From left to right: Daily Dose, Gin & Chronic, Laid Back, and Zombie. CBD is quickly becoming the food fad of the year. Even top cocktail bars and coffee shops have used CBD.
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Even top cocktail bars and coffee shops have used CBD, combined with playful names like the Rolled Fashioned.
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a chemical found in cannabis and hemp that normally does not contain THC — the psychoactive compound in marijuana — so it is impossible to get high on the stuff. It does, however, provide a sense of relaxation and calm, only enhanced when enjoyed in a cocktail.
I have seen CBD sold all over the place, from the counter at ABC stores, to health food joints and, of course, online.
There is some skepticism surrounding CBD and its actual health benefits. Recently, restaurants and bars have been banned from serving CBD cocktails.
At home, though, you are free to decide whether to embrace the oil. So I leave the decision to you, along with some cocktail ideas you can tinker with.
THIS SIMPLE take on a gin and tonic uses fresh cucumber and elderflower liqueur, which adds tropical lychee notes. I prefer to use Fever Tree Naturally Light tonic water, so the sweetness level is kept in check.
>> Garnish: Long cucumber ribbon rolled up and speared with gold-ball bar pick.
Muddle (crush) cucumber with lime juice in a shaker. Add tincture, liquors and ice. Shake, then strain over more ice into highball glass. Top with tonic.
THE ZOMBIE is a classic tiki cocktail; the recipe here is only enhanced by CBD. Perfectly blended Christmas spices like clove and cinnamon are brightened by the slight bitterness of grapefruit and the power of the blend of rums. Four rums and a rum liqueur are used, as each adds a different flavor profile to the cocktail.
ZOMBIE
By Chandra Lucariello
1 ounce overproof rum (greater than 57.5% alcohol, like Plantation OFTD)
1/2 ounce aged Puerto Rican rum (like Bacardi Reserva Ocho or Gran Reserva Diez)
1/2 ounce Demerara rum (from Guyana, like El Dorado 8-year)
>> Garnish: Ti leaf wrapped around glass and tied with cord; mint sprigs
>> TO MAKE CINNAMON SYRUP: Combine 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water and 2 cinnamon sticks in pot; bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer 3 minutes. Cool completely.
Combine all ingredients in mixing glass with ice. Shake and strain over crushed ice into tall glass.
THE DAILY DOSE is an easy drinking, lilikoi-lemonade of sorts with a touch of “green” freshness from the muddled mint. Orgeat (almond syrup) rounds out the edges, making it a perfect summer refresher. An herbal bitter float is optional, but adds a beautiful color.
3 dashes herbal red-toned bitters (like Bitter Truth Creole)
>> Garnish: Orange slices.
Muddle (crush) mint in coconut water. Combine with puree, lemon juice, orgeat, tincture and vodka in highball glass. Fill with ice. Gently pour bitters on top to create colorful “float.”
THE LAID BACK is a take on the Cadillac margarita, made slightly less sweet by swapping out the usual orange liqueur with the slightly bitter Aperol Aperitivo. Reposado tequila is used because it adds baking-spice notes, all tied in with the churro salt on the rim.
1-1/2 ounces reposado tequila (like Codigo or Casamigos)
>> Garnish: Churro salt (combine 2 parts turbinado sugar with 1/2 part ground cinnamon and 1/2 part sea salt) on half the rim, tailored orange twist cut with pinking shears.
Squeeze orange slices and drop into glass. Add remaining ingredients with ice. Shake and strain into pre-rimmed bucket glass.
Nutrition information unavailable.
Chandra Lucariello is director of mixology for Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits of Hawaii. Ingredient note: The liquors and liqueurs used in these recipes are widely available from Oahu liquor stores and some supermarkets.
