A Sneak Peek at South Carolina’s First ‘Cannabis Dry Bar’

James Island will soon be home to South Carolina’s first bar dedicated to serving hemp-derived THC-infused spirits-free drinks. The group behind High Rise Beverage Company, makers of CBD and THC seltzers, will run the bar inside the newest location of Charleston Hemp Collective (1989 Maybank Highway, Charleston).

Opening on Friday, August 11, the High Rise Beverage Company bar will serve a variety of cannabis-infused nonalcoholic cocktails, like the Invigorate made with turmeric, carrot, mango, and coconut shrub, topped with the drinker’s choice of High Rise CBD or delta-9 seltzers. Other beverages, like the Zen are made with spirit-free bourbon and hemp honey. Customers have an opportunity to add a THC gummy to their orders.

“It is cannabis themed, but it’s a wellness bar,” says High Rise and Charleston Hemp Collective founder Matt Skinner, “We’re going through a big NA [nonalcoholic] movement right now. A lot of Generation Z isn’t drinking anymore, and we are getting more and more educated on the medicinal benefits of the hemp plant.” Skinner sees the bar as an educational space where customers can try out the CBD, delta-8, and delta-9 beverages without committing to buying a four-pack of High Rise seltzers found in stores.

“Some people are looking for it for the recreational side of it,” says Skinner, “but a lot of people just want something that makes them feel good as an alternative to alcohol.”

The space, with interior design by Karen Long (wife of High Rise business partner Chris Long), is midcentury modern beachy with a pop of neon and plenty of greenery. Take a look around here at the space and menu before the opening.

The bar inside of the James Island Charleston Hemp Collective will open Sunday through Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Thursday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.