Kate Hudson, Darren Criss Star in New Holiday Promo for Social Tonic Company Cann
- Both Hudson and Criss are investors in Cann, which creates CBD and THC-infused tonics as an alcohol alternative for social events, aiming to de-stigmatize cannabis and make it more accessible in day-to-day life.
Kate Hudson and former NBA player Baron Davis are the stars of social tonic company Cann's latest promo video that launched today, a "Saturday Night Live"-style skit that sees the pair preparing the company's brand-new spiked cannabis drinks before their holiday festivities.
But the real standout is Darren Criss, whose new single "Christmas Dance" (off his debut holiday album "A Very Darren Crissmas") soundtracks the entire video. Plus, he makes an adorable cameo as an Elf on the Shelf, as he and Hudson reminisce about their time on "Glee" together.
More from Variety
Hudson and Criss' on-screen cameos are no coincidence. Both performers are longtime investors in Cann, which creates CBD and THC-infused tonics as an alcohol alternative for social events.
"You have to live under a rock to not understand the burgeoning cannabis market that is happening right now, at least in California," says Criss who began investing in the company close to two years ago, shortly after it launched in 2019. "Cann in particular is trying to tear down these antiquated notions of getting super-duper high but rather having cannabis be something that's much more laced in day-to-day life, in luxury."
The video, directed by award-winning music video director Hannah Lux Davis, was released in tandem with the company's new holiday bundle, a collaboration between Cann and King St. Vodka. The pack, currently 20% off for a limited time, comes with one bottle of vodka and six packs of Cann's Cranberry Sage Unspiked. Unlike most of Cann's products, which contain small mixed doses of THC and CBD, their Unspiked drinks pack in a natural mix of agave nectar and carbonated water, that taste just as good alone as they do stirred with alcohol.
For Criss, who runs his own piano bar in Hollywood, Cann is about more than offering an alternative to alcohol. Rather, he sees the drinks company as a sign of an exciting cultural shift towards de-stigmatizing cannabis in the same way society began embracing alcohol after the Prohibition Era.
"We're in a new dawn in the way that we perceive cannabis," he says. "Cann recognizes that there is huge value in trying to make it a little more accessible to people who don't don't necessarily use cannabis in the way that has been presented in popular culture in the past."
Cann Unspiked x King St. Vodka Holiday Bundle
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter . For the latest news, follow us on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .
