrow-mezzrole-cannabis-drink-in-geritol-tradition/69667353007/?fbclid=IwAR2TrJ9qMCeqE2MUi2e0yG8gsTv8o1n8gXmbA95NfGlPEF-mG3ZM2pjGMLo

Twitter: @wwesthoven

The story behind the magic.

David Bienenstock Published on September 16, 2022

Master mixologist Warren Bobrow, author of ‘Cannabis Cocktails’ is the mastermind behind the weed-infused brand Klaus. Author David Bienenstock loves the company’s cocktail, the Mezzrole.

Comedian, actor, and television host Jon Gabrus parties for a living.

You can fact check that statement by watching him co-star in 101 Places to Party Before You Die on TruTV, including an episode in Portland devoted entirely to the city’s thriving cannabis scene.

He also hosts the popular podcast High and Mighty, which as the name implies frequently involves getting stoned on the mics with fellow comedy nerds.

So when he decided to take a break from drinking, he had a secret weapon already in the arsenal.

Weed.

“Over the pandemic, I found that alcohol was making me feel a little depressed,” Gabrus explains. “If you’re not happy if you’re not drinking, that’s a bad headspace to be in.”

He’d heard about the whole California Sober trend (no to alcohol, yes to weed), and even knew a couple of people who’d successfully made the switch. So he figured, “Why not give it a try?”

Sleeping better, waking up feeling good

For the first two weeks that meant simply smoking a joint while sipping a seltzer water. He felt better during the day, slept better at night, and woke up feeling fresh.

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 “But I missed cocktail energy,” he says. “Having a drink as a signifier for when the day is over and you can be done with work. Ah, now I can crack a beer.”

 Alcohol as ritual. It’s five o’clock somewhere.  Cocktail hour.  Beer-thirty.

 Which is when he discovered weed drinks.

At first he tried making his own, by adding cannabis tincture directly to a glass of iced-tea, with less than stellar results. Then he started visiting dispensaries and exploring store-bought weed drinks. 

His first revelation—a can of Lagunitas HiFi Hops really scratches the beer itch. Which makes sense, given that its made by a legendarily weed-friendly brewery.

Planning your cannabis cocktail hour

From that first Hifi, Gabrus says he tried pretty much every form of liquid THC currently on the market. A former bartender, the quest even led him to develop his own at-home cannabis mocktail recipes using products like Old Fashioned Lemonade Cannabis Quencher and S*Shots mixed with soda water, fresh fruit, and a mint garnish.

When lockdown ended, he resumed drinking alcohol socially, but not nearly as prodigiously. These days, he’s more likely to bring weed drinks with him to a house party, or to order something non-alcoholic at a bar and stealthily spike his own drink with cannabinoids. He says making the shift was all about changing his perception.

“The second you can separate alcohol from the idea of ‘partying’ or even ‘going out,’ you’ve opened yourself up to a new way of life.”

The bud-y system

If you believe that you may have a serious addiction or dependency issue when it comes to alcohol, please consider seeking professional help.

For the rest of us, there’s many good reasons to consider limiting the amount of alcohol we consume, or eliminating alcohol entirely. A recent study showed that even moderate consumption of alcohol can damage the body, and the record is more than clear when it comes to the dangers of heavy or binge drinking.

What makes California sober such an attractive alternative is that you can replace alcohol with a far less harmful intoxicant. One with no calories and no hangovers.

Journalist and professional-partier Michelle Lhooq coined the phrase in 2019, and ever since it’s taken on a life of its own. She tells Leafly that her favorite weed drinks are made by Wunder, and she also loves Artet, Klaus and House of Saka.

Her best advice for experimenting with going California Sober?

“Have a Cali Sober buddy or crew to check in with and to share your journey. Solidarity and support is really crucial.”

If you don’t have someone IRL who wants to make the leap with you, check out the online support group she set up on Discord.

Is drinking the future of cannabis?

I decided to explore going California Sober by taking part in Sober September. Which also seemed like a good opportunity to immerse myself in the brave new world of weed drinks.

