Sweeteners in Functional Drinks: Honey, Cane Sugar, And Artificial Sweeteners

Sweetness is typically one of those ingredients people don’t think about until they do. It’s easy to focus on what a functional drink promises (calm, energy, “focus,” some kind of effect, or even a high!), but the sweetener is often what determines whether you actually enjoy the experience drinking it more than once.

It also signals something about the brand behind it. Sweeteners reveal priorities. They reveal whether taste was treated as an afterthought, or whether the drink was built to stand on its own.

In the functional beverage world (and specifically in the world of THC drinks), the sweetener question has become even more important. Consumers are paying closer attention to labels, and they’ve become skeptical of drinks that claim to be “better for you” while tasting aggressively artificial.

So let’s talk about what sweeteners actually do in functional or cannabis drinks, how honey compares to cane sugar and other (especially artificial) options, and why we chose a touch of raw Vermont honey to sweeten our Bimble.

What Sweeteners Actually Do in a Drink

Sweeteners aren’t only there to make something taste sweet. In beverage formulation, they’re often used to balance acidity, soften bitterness, and give a drink body.

That last part matters. A cannabis drink isn’t just delivering an ingredient list. It’s delivering a sensory experience. If a drink is too thin, too sharp, or too “diet,” people may finish it, but they don’t reach for it again.

Sweetener choice plays a huge role in whether a drink feels premium and satisfying, or like something you’re forcing down because it’s “supposed” to be good for you.

Cane Sugar: Familiar, Effective, and Often Overused

Cane sugar is often the most common sweetener in beverages for a reason. It’s predictable, it works well, and it’s familiar to consumers. Used thoughtfully, it can create a clean sweetness that supports flavor.

The issue is that in many functional drinks, sugar becomes a blunt instrument. Too much sugar can flatten flavors, mask complexity, and turn a drink into something that feels more like a treat than a ritual. It also creates the classic “sweet drink crash” effect many people are actively trying to avoid when they choose functional beverages in the first place.

Cane sugar isn’t inherently bad. But in practice, it’s often used in ways that feel less intentional than consumers expect from this category.

“Other” Sweeteners: Where Taste and Trust Often Break Down

Then there’s the world of “other” sweeteners: artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes that show up in countless functional drinks because they help brands hit certain label claims.

You can spot them quickly in the experience. Many have a telltale finish that lingers on the tongue. Some read as metallic, some as syrupy, some as strangely hollow. Even when the front of the sip tastes acceptable, the aftertaste often gives it away.

What’s frustrating for consumers is that these sweeteners frequently appear in drinks that claim to be clean, wellness-forward, or premium. The marketing promises one thing. The flavor experience says something else.

Beyond taste, there’s also the broader issue of trust. Many consumers simply don’t feel great about drinking artificial sweeteners regularly, even if they’re widely used and approved. Whether that concern is about ingredient quality, personal preference, or how they feel after consuming them, the sentiment is real. In a category built on “feeling better,” anything that creates doubt works against the product.

Honey: A Different Kind of Sweetness

Honey behaves differently than sugar, both in flavor and in character.

It doesn’t just add sweetness. It adds roundness. It brings a gentle depth that can support botanicals, citrus, herbs, and fruit without flattening them. It feels more like part of the drink, not something layered on top.

And importantly, honey has an unmistakably real quality. It tastes like something that came from somewhere. That sense of origin matters in functional beverages, because the whole promise of the category is purpose. People want their drinks to feel chosen, not manufactured.

Why We Chose a Touch of Raw Vermont Honey

We sweeten Bimble with only a touch of raw Vermont honey, and that decision comes from who we are.

We didn’t choose honey because it sounds good in marketing copy. We chose it because it’s how we think drinks should be made: taste-first, ingredient-conscious, and grounded in real craft.

Janet and I became beekeepers because we were looking for a different pace of life. After years in high-pressure careers, we wanted to build something calmer, something more connected to nature and to tangible work. Beekeeping has a hum to it, a rhythm that forces you to slow down. It teaches patience. It rewards attention.

That ethos is baked into Bimble.

The honey isn’t there to make the drink sweet. It’s there to give it warmth, balance, and character without turning it into something sugary or heavy. It’s one of the ways we make sure Bimble remains premium and delicious, while still feeling clean and intentional.

Sweeteners and the Functional Experience

In functional beverages, ingredients are often discussed in terms of “effects.” But the truth is, the experience begins with taste and trust.

If a drink tastes artificial, it doesn’t matter what it claims to do. Consumers don’t build rituals around things they don’t enjoy. They don’t come back. They don’t recommend it to friends.

A sweetener choice can be the difference between a drink that feels like a compromise and a drink that feels like a pleasure.

Bimble was built to be the second kind.

A Simple Test: Would You Drink It If It Did Nothing?

Here’s a quiet question that cuts through a lot of functional beverage noise: if this drink didn’t promise anything, would you still want it? (If you are curious what a 5mg THC drink feels like, we’ve got you covered!)

In our view, the answer should be yes.

Bimble is a cannabis cocktail designed to stand on its own, with low-dose THC for a measured experience, garden-inspired flavors, and a touch of raw Vermont honey to tie it together. It’s premium, delicious, and uncompromisingly good for you, not because it’s marketed that way, but because it’s built that way.

The sweetener choice is part of that promise.

A touch of honey, sourced with intention, for a drink meant to be enjoyed slowly.