CBD Mulled Apple Cider: Warm Up & Slow Down During Busy Holidays

We’re excited to introduce Ministry of Hemp readers to Chron Vivant and share his delicious CBD mulled apple cider recipe. We thought we’d start with a brief Q&A about his work and the art of hemp-infused cocktails. -Kit

A Q&A WITH CHRON VIVANT

Kit O’Connell, Editor in Chief at Ministry of Hemp: How did you get into making elevated cocktails? Was there a steep learning curve?

John Korkidis, a.k.a. @ChronVivant: Little known fact: I spent most of my 20’s living and working in China as a creative. During my time there I cut my teeth in various agency roles and had the honor of working closely with artists like Ai Weiwei in his Beijing studio.

I actually gained my appreciation for mixology during my time in China. I had a few friends who opened up some of the first cocktail bars in Beijing. They are the ones I credit for acquainting me with properly constructed classics and riffs. Also, because of proximity, Beijing had some fantastic Japanese whiskey bars where I gained a true appreciation for quality spirits, attentive service, custom hand-carved ice, and technique-driven mixology programs.

When I first got to San Francisco, I found this type of experience and quality execution surprisingly lacking. (These days, though, the drink scene has definitely caught up). In addition, I wasn’t used to paying $16 for a classic cocktail that was not properly executed, so I started to experiment with building the base of my favorite drinks at home.

I focus on education and do my best to make things approachable for home chefs, apartment bartenders, and expert mixologists alike. Like anything in life, practice makes perfect. But getting started is not as hard as one might think.

MoH: What are some of your recipes you make most?

CV: Typically the drinks I feature are more mood enhancing than medicinal. However, I provide basic education and best practices for making all sorts of infusions. So depending on one’s particular needs, responsible adults (in legal states) have the ability to manufacture quality products affordably in their own home and use them how they see fit.

The recipes I make the most leverage CBD and act to enhance relaxation. I love classic cocktails like old-fashioneds but I’m also a sucker for an egg white sour, so these are the drinks I make most at home.

I personally have found that micro-dosing cannabinoids works for me. But in regards to traditional cocktails and mocktails, it’s common to have more than one. So it’s important that when creating recipes, dosing takes that into account. Also, I look at cannabis as just another ingredient and never try to make it the focal point. As you know, it’s important to get the balance right; it takes complex flavors and ingredients coming together to make a great drink. And it’s no different when making a canna-beverage.

MOH: What do you think people need to know about CBD drinks & cocktails? Any common misconceptions?

CV: Definitely lot’s of common misconceptions. When people hear cannabis cocktail often they assume that these drinks are going to get you high. To avoid any negative synergistic effects, I never recommend combining psychoactive cannabis with alcohol.

Chron Vivant is all about promoting responsible consumption and typically creates recipes that feature either CBD cocktails (low ABV) or non-alcoholic THC drink alternatives (no ABV).

Another thing for people to keep in mind is that everyone responds differently to ingesting cannabis. Even experienced users should exercise caution when consuming medicated infusions and follow the golden rule of ”going slow and keeping the dosage low.”

ENHANCE THE AUTUMN VIBES WITH CBD MULLED APPLE CIDER

We are already a month into fall and that means the holiday season is fast approaching.

It seems that once Halloween arrives, time speeds up and New Year’s Eve is here before we know it – a phenomenon known by some as Hallowthanksmas.

I find a good way to slow things down is to break up my daily routine and take a moment to catch my breath and reflect with a fall-themed CBD cocktail or non-alcoholic CBD beverage.

Croptober is one of my favorite times of year for ingredients. It’s period of transition, when the colors are still changing, the weather is shifting, and savory fruits and warm spices flood local markets.

As soon as I start to see apples, persimmons, and pumpkins popping up, that’s when I get the signal that the change in seasons truly is here and I know it’s time to make a batch of my signature mulled apple cider.

This easy-to-make, and even easier-to-drink, beverage is perfect for warming up the soul and makes an excellent batch concoction for your next seasonal party.

The addition of CBD is sure to comfort the body and relax the mind. And since CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, you won’t need to worry worry about experiencing any negative synergistic effects when combined with alcohol. But of course, this fall-themed CBD cocktail can easily become a non-alcoholic mocktail by simply negating the booze.

SPIKED CBD MULLED APPLE CIDER RECIPE

Yield:

• 8-10 servings

Equipment:

• Large pot or slow cooker
• Ladle

Prep time:

• 10 minutes

Cook time:

• 2.5 hours

Total:

• 2-3 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts organic apple cider
• 5 cinnamon sticks (plus more for garnishes)
• 1 large organic orange
• 2 tablespoons whole cloves
• Bourbon or rum of your choice (optional)
• CBD tincture (see our choices for top CBD brands)

Preparation:

• Add organic apple cider into a large pot or slow cooker
• Place whole cinnamon sticks into the liquid
• Embed cloves into the rind of an orange and place orange into the cider
• Cook on low until the spices really start to come through and the cider is hot (about 2.5-3 hours)

Serving:

• Carefully ladle cider directly from your pot or slow cooker into heat resistant cups
• Add one ounce of bourbon or rum (optional)
• Add 3-4 drops of your favorite CBD tincture
• Place a cinnamon stick in each glass to garnish and serve

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