Simple syrup with a dreamy CBD twist

Stardust

Where to find it: Play Kitchen & Cocktails, Chicago

Price: $15

Creator: Mike Finnegan, beverage director

Ingredients: Absolut Elyx Vodka, peach and coconut purée, lime juice, Pamplemousse rosé liqueur,
and a whipped foam with Nannoz CBD simple
syrup, coconut purée and orange candy 

Recreational cannabis will be legal in Illinois staring Jan. 1, 2020, and though CBD in food and drink remains a gray area, many bars across the state are including it in cocktails.

In fact, there has been so much demand that Mike Finnegan at Play Kitchen has launched a startup company called Nannoz, which offers a CBD simple syrup. “We designed it to be interchangeable with any standard 1-to-1 simple syrup,” he said. “It can be used for cocktails or coffee, and I even had a client that used it in cookies.”

The Stardust cocktail has been on the menu since the restaurant opened earlier this year, and it draws a lot of attention for its presentation.

The base of the drink is made with Absolut Elyx Vodka, peach and coconut puree, lime juice and Pamplemousse rosé liqueur. On top of that is floated a foam made with CBD simple syrup, coconut purée and orange candy oil, which has a dose of about
20 to 25 milligrams of CBD.

For service, Finnegan bedazzles the drink with edible glitter, a glitter-covered orchid and a lime wheel. At the table, more edible glitter is applied
so it “sparkles back at you,” he said.

“I go overboard with the glitter and it creates a kind of cloud — like stardust — and you see light coming from every direction. It really is an attention getter. No matter where you’re sitting, if you see it served, people say, ‘I want one.’”