After a long exhausting day at work, a relaxing drink can provide comfort to your overworked body and brain. The ‘new normal’ life settings have added on to the mental stress and thus demand a better unwinding drink. What could be a more suitable choice than CBD cocktails? Yes, you heard it right, you can elevate your recreational time by infusing your drinks with this herbal extract in form of either flavored CBD oils or CBD tinctures. How can you do that? We are here to help you improve your skills in preparing CBD-infused drinks for you and your guests this summer. But before mastering the CBD cocktail recipes, let’s get the basics sorted.
CBD – the non-alcoholic and non-psychoactive goodness
CBD or cannabidiol is one of more than 120 cannabinoids present in the Cannabis sativa plant.1 CBD does not cause any intoxicating or psychoactive effects on humans, which makes it a better option to be used in alcoholic drinks. It has less than 0.3% THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) content.
How does CBD work?
CBD acts on the receptors of the Endocannabinoid System and stimulates it to make its endocannabinoids that are believed to maintain homeostasis.2
What does CBD taste like?
CBD has an earthy nutty flavor, which makes it a better option for stronger spirits such as bourbon, whiskey, tequila, and gin. However, with the availability of flavored CBD oils and tinctures, you don’t have to worry about it affecting the taste of your drink. So practically, you can experiment with all different types of alcohol.
CBD Oil or CBD Tinctures – Which Is Better For Cocktail?
CBD oil is extracted from the flowers, leaves, stalks of the hemp plant. It is purified and diluted with a base oil or carrier oil which makes it easier for the absorption of CBD. Usually, coconut oil, olive oil, vegetable glycerin bases, or hemp seed oil are used. CBD oil is considered more potent as the ingredients are concentrated.3
In CBD tinctures, the extracted oil is diluted with 60-70% of alcohol which increases the shelf life as well. It has better bioavailability than CBD oil, however, the potency is low because of the lower ratio of CBD. The usual ingredients of a tincture are water, essential vitamins, melatonin, sweetener, herbs, and essential oils.3
Which is better?
Just as basic science tells you, water and oil do not mix, the same goes for use of CBD oil in your cocktails. The oily product tends to float on your cocktail, and there will be residue left at the bottom. Plus CBD oil cocktails can leave an oily aftertaste. On the other hand, the tinctures will completely mix with your beverage and you don’t have to worry about losing the goodness.
Things To Know Before Spiking Your Drink With CBD
Don’t forget that alcohol is a sedative and CBD also has a similar effect on your body. So the CBD-infused drinks are going to have double the effect. Keeping this in your mind, take care of the following points:
- Know your Supplier: With every product that gains popularity comes adulteration and unsafe marketing. As CBD is not legal and regulated in all the states, there are chances of getting duped. Make sure you buy it from a safe supplier.
- Watch out for the Quantity of CBD: Always follow the recommended dosage of oil for your drinks. Start with a less quantity to monitor the effect on your body, and then you can gradually increase till you find your optimal balance. CBD can be a really powerful addition to your drinks.
- Save the Cannabis Drinks for Evening: The soothing effects of alcohol and cannabis combined may make you sleepy, so it is better to take such drinks in the evening. It’s better that way in case you develop any side effects.
Three Basic CBD Oil/Tincture Recipes For Beginners
With so many recipes out there for you to try, we have made it simpler for you. Start with these simple recipes that you can ace quickly before taking things to the next level.
1. CBD-laxing Gin & Tonic:
The classic gin & tonic is everyone’s favorite drink at the end of the day, and gets more alluring when you add CBD to it. You can experiment with different types of gin till you find one that suits you the best.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz of your preferred Gin
- 4 oz of Tonic Water
- ½ oz lemon juice
- CBD oil or Tincture as per the recommended dose
- Thin Lime Slice and Rosemary Sprig for garnish
Instructions:
- Pour the ingredients into a cocktail mixer and stir it well.
- Transfer it to glass and garnish.
2. Mint Julep CBD:
Easy to make at the end of the day.
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ oz bourbon
- ½ oz simple syrup
- 8 mint leaves
- CBD tincture or oil
Instructions:
- Take a chilled julep cup and add crushed mint leaves and syrup.
