Last week at the Snaxshot x Gopuff Expo West pre-party, I got a glimpse at the #futureofalcohol through two crafty upstart brands leveraging their unique extraction and fermentation processes to break through the complex distribution network of traditional BevAlc and cannabis. Those brands are Pamos, a THC-infused non-alcoholic cocktail, and Crooked Owl, one of the first hard Tepaches to hit the market. Pamos is leveraging hemp-derived Delta-9 THC to show up as an alcohol alternative at liquor stores, hotels, bars, and restaurants, while Crooked Owl is using its malt beverage classification to bring its cocktail-like liquid to a wider set of retailers and restaurants with a minimum of just a beer and wine license. Both of these brands are looking to build new categories within the existing three-tiered alcohol distribution system, providing consumers with non-alcoholic or lower-alcohol alternatives to their cocktail analogs.