A CBD Twist on a Classic Old Fashioned with Brady

This is the first installment in a new series on our blog: we’ve partnered with talented bakers, chefs, and bartenders to bring you unique and adventurous CBD oil recipes you can make at home.

CBD is by our side in so many situations: we add it to our coffee and smoothies, we implement it into our morning rituals, and we seem to be finding more and more uses for it every day. In the Populum office, we’re constantly bouncing ideas off of each other to figure out how we can bring CBD into our lives even more, and one of our favorite ways is adding an extra dimension to a cocktail. So we’re sharing a new favorite of ours that’s a twist on a classic drink -- a CBD-infused Old Fashioned.

For those who use hemp oil daily, we typically suggest taking it in the morning, the same way you might take any other vitamins or supplements as part of a daily routine. That might mean adding it into your morning coffee, yogurt, or tea. But lately, we’ve been digging the end-of-day CBD cocktail. CBD-infused cocktails are more popular than ever and are an amazing way to end your night while enjoying all of the benefits that CBD has to offer.

This recipe is brought to you by Brady, the bartender and bar manager behind one of our favorite Midtown haunts nearby our Omaha office. Here, Brady gives a classic Old Fashioned a little update with some of our Signature 500 Hemp Oil. Brady told us he chose to make an Old Fashioned because the subtle orange flavor of CBD oil gracefully collides with the citrus undertones of a classic Old Fashioned. “The natural orange notes in the oil really ramp up the orange flavor from the zested orange peel,” he says. “Typically, the zest is more of an aromatic, and isn’t as noticeable on the palette, but the oil really adds some extra zing to a classically delicious cocktail.”

Populum's new twist on an Old Fashioned

What you'll need:

• 2 oz Buffalo Trace Bourbon
• ¼ oz simple syrup
• 3-4 dashes of angostura
• 1ml Signature 500mg Hemp CBD Oil
• One orange

To start, put ice in a rocks glass. You want your ingredients to hit the ice as they enter the glass, that way they’ll begin to cool immediately, and you won’t splash later! You can use standard ice cubes or one large one like Brady. The larger the ice, the longer it takes to melt, meaning it won’t dilute your drink as much.

Using a jigger or shot glass, measure out two ounces of bourbon and pour it over the ice.

Measure out ¼ oz of simple syrup, and add it to the glass. Simple syrup is key for the recipe. Regular granulated sugar doesn’t fully dissolve in alcohol, so you aren’t getting the right suspension in your drink, and you’ll find a bunch of sugar sludge at the bottom of your drink afterwards.

Add three to four dashes of Angostura bitters. You can experiment with other bitters here, but Angostura is tried and true - the classic combination for an Old Fashioned.

Add one full dropper of our Signature 500 oil. The orange essence of the oil compliments the flavors in the old fashioned, and enhances the effects of the garnish you’ll add at the end.

Stir the ingredients together, but be careful not to over-stir. You don’t want to melt the ice more than necessary or you’ll dilute the drink. You’ll see the oil settle at the top, but Brady says that’s okay. “I love way the viscous oil sits on the drink because there’s some obvious science. I think it’s win-win situation when you can imbibe your homemade science project.”

Peel a strip from the skin of the orange and express the zest over the top of the cocktail. This releases the orange essence and provides an added aroma to the drink, which serves as a great addition to CBD oil. Then rub the peel around the rim of rocks glass so your lips get some of that citrus goodness as they touch the glass. Drop the the peel in the glass for sophisticated garnish.

If you try out this recipe, show some love and let us know by Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or carrier pigeon.