MichiGanja in Review: Best Dirty Lemonade mixes potency with purpose

A Black-owned brand born from a family tragedy is shaking up Michigan’s cannabis-infused beverage scene with potent, flavorful lemonades that don’t taste anything like weed. 

MichiGanja in Review is a column that publishes twice monthly as part of The MichiGanja Report—our free, weekly newsletter about all things marijuana. Click here to sign up.

MICHIGAN—Cannabis drinks can be hit or miss. Sometimes they’re too sweet, weak, or weedy. But every so often, one stands out from the cooler—and Best Dirty Lemonade is one of them.

I first discovered the brand at the Flower Expo in Detroit this summer, where their booth was buzzing with people sipping, smiling, and immediately reaching back for more. And after a few samples myself, I understood why. These lemonades don’t taste like cannabis at all. They taste like, well, lemonade. And not the watered-down kind. I’m talking about bright, bold flavors that actually match the label: classic lemonade, strawberry lemonade, and blue raspberry lemonade.

And here’s the kicker: each 12-ounce can packs a punchy 50 mg of THC.

That’s five times stronger than most drinks on the market, which tend to tap out at 10 mg per can. For regular consumers, that means you get some seriously potent effects without needing to down a whole six-pack. And for newcomers, it’s a reminder to sip slow and pace yourself.

Flavor first, potency second

What impressed me most was the balance. Cannabis beverages too often lean into gimmicks or overdo the sugar. Best Dirty Lemonade hits a real sweet spot. The ingredients list is refreshingly simple, and the result is a clean, craveable drink that just happens to also get you high.

The classic lemonade is tart and refreshing, with just enough sweetness to keep you reaching for another sip. Strawberry delivers a fruity kick without veering into candy territory. Blue raspberry tastes like a carnival slushie—nostalgic, bright, and surprisingly drinkable. And none of them had a lingering aftertaste or strange mouth-feel. It’s just infused lemonade that works.

A story with heart

The brand also has one of the more compelling backstories I’ve come across on the Michigan cannabis market. CEO and founder Omari Anderson told me that he launched Best Dirty Lemonade in 2021 after watching his mother struggle with early-onset Alzheimer’s.

As her symptoms worsened—loss of appetite, sleepless nights—she was reluctant to smoke. So, Anderson started experimenting with infused drinks at home, eventually blending cannabis into a lemonade recipe she loved. The result? Relief. She ate. She slept. And she smiled again.

That moment was the spark where Anderson realized that his cannabis-infused concoctions needed to be more than a kitchen experiment; it needed to be a full-on beverage company. Best Dirty Lemonade was born out of tragedy, but it’s carried forward with purpose, Anderson said. 

Where to find it

Since launching, Best Dirty Lemonade has already found its way into about 100 Michigan dispensaries—including at retailers like Pleasantrees, Ascend, Cake House, and Jars.

At about $10 per can, it’s not an everyday drink. But it is one of the rare cannabis beverages that nails taste, potency, and story all in one. For me, it’s the best proof yet that infused drinks can compete with both cocktails and joints—with no smoke, no hangover, and plenty of high.

READ MORE: Wojo Co. reinvents one of cannabis’ most legendary folk medicines

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