FSR June 2023

CHEFS & INGREDIENTS NOW SERVING

The Chill Factor

BY SAM DANLEY Restaurants are getting creative with CBD-infused drinks and dishes.

HEMP-DERIVED CBD IS LEGAL AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL UNDER THE 2018 FARM BILL, BUT REGULATIONS STILL VARY STATE BY-STATE, WHICH MAKES FOR A TRICKY ENVIRONMENT FOR RESTAURANT AND BAR OPERATORS TO NAVIGATE.

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TZUCO, AN UPSCALE Mexican restau rant in Chicago, is mixing CBD (Canna bidiol from hemp plants) with hibiscus syrup, lemon juice, and slices of serrano peppers. At Nick’s Westside in Atlanta, diners can unwind with a specialty bev erage featuring CBD, amaro, apple spice, and lemon. These spots are among a ris ing tide of restaurants offering CBD infu sions in the form of non-alcoholic mock tails, allowing guests to join in the ritual of socialized drinking without loads of sugar or the dreaded hangover.

Chicago-based Flora Hemp Spirits works with Tzuco, Nick’s Westside, and dozens of other restaurants to cater to sober-curious and cannabinoid-curious patrons. Hospitality veterans Adam Pea body and Danny Jahnke launched the company in 2019 after noticing an uptick in the number of mocktails being ordered. “There were a couple alcohol alter natives out there, but none of them were really saturating into the restau rant world, and none of them had func tional ingredients,” Peabody says. “We

knew there had to be something better, rather than just mixing together a bunch of juices to make a mocktail.” For restaurants looking to add CBD drinks to the menu, the company offers Flora Essence, an alcohol-free cannabi noid spirit featuring 25 milligrams of CBD per 2-ounce serving. It also offers Flora Delta 8, which provides users with a mild buzz from THC (the psychoac tive part of cannabis). These serve as 1:1 replacements in just about any gin or vodka recipe.

JUNE 2023

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