CleverRoot

7 2 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t What's Your Bud Blend? Huxton Co-Founder Dustin Johnson was motivated to start the family-owned and –operated company out of necessity when his mother fell ill. She subsequently sought medical cannabis as a treatment, and since then the company has taken a unique ap- proach to giving cannabis patients and consumers products they not only want, but are specifically tailored to their needs. "The number-one question we were being asked when buying flower was, 'How is this going to make me feel?'" says Johnson, who found that terms like "indica" and "sativa" were confusing to many consumers. Not only that, they seemed increasingly meaningless in a market saturated with hybrids and complicated by the interplay of terpenes and cannabinoid ratios. "We spent about a year doing thousands of focus group studies of our ge- netics and then classified that information," Johnson continues. "We found that there were three generally correct qualities in what makes a sativa—focused energy, some similar genetics, and more euphoria—while indicas were more cerebral with a more mellow, relaxed, and chill vibe." That research directly spawned the Huxton team's strategy in creating its series of flower and vape pen blends; each is based on the feeling obtained from the blend, rather than being vari- etal or even flavor-based. "It is not always going to be the same exact blend, but it will be the genetics that express the essence of either Rise, Hi-Fi, or Zen," Johnson says. "It is more of an effect-based focus, and it's not always going to be the same exact cannabinoid format. Each batch is consistently produced but uniquely different." While Johnson explains that the blends can be likened to a winemaker who works with different grapes each harvest, he's also quick to point out why it's practical to go with an effect-based blend rather than specific genetics. "It's for scalability," he elaborates. "As we look to expand into other states, each state will have different source materials, genetics, water, et cetera. We're providing a con- sistent experience no matter where you consume Huxton." Eat and Drink Your Experience With an emphasis on how we individually experience cannabis, The Clever Root and Huxton joined forces to challenge some of Arizona's top tastemakers. Each was encouraged to create pairings using the Huxton series, as well as their strain-specific, super-premium BLCK line. While the concept of pairing can- nabis experiences with food and beverage is still relatively new, it's not a completely foreign topic, according to Johnson. "You're not drinking mimosas with a steak dinner on a Friday night, and you're not having nice deep, rich Cab at the beach on Saturday at 1 p.m.," he explains. "There's a huge opportunity for the hos- pitality industry to start thinking about cannabis in terms of an event or experience, then creating pairings that reflect that." To put this theory to the test, we corralled our selected trio— Keifer Gilbert, Lead Bartender at Bitter & Twisted in Scottsdale; Micah Olson, Owner of Phoenix's acclaimed eatery, Crudo; and Chef David Duarte, Executive Chef of Scottsdale's Pane e Vino— and tasked them with conceiving their own personalized pairings with some help from Huxton. Here's a rundown of what they came up with. COCKTAIL PAIRINGS BY KEIFER GILBERT LEAD BARTENDER, BITTER & TWISTED Our experiment was well-received by our first participant: "This is one of the coolest things I've done," Keifer Gilbert tells The Clever Root. And coming from Gilbert, that's a hefty compli- ment: As a recent inductee of the Ari- zona Culinary Hall of Fame as the 2017 Mixologist of the Year, he's no stranger to working his wizardry behind the stick. "Working with a product like the Huxton series gives me complete creative freedom," he adds. Keifer Gilbert is one of Arizona's leading mixologists. The Pairing: Huxton Rise with a cocktail featur- ing strawberry-infused Aperol, passionfruit syrup, lime juice, and a Champagne float. Notes on the pairing: "I wanted to go with a low-ABV and refreshing easy-drinker—something you would sip on in the middle of the day," Gilbert says. "Rise is a pick-me-up that gives you energy and focus, and this drink is very similar. It's not super boozy; it's not going to knock you out." Johnson agreed, saying, "The drink is deliciously refreshing, and when accompanied with a Rise pre-roll, it felt like a solid way to ease into a Sun- day brunch." The Pairing: Huxton Hi-Fi was paired with a cocktail featuring smoky mezcal, can- taloupe syrup, Bigallet China-China liqueur, Fresno chilis, and a dash of Laphroaig. Notes on the Pairing: "This is the kind of drink that's a starting point for a night out," says Gilbert. "It's the beginning of a story, and Hi-Fi feels that way to me too. So essence-wise, this is a very good match." This pairing was also spot-on for Johnson. "This drink is like a jolt of energy, perfect to accompany a nice Hi-Fi bowl and some Led Zeppelin." The Pairing: The cocktail paired with Huxton Zen included Copper City Bourbon from Arizona Distilling Company, dark rum, Amaro Averna, and Amontillado Sherry. Notes on the Pairing: "I really wanted to honor that Huxton is an Arizona com- pany, and I love those homegrown vibes, so I used Arizona Distilling Company's Copper City Bourbon to create your end-of-the-night drink," Gilbert explains. "This drink and the Zen are the perfect way to let go of the day." Johnson, himself a bourbon lover, called this pairing his "new go-to."

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