MINNEAPOLIS — Juniper Restaurant doesn't even have a home yet, but months before it opens its doors to customers at Lyndale and 26th in Uptown, buzz around its vegan menu is already heating up - thanks to a THC twist.
"This drink is a mix of beet juice, lime, juniper berries, pomegranate and date syrup," said Heather Klein, the chef behind Juniper's plant-based menu and alcohol-free, "euphoric" bar. "And then it is served with this syrup, which includes pomegranate, date, beet juice and THC."
In accordance with a state law passed last year, that syrup will be served on the side and contain a single, 5mL serving of hemp-derived THC.
And it won't just be limited to drinks.
Klein: "This is our almond, hazelnut, cacao cake. It comes with a THC-infused pomegranate syrup. This little bottle will go to the table. It's child-proof, and customers can just open it and add as much or as little as they like. This one has a pomegranate syrup in there and it just kind of drizzles."
Erdahl: "As a chef, I would guess it's a lot easier to know what you're giving people that way, than incorporating it directly into your cooking or baking."
Klein: "Yes. It can get tricky there, so this is the safe way to do it."
Balancing safety, while embracing THC, was the goal of Juniper's owner, Michelle Courtright.
Erdahl: "Why was this something that you wanted to include in your menu?"
Courtright: "For me, personally, I went through breast cancer a few years back and THC was my primary method for dealing with pain. Everybody uses it differently. Some people microdose it and it reduces their stress and anxiety. Other people like to enjoy a euphoric experience and use a lot more, and so this would be more of a self-guided tour."
Erdahl: "How does it impact flavor?"
Klein: "You can't taste it at all. You can't taste the THC, so it's just whatever the flavoring is in there."
Though 5 milligrams is standard in many of Minnesota's THC seltzers, Heather advises people to start small when adding it to food.
Klein: "I would just put a little bit, maybe a fourth or a fifth of this on my food and see how that affects me. It's fast acting, so it will hit you in about 15 minutes. You don't have that hour-long wait where you're like, 'Am I going to get that feeling or not?' Then as you're eating, you can decide if you want more or less."
Erdahl: "The law around this type of THC is still pretty wide open right now, but there could be a lot of things changing if the legislature legalizes, and regulates cannabis more widely. How do you anticipate that impacting a business that is just going to be opening its doors?"
Courtright: "These syrups are made off-site and we have gone to those lengths to make sure we comply with regulations. I think that legislators are listening to the business community and they are hearing, obviously, our friends in breweries and restaurants are trying to figure out how to do this legally. It's a new business opportunity for a lot of them, and so I don't think any legislator is going to shut that down completely."
Regardless of what the state decides, Klein says THC is far from the only thing on the menu. Juniper will feature a seasonal plant-based menu that sources all kinds of locally grown vegetables.
"We'll probably have one savory item, and one sweet each week that we'll pair with THC, so customers have that option," Klein said. "But we'll have so many other great options."
For a taste of what Juniper has to offer, the restaurant is offering a special takeout meal kit on Valentine's Day for $150. Click here for more information, and follow @junipermpls on Instagram for more information.
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