Cookies unveils Adios tequila‑based RTDs—natural, bold, and culturally charged. Expect more than just buzz; perhaps a Trap Culture cameo.
Cookies—the brand synonymous with terp-forward flower, luxury streetwear, and cultural disruption—just took its biggest leap yet. On August 13, 2025, the Bay Area cannabis titan officially announced the launch of Adios, a ready-to-drink (RTD) tequila cocktail line crafted with Casa Rica tequila and real fruit juice.
This isn’t just a brand extension. It’s a new chapter in the playbook of what cannabis-rooted lifestyle can look—and taste—like.
Founded by rapper-entrepreneur Berner and cultivator Jai, Cookies has long danced at the edge of cannabis and culture. With legendary strains like Girl Scout Cookies and Runtz in its DNA, the brand has sprawled into apparel, wellness, and global licensing. Now, it’s toasting a bold pivot into spirits, bringing four fruit-driven tequila RTDs—Lime, Spicy, Mango, and Strawberry—to market through retail and direct-to-consumer channels this month.
Beyond just new product, Adios signals a cultural intention. This is Cookies flexing its lifestyle clout in a booming segment. As Berner said in a July livestream tease, “We’ve been planning this move for years. It’s not a pivot—it’s a progression.”
Tequila in a Can: Real Juice, Real Strategy
Unlike some celebrity-backed alcohol ventures that slap a label on generic hooch, Adios promises something more refined. Each flavor is built on small-batch, additive-free Casa Rica tequila from Jalisco, balanced with real fruit juice. The result: an RTD that claims freshness and cultural alignment over cloying, artificial filler.
The Lime and Strawberry varieties channel casual beach drinkability, while the Spicy brings a bite for heat-seekers. Mango bridges both comfort and boldness, a trait Cookies fans already know from their cannabis products.
The release is structured for scale. Four-packs and mixed variety packs will hit California retailers beginning August 15, with presales already making noise after the launch preview dropped during the Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios fight on Amazon Prime in mid-July. Expect the rollout to gather steam through strategic drops and inevitable Trap Culture event placements. Yes—this could be the can in your hand at the next Trap meet-up.
Distribution is being executed through a joint effort with Labor Smart Inc. and CKS Distro, merging Cookies’ brand power with seasoned logistics partners.
The Timing Is Spot-On
The move into tequila RTDs isn’t just creative—it’s calculated. The ready-to-drink cocktail market is experiencing explosive growth, valued at $3.21 billion in 2024 and expected to expand at a CAGR of 15.4% through 2030. Tequila itself is on an even sharper trajectory, jumping from $10.53 billion in 2023 toward an estimated $19.73 billion by decade’s end.
Cookies, already a household name in cannabis circles, is now betting that its flavor reputation and culture-first branding can carry it across that divide. Crystal Millican, the brand’s head of marketing, described Adios as an opportunity to “flex brand power.” Not to abandon cannabis, but to show it has reach beyond.
Berner echoed that sentiment in multiple press hits, citing long-term planning and taste integrity. “We don’t slap our name on anything,” he said in a post on X. “It’s gotta hit.”
The message is clear: This isn’t a one-off cash grab. It’s an attempt to translate Cookies’ cannabis credibility into broader consumer packaged goods success.
Culture First, Always
Cookies has always been more than a dispensary logo. It’s a cipher for authenticity in a market that often tries to mimic the culture it can’t quite access. Berner’s own background—Mexican-American, steeped in both music and underground cannabis—grounds the move into tequila with a personal through-line.
Yet that doesn’t mean the expansion is above critique. Skeptics are raising eyebrows. Avis Bulbulyan, CEO of California-based consultancy Siva, minced no words in MJBizDaily: “It’s a money grab. It’s an identity crisis.”
Still, Cookies seems more interested in reframing the conversation than defending itself. Their play isn’t a rejection of cannabis—it’s a remix. Whether through strain drops, hoodies, or now canned cocktails, the brand is betting on its power to define what “cannabis lifestyle” even means.
The real question is whether the customer base follows. If Trap Culture’s rising event turnouts are any clue, the appetite for crossover experiences—and crossover products—is strong.
A Crowded, Blurry Market
Cookies isn’t the only player crossing the weed-wine fence. THC-infused beverages are already flooding niche markets in legal states. Cookies itself dipped into hemp-derived THC drinks via Green Monké. And competitors like Tilray have openly explored the convergence of alcohol and cannabis branding.
The Adios rollout mirrors this genre-blending trend. Alcohol brands want cannabis culture credibility; cannabis brands want shelf space and scale. The walls are crumbling—and Cookies just smashed through one in style.
Still, brand fusion is trickier than it looks. The liquor aisle is cluttered, especially in the RTD space. Standing out takes more than a bold font and trendy flavor. It requires real-world consumer resonance—something Cookies has historically commanded, especially among fans who view it less like a dispensary and more like a lifestyle portal.
Risks and Real Revenue
No launch is risk-free, and Adios is no exception. For all its cultural panache, Cookies is stepping into a saturated, regulation-laced industry with deep-pocketed players like Diageo and Constellation Brands already staking claims.
There’s also the consumer question. Will cannabis loyalists see this as a sellout? Or will they embrace the synergy?
The early numbers lean optimistic. With 85,000 cases pre-ordered—translating to over $3.3 million in initial revenue—and Q3 projections aiming between $7–8 million, Cookies isn’t dabbling. Q4 goals of $12–15 million and planned SKU expansions show real commitment. And international expansion could begin as early as 2026.
Berner isn’t sipping from the sidelines. He’s leading a charge. And if the brand’s track record holds, Adios might not just show up in stores—it may anchor a new kind of event experience. Expect to see it next to blunts and branded merch at a Trap Culture event near you.
Final Hit: A Brand Evolution in Real Time
Cookies’ move into spirits with Adios tequila RTDs isn’t just a category grab—it’s a signpost for the future of cannabis-rooted enterprise. Where once niche strain drops and hoodies ruled the margins, we’re now watching full-blown lifestyle conglomerates emerge from the ashes of prohibition.
Adios doesn’t dilute the cannabis culture. It refracts it. It tells a new story: that taste, authenticity, and cultural currency can coexist in a can, without compromise.
Whether this is the next chapter or the beginning of a broader brand transformation, one thing is certain—Cookies is still writing the rules. And they’re doing it one strain, one stitch, one sip at a time.
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