The Pathfinder: A Category Defying Game Changer

The package is reminiscent of a bottle of snake oil from a bygone era and the earthy, smoky, woody smells when you lift the cap conjure mystery and adventure. This is poetry in a bottle. But the creators of The Pathfinder aren't trying to fool anyone.

The Pathfinder is meant to sit on the back bar, to be called upon when needed, and has the same intriguing presence as a bottle of amaro or absinthe. However, this time, there's no alcohol and nothing illicit to spark your fantasies. Instead, fermented hemp seeds are at the center of a beverage that can form the basis of regular cocktails and the zero-proof kind alike. The Pathfinder is a cannabis spirit but one that doesn't contain THC, CBD or anything else that might be inebriating. Kraig "Lumberjack" Rovensky is one of the co-founders and also the brand ambassador. A bartender and owner of the Seattle bar Life On Mars, he's spent plenty of time thinking about what a cannabis spirit should look like. He noticed that the younger generation was drinking less, smoking more weed, and doing mushrooms. There's an earthiness there that inspired him.

Finding the Soul of a Cannabis Spirit

"When you think of whisky, tequila, or mezcal, you think of what it comes from and where it is from," says Rovensky. "So for us, if the true cannabis spirit was to exist, it would be made from hemp. And we also thought it would be a good way to dive into the non-alcoholic world at the same time." When The Pathfinder was conceived, the zero-proof market barely existed. There was Seedlip and maybe a few others but it was definitely early days. But The Pathfinder has some ringers on-board. Rovensky has 13 years plus experience as a bar-owner and craft-cocktail developer. One of his partners is an established cannabis entrepreneur, while another has consulted with Johnny Walker. The branding is worthy of note, created by Steven Grass, the very same guy who created the branding for Hendricks and Sailor, no less. "None of the things in the non-alcoholic world really come from something. And so I wanted to kind of turn that on its head," Rovensky says.

So What is it, Exactly?

The origin story is unique. "We started with the idea of wanting to create something that felt like it truly could have existed in like the 1850s,” he says. "And so as far back as we could find, no one had ever distilled hemp for the use of making a beverage." Rovensky and Co. didn't set out to recreate, for an example, an Alpine-style Amaro, it just turned out that they ended up with a similar flavor profile.

"I was immediately drawn to the branding from The Pathfinder, it looked like the type of elixir I would want to drink as my non-alcoholic spirit. It was one of the first three things I purchased taking a six-month break (from alcohol) last year," says Matthew Hawes, owner of a zero-proof bottle shop Better Sunday in San Francisco, who now carries the brand. "The ingredients align with my beliefs, that we should have the least amount of artificial additives as possible when pursuing an alternative to alcohol, so I was happy to see that none of them were artificial in nature. Upon trying it, I really liked the flavor, I loved the orange and the bitterness and the fact that it reminded me of Amaro, but much more flavorful."

Technically speaking, The Pathfinder is probably most similar to a kombucha, landing at something somewhere between 0.3 and 0.5% ABV. The company uses a proprietary yeast strain that delivers a lot of flavor with a very low ABV. The fermentation of the hemp seeds, a not-so secret ingredient, is what gives The Pathfinder its special taste and texture. You'll also taste ginger, gentian root, wormwood, and Douglas Fir, all of which conjure up the Pacific Northwest where the brand is from. The ingredients have medicinal qualities but rest assured it doesn't actually taste like medicine.

Best of Both Worlds

The founders of The Pathfinder still drink and even though they have made a real effort to establish the brand in the zero-proof market, they also are quick to stress that The Pathfinder works just as well as an ingredient in a cocktail. That includes alcoholic spirits and bitters. In fact and, somewhat unusually, Rosensky prepares both a zero-proof and an alcoholic version of most of his cocktail recipes for The Pathfinder. "The bitterness isn't for everybody but I recommend trying it on its own at first and then try topping it with soda," says Rovensky. Put it in a Manhattan with bourbon or rye."

The company is still independent but has gone beyond Washington State with distribution in Florida, Illinois, California and even Canada. "We are focused on a single product but as for what the future may hold, we would like to one day have a THC version of The Pathfinder," says Rovensky.

For now though, The Pathfinder is an epiphany, it turns out you actually can make a zero-proof adult beverage with all of the complexity and texture of an amaro. "I think it’s eye-catching, well branded, delicious, full of natural ingredients and those that I would agree are great for winding down, and the price point fits with what I would normally spend on a spirit I thoroughly enjoy," says Hawes.

Spirits, Non-AlcoholicLee ShermanAugust 5, 2024cannabisComment