How a leafy green plant is spreading its seeds within a billion dollar industry
Mixologists have entered a new era behind the bar. Guests are gravitating towards more interesting ingredients, the more bizarre, the better. One unlikely element popping up on bar menus is Cannabidiol oil, more commonly known as CBD. Bartenders across the country are breaking the stigma surrounding sativa and incorporating it into their cocktails, one bud at a time. It’s not just a vodka tonic. It’s an experience. Cannabis culture may have had a bad rep in the past, but it doesn’t always mean trippy prints and Bob Marley T-shirts. Sometimes it means classy cocktails, carefully infused and delicately garnished.
It’s been said that if you don’t know about good cannabis cocktails, than you probably don’t know about Warren Bobrow. And Bobrow knows his bud. Afterall, he’s been smoking since he was 13 years old. So it made perfect sense for him to throw away his 20-year career as a banker and transition into a cannabis cocktail whisperer.
In 2016, Bobrow published his book, Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails & Tonics: The Art of Spirited Drinks and Buzz-Worthy Libations. Little did he know he was ahead of the game. Just one year later, beverage heavyweight, Constellation Brands, announced plans to take a $191 million stake in the Canadian medical marijuana company Canopy Growth. It’s this kind of forward thinking that has gotten Bobrow far in his industry.