One of the newest crazes in the cocktail menus scene these days are CBD infusions. These cannabidiol concoctions have been quickly gaining popularity across the country. Check out this simple guide on how you can can unwind after a long day or impress your friends at your next gathering by making your own CBD infused cocktails.
First, you might ask why would one want to mix CBD and alcohol, and is it even safe to do so? The trend has become popular recently and people should be aware that moderation is important when trying CBD infused alcoholic beverage. CBD is generally very well tolerated, but any combination with alcohol can have potential adverse effects due to the effects of alcohol. Please drink responsibly if you are going to use these cocktail recipes. The reason these CBD infusions are popular is that many people drink to wind down and relax at the end of a stressful day, which is one of the more commonly reported uses of CBD as well. Alcohol can quickly overwhelm the effects of CBD, making the addition of CBD potentially less noticeable when drinking heavily, which should be kept in mind. CBD cocktail has also been reported by many people to be one of the best hangover cures! Could the addition of CBD help you recover more quickly after a long night of festivities?
All of these recipes require only 3 ingredients before the drinking CBD cocktails because simplicity is best in my opinion, and they should be easier to make at home for everyone. Credit for these recipes needs to go to Serious Eat's Simple Cocktails at Home. Be sure to check out their site for great descriptions as well as many other simple recipes in which you can incorporate CBD. Don't see your favorite drink below? You can add a CBD tincture as discussed below to your own recipe for a custom cannabis cocktails! CBD can also be added to beer or wine if that is more your style, just check out the tincture and dosage sections below.
Part 1: The Tincture
The first step to be able to infuse CBD cocktails will be to either purchase or produce a tincture. The easiest option will be to use the Active brand 275 mg water soluble tincture. These are already water soluble so they are perfect for mixing with beverages. However, they will all have a slightly grassy, earthy taste. The vanilla and cinnamon versions will also alter the flavor of the drinks, so unflavored may be best unless you have a specific flavor combination in mind. If you prefer a CBD tincture that does not have a strong flavor and will not adulterate the cocktail's flavor, you would prefer to make your own alcohol based CBD tincture first. This can be done using the Active brand 1000 mg CBD isolate.
To make an ethanol based CBD tincture for use in the infused cocktails, you will first need one or two ounces of high proof alcohol, ideally 190 proof or higher, such as Everclear, for the highest CBD solubility.
If you use two ounces of alcohol for the tincture, that would mean each milliliter (an average dropper is one ml) would contain approximately 16.67 mg of CBD. If you want a stronger tincture, you can use one ounce of ethanol instead. In that case, one ml of tincture would equal about 33.3 mg of CBD.
Most CBD tinctures are made by warming a solvent and then dissolving the CBD - however because ethanol is extremely flammable, ideally no ignition source of heat would be used for these tinctures. Instead, you would simply measure out one or two ounces of your 190 proof (or higher) alcohol. Dump in an entire one gram container of CBD isolate into a small glass container containing the alcohol that can be sealed. The CBD should start to dissolve via the addition of mechanical energy, meaning you need to shake it like crazy. Put on some good music and dance around with it in your hand :) Some heat from putting the container in hot water will help it dissolve more quickly. Do not heat a sealed container however, because pressure can build up inside. Once it dissolves thoroughly so no hemp powder residue settles on the bottom, you have made an alcohol based CBD tincture!
This step-by-step recipe to make a tincture will be easier to follow but less fun (there is no dancing). *To prevent ignition of alcohol vapors, you will need to heat the water first, turn off the heat source, then follow the recipe.* Simply replace the oil with high proof alcohol in the recipe.
CBD Dosage:
Many bar menus are using a range of 10-15 mg of CBD per infused beverage of alcohol based CBD tincture. If using the water-soluble Active brand 275 mg tincture, which can absorb more efficiently than a non-water soluble form, most people would start at about 7 mg (which equals .8 ml using the mark on the dropper). A 2 drink limit would be smart to start with for CBD infused cocktails until you know how the combination of CBD oil and alcohol effects you.
Part 2: The Drinks
The recipes below were modified from Serious Eat's Simple Cocktails at Home. The recipes yield one drink each and feature different types of liquor, but all of the recipes have citrus elements and a touch of sweetness which should blend decently with the hemp flavor of the unflavored water soluble 275 mg tincture and provide bright refreshing flavors for summer.
Bee's Knees
- 2 ounces gin
- 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce honey syrup (see note below)
- CBD Tincture (see dosage above, shake well before using)
Combine gin, lemon juice, and honey syrup in a cocktail shaker, stir briefly to dissolve honey syrup, then fill with ice. Shake well for 10 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add correct dosage of CBD tincture and stir briefly before serving.
Cuba Libre
Ingredients:
- 1 lime
- 2 ounces dark or anejo rum
- Coca-Cola, or other cola
- CBD Tincture (see dosage above, shake well before using)
Directions:
Squeeze a lime into a Collins or highball glass. Drop half the spent lime shell into the glass and muddle the oils into the lime juice. Add ice and rum. Add desired amount of CBD tincture. Top with cola.
Daiquiri
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces light rum (you can also use gold rum, but dark rum can be too heavy)
- 3/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice (about 1/2 of a lime)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- CBD Tincture (see dosage above, shake well before using)
Directions:
Pour sugar and lime juice into a cocktail shaker and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the rum and fill shaker with ice; shake well for 10 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add CBD tincture and stir briefly. Garnish with a wedge of lime.
Gold Rush
Ingredients
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed juice from 1 lemon
- 3/4 ounce honey syrup (see note below)
- CBD Tincture (see dosage above, shake well before using)
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled shaker. Shake until well chilled, about 10 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled double old fashioned glass.
Margarita
If you prefer margaritas, check out their recipe here! Read the description and notes to adopt the recipe correctly depending on the quality of the tequila you have available :) Simply add in your CBD tincture at the end of the recipe and stir before serving. If making a frozen margarita, add the appropriate amount of CBD tincture for that number of drinks before blending.
To Make Honey Syrup:
To make a simple honey based sweetener for these drinks - stir together equal parts of honey and hot water until the honey dissolves. For a stronger honey flavor, use 2 parts honey to 1 part water. Refrigerate any unused portion. You could also avoid the CBD tincture altogether by using a CBD-infused honey to craft your honey syrup - this would allow you to avoid altering the taste of the cocktail in any way and to use a full-spectrum product in place of isolated CBD.
Don't forget these are only sample recipes - CBD extracts can be added to any mixed drink. If liquor is not for you, the CBD tinctures can also be used to add CBD typically to beer or wine just as easily!
CBD Infusions are just one of the popular uses of CBD isolate. For other recipe, options check out this page about everything you can do with isolate! Discover CBD also carries many more CBD options for everyone's various needs. If you are interested in CBD or any of the products but have questions, we are happy to help! Please reach out to us at info@discovercbd.com or give us a call directly at 719-358-7553.
