A Better St. Patricks' Day

This morning I headed to my Saturday pilates TRX class (brutal). On the way, I passed a boisterous crowd of green-clad revelers piling onto the train to the city for a full day of drinking (would be much more brutal). 

I watched them with a very specific mix of emotions. Part nostalgia. Part relief. Part genuine gratitude that I was heading in the opposite direction.

Because I have been that person. Multiple times. Multiple cities. Multiple decades of questionable decisions.

Let me paint you a picture of my St. Patrick's Days across three decades. It is equal parts hilarious and embarrassing.

My 20s: St. Patrick's Day started with a shot at 8am and did not stop until someone lost their shoes. I once braved the full chaos of Hoboken, NJ on St. Patrick's Day. My best friend and I have very fuzzy recollections of how we navigated the train back to NYC. What were we thinking?

My 30s: I had not learned much. My husband was a St. Patrick's Day legend. The bar crawls just moved to Chicago. I matched his energy, lap for lap.

My 40s: My body simply said no. Loudly. With consequences.

Why Alcohol After 40 Hits Women Differently

Here is what nobody tells you about drinking after 40: it is not just that your tolerance drops. It is that your body actually processes alcohol differently than it used to. According to University Hospitals, as you age your liver becomes less efficient at metabolizing alcohol and may eliminate it more slowly. Women already have lower levels of the key enzyme responsible for breaking down alcohol than men do. Add in the hormonal shifts of perimenopause and you have a recipe for waking up at 3am, sweating through your sheets, and spending the next day and a half paying for two glasses of wine.

Stanford Medicine researchers found that the most dramatic biomolecular changes in our bodies happen in two windows: our mid-40s and our early 60s. In people in their 40s, significant changes were seen in molecules related specifically to alcohol metabolism. It is not your imagination. Your body is genuinely different now.

And here is where it really stings. Research across 132 countries consistently shows that people are at their least happy and most stressed in their mid-to-late 40s, with unhappiness peaking around age 47 to 49. So the decade when you need stress relief the most is the same decade your old go-to comes at the highest cost. Life can be cruel.

The thing I used to reach for to unwind is now the thing that wrecks my sleep, tanks my next day, and honestly makes my anxiety worse. That is not a trade I am willing to make anymore. Not when I have two kids, a company to run, and zero patience for a day and a half hangover.

So What's a Girl to Do?

I looked around at the options. There are a lot of great non-alcoholic drinks if you are going purely for taste. Sparkling waters, fancy sodas, mocktails that photograph beautifully. But I did not just want something that tasted good. I wanted something that actually took the edge off. Something that delivered real relaxation without taking me off my game.

I also was not willing to compromise on what goes into it. No artificial flavors. No artificial colors. No preservatives.

That is why I built hightail.

Each can has 1.5mg THC and 3mg CBG. The THC brings the lift. The CBG keeps it light and functional. You feel it in five to ten minutes. No waiting around wondering if it kicked in. No next morning consequences. Just a lighthearted buzz that lets you be present for the fun without paying for it tomorrow.

It is, genuinely, the drink I always wished existed. As a founder, a mom, and a woman in her 40s who still wants to celebrate, it hits every requirement.

The Best Non-Alcoholic Drink for Women Who Still Want to Feel Something

This year, St. Patrick's Day does not have to mean hitting the pub at 8am or ending in a fog. It can mean cracking open a few hightails with your girlfriends while the kids are off playing. It can mean a quiet solo moment after a long week. It can mean making a proper toast without bracing for what comes next.

My personal recommendation: start with the Raspberry Basil Lemonade. Sweet, tart, and just a little unexpected. Pair it with the Cocoa Pomegranate Yuzu if you want something more complex and unique. That combo has become a customer favorite for a reason.

You have earned a real moment of fun. This is how you take it without giving anything back.

[Find Your Favorite Flavor]

Here's to your reset,

Anna, Co-Founder, hightail