The California State Fair made national headlines in 2024 when it became the first state fair in the nation to allow licensed cannabis sales and consumption in a designated 21-and-over exhibit. Two years later, the California Cannabis Experience has grown into one of the fair’s biggest standalone attractions. The plant’s influence is extending beyond the cannabis exhibit, with new offerings appearing across Cal Expo.
Modern Pour is a brand-new CA State Fair vendor providing non-alcoholic beverages with a twist. The airy bar tent isn’t serving up plain old sodas or lemonades; instead, bartenders are crafting mocktails with non-alcoholic spirits, functional mushrooms, or CBD and terpenes.
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Founder Angelica Camargo said she wanted to create a space where people could explore the growing alternative beverage market without the overt intoxicating effects associated with THC. Ingredients such as kanna, kava, and CBD are marketed for calming or relaxing effects, though they are generally far less intoxicating than THC.
“The response has been fantastic,” Camargo said. “We are giving more options to people.”
Modern Pour got its start inside the cannabis exhibit, where Camargo’s team serves terpene-infused slushies made without intoxicating cannabinoids. Unlike the cannabis exhibit, Modern Pour is open without an ID check, though staff says the menu is intended for adults 21 and older.
Inside the new California State Fair drink destination
There is a wide variety of beverages available inside Modern Pour, but one standout was the CBD espresso martini. The mocktail contains nitro cold brew coffee infused with cannabidiol isolate. The rich and creamy concoction also features N/A bourbon and cherry bitters.
Camargo said CBD isolate—which contains no THC or other cannabis compounds—was necessary to comply with California regulations governing hemp-derived products.
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Other popular offerings at Modern Pour include a kava-infused “lemon drop” mocktail, non-alcoholic beers, and Happie, a canned drink containing lion’s mane mushroom.
While this may be a first for the California State Fair, it definitely is not a one-time-only experience. Camargo and the team are already thinking about the menu for 2027.
As alcohol consumption declines, particularly among younger adults, the market for alternative beverages continues to grow. Modern Pour reflects that shift, bringing CBD and other functional ingredients into one of California’s highest-profile public events.
