Kanna Shots, Seltzers and Sodas: What the Formats Mean
A shot, a spritz and a soda can all contain kanna. The name on the front tells you the format, not the amount.
Kanna shows up in three drink formats right now: small shots, sparkling "spritzes" or seltzers, and soda-style cans. People search for each by name, and the names invite assumptions: that a shot is stronger, that a seltzer is lighter, that a soda is a treat. This post explains what actually differs across the formats and what does not. It does not rank products; for that, use our kanna drink comparison.
Shots, seltzers and sodas are formats, not doses. A kanna shot is usually a 2 oz bottle with more than one serving; spritzes and sodas are 12 oz cans that differ in sugar, calories and added ingredients. The amount of kanna per serving varies widely inside every format, so the label, not the product name, tells you what you are drinking.
What is a kanna shot?
A kanna shot is a small bottle of liquid, usually about 2 oz, with kanna in it, and it often holds more than one serving.
Two examples we reviewed. Kanva Botanicals' Release + Relax is a 60 ml (2 oz) bottle with two servings, and each serving lists 3.75 mg of Sceletium alkaloids, 150 mg of kavalactones (the active compounds in kava) and 50 mg of GABA [1]. The Utopia Red Kava and Kanna shot, as listed by a retailer, gives 50 mg of kanna extract, 75 mg of kavalactones and 25 mg of caffeine per 1 oz serving [6]. Both examples include kava. In both, the serving is smaller than the bottle, so "per serving" and "per bottle" are not the same number. Check which one the label means before comparing.
The shot format has no special effect on how much kanna you get or how it acts. We found no study comparing a shot with any other format; see kanna drinks vs capsules for what is and is not known about format.
Is there a kanna seltzer?
Not by that name among the products we checked; the closest word in use is "spritz."
Upstate Elevator sells 12 oz cans it calls Uplift Spritz, in Pink Grapefruit and Lychee Blood Orange. Both list 50 mg of Zembrin, 20 mg of kavalactones, 90 mg of L-theanine and 40 mg of potassium; the grapefruit flavor lists 40 calories and the lychee flavor 20 calories and 5 g of sugar [2]. Searches for "kanna seltzer" are mostly people looking for a light, sparkling, low-sugar can, and the word does not guarantee any of those things. Whether a drink is sparkling, how it is sweetened and how much kanna it contains are three separate questions.
What is a kanna soda?
A soda-style can with kanna in it, and these differ enormously in sugar.
On the Brightside's kanna soda lists 0 calories, 0 sugar and no caffeine, sweetened with fermented Reb M [3]. Upstate Elevator's Blackberry Zinger Unwind Soda lists 26 g of sugar and 90 calories, alongside 15 mg of Zembrin, 100 mg of kavalactones and 90 mg of L-theanine [2]. GIÓ's cans list 45 calories and "no added sugar" [7]. Myce's Spicy is a can but is still, not sparkling [4]. Silly, from Psilly Goose, which publishes this site, is a 12 oz sparkling can with 40 calories and no caffeine or kava [5].
The formats side by side
| Format | Typical container | What varies most | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shot | 2 oz bottle, 1 to 2 servings | Amount per serving; kava and caffeine often added | Per-bottle vs per-serving numbers [1][6] |
| Spritz or "seltzer" | 12 oz sparkling can | Kanna amount; sugar (5 g in Lychee Blood Orange; "low sugar" in Pink Grapefruit); added kava and L-theanine | Two flavors from one brand can differ [2] |
| Soda | 12 oz can | Sugar from 0 g to 26 g; calories from 0 to 90 | The name does not signal the sugar level [2][3] |
| Still can | Can, non-sparkling | Kanna amount, extract named or not | Fizz is a preference, not a feature of the dose [4] |
Amounts and units differ so much between brands that we do not compare milligrams here. How much kanna is in a drink breaks down why.
How does price per serving compare across formats?