As a journalist who’s been writing about cannabis for the last twenty years, it’s been fascinating to watch this new market segment rapidly grow as the legal cannabis market matures.

According to a recent market study by Global Industry Analysts, the cannabis beverage market will be worth $2 billion by 2026. There’s already branded weed drinks from Pabst, St. Ides, and other established hooch brands.  Though I’ve got to say all of my favorite weed drinks are from weed companies that got into drinks, while many of my least favorites are from alcohol companies that got into weed.

How it started… How it’s going

As of this writing, I’m one week into this experiment, and can report that I’m feeling quite good and haven’t missed alcohol too much aside from some serious FOMO when everyone else at my table shared a nice bottle of red wine at a favorite Italian restaurant.

Meanwhile, weed drinking is pretty fun. On Labor Day I threw a little cannabis cocktail party, inviting friends to sample a wide range of weed drinks and also a few alcohol-free weed cocktails whipped up special for the occasion.

Just as some people drink rum and other wine, my guests all had their favorites, but a few got universally high praise: MXXN (a take on Tequila), Mad Lilly Passion Fruit Mango Spritzer, and the cannabis-infused teas from Kikoko.

Try a mighty ‘Mezzrole’

My personal favorite dispensary-bought weed drinks (so far) are the Mexican sodas (Guava, Tamarind, Mandarin Orange) from Mari Y Juana, the blood orange-cardamom drink from Cann, and the Mezzrole—a cannabis mocktail in a can that’s named in honor of jazz clarinetist / reefer dealer Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow.

Made by a company called Klaus, the Mezzrole is ginger, lime, and rice vinegar blended with 10 milligrams of a “terpene-forward” THC emulsion. The brainchild of master mixologist Warren Bobrow, Klaus’s drinks come closest to the taste of a well-crafted cocktail with notes that are sweet, citric and spicy.

Once known as “the cocktail whisperer,” Bobrow published six books on mixology, wrote about cocktails for major media, worked directly with liquor brands, and taught classes and seminars.

Then in 2018 he quit drinking distilled spirits and went Cali Sober.

“The experience has been eye opening,” he tells Leafly. “Not only did I lose a significant amount of weight from all the sugar I was not drinking, but my general appearance has improved. And I haven’t had a hangover in almost five years!”

Bobrow: ‘Haven’t had a hangover in almost five years!’

The recipe for the Mezzrole comes directly out of his book, Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails and Tonics. He says the secret to crafting cannabis mocktails of the highest quality is simple—use the highest quality ingredients. Best of all the Mezzrole clocks in at just 16 calories and 0.6 grams of pure cane sugar per can.

Not that everyone’s a fan.

“I no longer go to alcohol industry events, nor do I go to bars. And I don’t miss it,” Bobrow says. He found himself ostracized by “my supposed friends,” he says, for choosing cannabis over alcohol cocktails.

A weed wine with dinner

Jamie Evans—known as the Herb Somm—is a certified sommelier who has managed to remain active in the traditional wine world while also launching her own line of alcohol-free cannabis wines.

“I’m not California Sober, but I have many friends who’ve chosen this path for health and wellness reasons,” she says. “With the introduction of cannabis beverages, we can now enjoy an alternative to alcohol at social gatherings without feeling pressured to imbibe.”

That’s an important benefit, and one of the reasons I think weed drinks have a big future. As a thought experiment, imagine going to a family BBQ—even in a legal state—and firing up a joint. Versus discreetly sipping on some weed wine.

As for Jamie’s product—wine ranks among the toughest traditional drinks to recreate, partly because de-alcoholizing wine strips out some of its flavor and essence, and partly because you’ve still got to figure out a way to get THC emulsified into the wine. Two sizable challenges at the same time.

I’m no expert, but I’ve been sampling (and writing about) cannabis wines since 2014. And the next time I go out for Italian food, I’m definitely bringing a bottle of her Herbacée Sparkling Rosier for the table.

https://www.leafly.com/news/lifestyle/these-weed-cocktails-will-liven-up-your-cali-sober-september