- Then add bourbon and ice.
- Garnish with mint leaves.
3. Smokey Margarita:
Perfect combination of earthy flavors.
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Mezcal
- 1 oz Akvavit
- ¾ oz lime juice
- ¾ oz agave syrup
- 1 oz green juice of either one – kale, celery, arugula
- 1 pinch sea salt
- CBD tincture – the dosage as recommended on the packaging
Instructions:
- Mix mezcal, akvavit, lime juice, agave, veggie juice, salt, and CBD tincture in a cocktail maker.
- Shake properly and strain into a lowball glass with ice.
- Garnish with your favorite green veggies.
Taking it Off Further With Cannabis Drink Recipes
Once you get hold of the basic recipes, don’t forget to try on the following recipes. Or maybe you can try them if you feel like taking more adventurous tasks.
Moscow Mule with CBD:
The earthy flavor of CBD oil goes so well with the ginger flavor in Moscow Mule that you have to give it a try.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Vodka
- 1 oz Lime juice
- ⅓ oz CBD-Ginger Syrup: To make this, add ½ cup of sugar to ½ cup of boiling water. Add 2 ½ inch of fresh ginger stems. Cover and let it simmer for about 20 minutes and then add the recommended dosage of CBD product at the end before turning off the flame.
- Ginger Beer
- To garnish: lime wedge & mint sprig
How to Prepare:
- Mix vodka, lime juice, and CBD-ginger syrup in a cocktail shaker.
- Add ginger beer to top it off.
- Serve it in a chilled copper mug, for the classic look, or a highball glass after garnishing it with a lime wedge and mint sprig.
CBD-infused Sangria:
You can make this recipe the classic way with red wine, or you can use red grape juice if you want to cut down the alcohol content.
Ingredients:
- 1 sliced and diced medium orange
- 1 sliced and diced medium lemon
- ¼ cup of CBD alcohol tincture
- 750 ml bottle of red wine or red grape juice (without added sugar)
- 1 ½ cup mixed frozen berries
- Whole cinnamon piece of approximately three inches
How to Prepare:
- Mix lemon and orange in a large mason jar.
- Add the remaining ingredients.
- Close the airtight lid and store the jar in the refrigerator overnight (12 hours at least)
- Then strain and serve over ice, garnished with fruits as desired.
CBD Shot Drink:
Shot Drinks are designed around the idea of taking in concentrated nutritional ingredients in a small volume. You can make it with alcohol as well.
Ingredients:
- 5 oz of tomato purée – a rich source of lycopene
- 2.5 oz apple juice or desired alcoholic beverage
- 1 tablespoon honey
- A pinch of pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ml CBD extract, or as per the written dosage on the packaging.
- Rosemary sprig for garnish
How to Prepare:
- In the blender, add all the ingredients except CBD, and blend it for a minute at high speed.
- Add CBD gently while blending.
- Garnish with rosemary spring and serve.
CBD oil and Alcohol
CBD in alcohol has been getting so much limelight that people have started producing CBD-infused Moonshine. Moonshine is a homemade, imaged whiskey that has a clear color. It has an extremely high alcohol content. The people combine hemp with ethanol, and then strain ethanol out of hemp and add it to moonshine. The combination of these two beverages can have strong effects as they may cause different reactions.
CBD or THC-infused alcohol has still not been given approval by the regulatory authorities for the obvious reasons that there is not enough data available to provide evidence for safety after consumption.
Are THC Infused Drinks Safe?
The usual question people have in mind is, can they spike their drinks with THC tinctures. Well, to be clear about the effects it will have, alcohol will make you drunk and THC will get you high. The combination may affect your body in different ways. THC tincture cocktails will affect you rather quickly and depending on your metabolism, the psychoactive effects of THC may set in later. It is still illegal in most states to combine THC and alcohol for commercial use such as in bars. Because edibles will take longer to get absorbed in the body, while infused drinks can hit you instantly.
However, with the availability of delta-8 versions of THC tinctures which are said to be less potent than the delta-9-THC, the use in alcoholic beverages is yet to have experimented. THC tinctures are usually used in non-alcoholic beverages such as Iced-Coffees, Teas, Smoothies, and Nutrient Shots.