Per serving, the gap between shots and cans is smaller than the sticker prices suggest. Kanva's shot is $8.99 a bottle, which is about $4.50 a serving because the bottle holds two [1]. The Upstate Elevator cans list $4.17 to $5.00 each depending on pack size [2], and On the Brightside lists $4.08 a can on its 12-pack [3], all brand-site prices on October 28, 2026 before tax and shipping. A shot can look cheaper or dearer than a can depending on whether you divide by bottle or by serving, and the amounts of kanna per serving differ so much that price per dollar of kanna is not meaningful. Our ranking keeps the current prices.
What should you compare across formats?
Five things, in this order.
- Kanna per serving, and whether it is extract or alkaloids, and whether the extract is named.
- Servings per container. A shot may be two servings.
- Other actives. Kava, caffeine, L-theanine, GABA and others appear in several of these products [1][2][6][7].
- Sugar and calories. They range from 0 to 90 calories in the cans above [2][3].
- Your own medications and health situation, before any of the above.
FDA's 2014 guidance, which is nonbinding, notes that liquid products can be sold either as conventional beverages or as liquid dietary supplements and describes factors that distinguish the two [8]. We did not check how each brand here is classified, so we draw no conclusion about which format is regulated how.
Do the cautions change by format?
No. The cautions follow the ingredients, not the container.
WebMD lists headache and upset stomach as common side effects of sceletium, raises possible interactions with MAOIs, SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclic antidepressants, antipsychotics, triptans and St. John's wort, and says there are no data on use in pregnancy or breastfeeding [9]. If a shot or can also contains kava, that adds kava's own cautions; see kanna and kava drinks. If it contains caffeine, add that. Kanva's label warns against use with SSRIs or SNRIs [1]. Check with a doctor or pharmacist if any of this applies, and read is kanna safe and kanna dosage.
This page is general information, not medical advice. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Kanna products are not intended for any disease or health condition. Brand details were checked on October 28, 2026 and can change.
References
- Kanva Botanicals. Release + Relax kanna kava relaxing tonic (product page, accessed 2026-10-28). Kanva Botanicals
- Upstate Elevator. Pink Grapefruit Uplift Spritz, Lychee Blood Orange Uplift Spritz and Blackberry Zinger Unwind Soda (product pages, accessed 2026-10-28). Upstate Elevator · Blackberry Zinger
- On the Brightside. Guava Glow (product page, accessed 2026-10-28). drinkbrightside.com
- Myce. Spicy (product page, accessed 2026-10-28). Myce
- Psilly Goose. Silly (product page, accessed 2026-10-28). Psilly Goose
- Burmans Health Shop. Utopia Red Kava and Kanna Shot (retailer listing). burmanshealthshop.com
- GIÓ. Berry Mule (product page, accessed 2026-10-28). Drink GIÓ
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Guidance for industry: Distinguishing liquid dietary supplements from beverages. January 2014. fda.gov
- WebMD. Sceletium: uses, side effects, interactions. webmd.com
Frequently asked questions
What is a kanna shot?
A small bottle, typically 2 oz, of liquid with kanna in it, often split into servings. Kanva Botanicals' Release + Relax is a 2 oz bottle with two servings [1]. Shots are a format, not a dose; check the amount per serving.
Is there such a thing as a kanna seltzer?
In the drinks we reviewed, no product used the word seltzer on its page. Upstate Elevator calls its sparkling cans 'Uplift Spritz' [2]. The word is marketing; read the ingredients and the amount per can.
Do kanna sodas contain sugar?
It varies. On the Brightside lists 0 calories and 0 sugar [3]. Upstate Elevator's Blackberry Zinger Unwind Soda lists 26 g of sugar and 90 calories, while its Uplift Spritz flavors list 20 to 40 calories [2].
Is a kanna shot stronger than a kanna can?
Not by format. Stated amounts per serving range from 3.75 mg of alkaloids in one shot to 50 mg of extract per serving in another, and 15 to 500 mg in cans [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The milligram figures are not directly comparable.
Do kanna drinks contain alcohol?
None of the six drinks on our ranking contains alcohol, and Upstate Elevator's page lists 0% ABV [2]. Always read the label. See our ranking.