We Mixed Up 6 CBD Cocktails—Care to Join Us?

By Leah Melby Clinton and Photographs by Mike Garten

Apr 16, 2019

CBD’s reach in the kitchen extends all the way to the liquor cabinet. Along with the myriad use cases for cooking with it, mixologists at buzzy bars and restaurants around the country are incorporating it into your drinks. Whether as an update on an old favorite or a brand new concoction meant to surprise and delight your booziest taste buds, there’s something for everyone.

But, why, exactly, is this a thing? CBD doesn't produce the psychoactive side effects associated with THC, and instead works to relax and lower your inhibitions...kind of like alcohol.

“On CBD, you’re very chill, very lighthearted, mellow. The alcohol will make that more intense," James Giordano, professor of neurology and biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center, told VICE. “If you’re a happy drunk, then CBD could make you a happier drunk. If you’re an angry or violent drunk, the CBD may certainly disinhibit some of that.”

Sounds like reason enough to us to add a CBD tincture to our bar cart! Here, we collected six of the best CBD cocktails from different hot spots around the U.S. (each recipe serves one). Is it happy hour yet?

Sour T-iesel

Consider this an upgraded, updated twist on a margarita.

Created by Jason Eisner for Gracias Madre, West Hollywood, CA.

Ingredients:

2 oz. tequila blanco
1 oz. lime juice
½ oz. agave
¾ oz. aquafaba (the liquid in a can of chickpeas that's a great substitute for eggs)
3 mint leaves
pinch of sea salt
10–15 mg CBD tincture
matcha powder

Directions:

Put all ingredients except for aquafaba and matcha powder in a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake and strain.
Add aquafaba.
Emulsify with hand blender (use a regular blender if needed) and strain into a glass.
Garnish with matcha powder.

The Jeff Spicoli Special

CBD isn’t the only intriguing ingredient in this mezcal-and-pumpkin-butter mix.

Created by Johnny Swet for Jimmy at The James, New York, NY.

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz. mezcal
¾ oz. Amaro Montengro (substitute: any amaro)
2 spoonfuls pumpkin butter
4 drops CBD tincture
3 dashes orange bitters
CBD gummy (to garnish)

Directions:

Add all ingredients except for gummy to a cocktail shaker and shake over ice for 10 seconds.
Strain into a glass with crushed ice.
Garnish with gummy.

Afterschool Special

A blend of citrus flavors creates the perfect base for a CBD injection.

Created by Steven Kincade for The Breslin, New York, NY, available at The Lobby Bar at Ace Hotel.

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz. Pommeau
½ oz. Italicus Bergamot (substitute: simple syrup)
½ oz. grapefruit vermouth
½ oz. grapefruit juice
12 mg CBD oil
grapefruit (to garnish)

Directions:

Shake all ingredients except grapefruit with ice in a cocktail shaker.
Strain and serve over ice with a grapefruit twist or wedge as garnish.

The CBDiki

Tropical, made-for-vacation drinks get you feeling even more relaxed with CBD.

Created by Jerrod Gardiner for Hogshead, Kansas City, MO.

Ingredients:

1.5 oz.mezcal (infuse 8 oz. with 1 tbsp of Togarashi or any chili powder blend; let sit for 20 minutes)
1/4 oz. lime juice
3/4 oz. pineapple juice
3/4 oz. watermelon juice
1 oz. coconut cream
1/2 oz. heavy cream
8 mg CBD oil
Peychaud bitters (substitute: Angostura bitters)
fresh mint leaves (to garnish)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except bitters and mint in a cocktail shaker.
Strain over glass filled with crushed ice.
Top with 7-8 dashes of bitters and mint.

The Stoned Fruit

Consider this a fruit punch with extra kick.

Created by Max Reis for Gracias Madre, West Hollywood, CA.

Ingredients:

2 oz. mezcal
¾ oz. Aperol
1 oz. yuzu juice
½ oz. apricot brandy
¼ oz. simple syrup
½ a plum, nectarine, or apricot
15 mg CBD tincture

Directions:

Combine yuzu and the fruit (any seasonal stone fruit suffices) in a cocktail shaker; muddle.
Add all other ingredients, shake with ice, then strain over rocks.
Garnish with any seasonal fruit desired.