As more states pass legislation allowing for the legal sale of medical and recreational marijuana, the market for weed-based products grows.
However, the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill authorized the cultivation, production, and distribution of hemp cannabis containing 0.3% or less THC. This bill resulted in a massive expansion of available brands and product types, including isolates like CBD. Now, you can find it all in dispensaries, from edibles and tinctures to concentrates and topicals.
However, you may be surprised to learn that CBD cocktails have become incredibly popular, so much so that you can now find them on bar menus and even buy them in cans.
Which cannabis cocktails could help you to keep calm and carry on when you’re stuck at home, stressed about work, and worried about the state of the world? Here are a few CBD sippers to consider during troubling times.
Oils vs. Tinctures
Before you start sampling CBD cocktails, you should be aware they’re typically made in one of two ways: using CBD oil or CBD tincture. What’s the difference?
As you know, oil and water don’t exactly mix, which means oil-based cocktails will have CBD content floating at the surface. While this adds to the drink’s aroma, it can leave you sucking up oily dregs.
On the other hand, tinctures are alcohol-based, which means they’ll mix seamlessly with the drink, delivering CBD content with every sip. They lack the aromatics of oil-based concoctions but definitely offer a better overall blend of ingredients.
Classic Standbys
Mixologist Maxwell Reis of vegan Mexican restaurant Gracias Madre in West Hollywood has become renowned for adding CBD to classic cocktails, like margaritas and gin and tonics.
Reis has also crafted original, complex libations that happen to include CBD. He was among the first to introduce CBD cocktails to the menu back in 2016.
His margarita pairs smoky mezcal with herbaceous aquavit, as well as some green juice and CBD, to create a truly unique flavor profile, while Spanish-style gin gets a kick from a slick of CBD oil in his gin and tonic. Reis takes it to the next level with CBD cocktails pairing unexpected ingredients like tequila and matcha.
Related: CBD & Coffee: Soothing Caffeine Buzz
CBD Additions to Any Cocktail
Salt & Barrel, a New York City establishment famous for oysters and craft cocktails, has taken a quantity approach to CBD cocktails. They offer a laundry list of drinks that can be enhanced with a CBD booster for an additional $5 fee. Drinks on their menu you can infuse with CBD include:
- Planet Herb
- Royal Society Spritzer
- Welcome to the South Shore
- Hipster Beach Sipper
- It’s About Time
- S&B Old Fashion
- Gulp of Mexico
- Queen of the South
- Smoked Prickly Pear Margarita
- Hemingway Daiquiri
- Zombie
Whether you’re looking to upgrade your cocktail hour or you want a CBD-infused spritzer to elevate your Kobe Oyster Steak or Crab Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, Salt & Barrel makes a slew of their signature cocktails CBD-friendly.
Non-Alcoholic Options
Cannabis bevs aren’t limited to those containing alcohol, so if you’re looking for tasty ways to sip your CBD, you might be more interested in some of the many canned or prepackaged non-alcoholic options available for at-home consumption.
Related: Cannabis Infused Ice Cream
Flyers Canned Cannabis Cocktails
Award-winning mixologist Ivy Mix (of New York’s Leyenda Brooklyn Cocteleria) teamed up with “three thrill-seeking Aussies” (Lewie, Miles, and Damon) during the COVID pandemic to create an alcohol-free hangover-proof cocktail company, Flyers Cocktail Co.
These drinks use natural ingredients; plus, they’re low in calories and canned so that you can consume them at home. Flyers Cocktail Co. sparkling cannabis cocktails include the BKLN Gold Highball (with oak, vanilla, and bitters), the Tokyo Marg Highball (with yuzu, bitter orange, and chili), and the Sydney Spritz Highball (with botanical bitters and mandarin).
Sodas
Low-cal and gluten-free, Sprig is the sparkling cannabis seltzer you can enjoy guilt-free, with flavors like sweet tea sangria that speak to a mature palate. If you’re looking for something more traditional, CBD Hemp Soda offers flavors like Ginger Ale and Orange Cream, along with sweet concoctions like Cartoon Cereal Crunch. CBD-infused Aurora Sodas get seriously sophisticated with flavors like Rosemary Grapefruit and Cayenne Citron.
Daily Drinkers
Are you looking to update your coffee or tea selection with a bit of CBD? Hemp-infused Kickback Cold Brew Mexican coffees come in different doses to suit every morning sipper, while organic Buddha Teas (in flavors like Peppermint, Matcha Green Tea, and Mushroom Defense) feature water-soluble CBD for optimal steeping.
Whether you’re keen to see how CBD kicks up buzzy, alcoholic libations, or you’d rather pair it with flavorful sodas or morning brews, there are plenty of options to explore in the CBD beverage marketplace.
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