Cannabidiol, wisely shorthanded as CBD has been popping up in food and drinks for a few years now. First brownies and other sweet treats were on the scene and now it can be found in coconut water to chocolate spread. Our first CBD review comes in the form of a cocktail from Kolibri. The CBD comes suspended in agave syrup at the top of the bottle and the pre-mixed cocktail at the bottom. You can add the amount of CBD you want and off you go. Easy, peasy.  

Flavour review: A little flat and underwhelming

Understandably, our excitement levels were higher than normal with this product. Our first taste of CBD, would it leave us feeling light-headed, would the product taste good, would we even remember? We decided to try the cocktail without CBD first and we were disappointed. Kolibri promise a mixed fruit and plant cocktail and they delivered something fruity and nothing more. The flavour of the cocktail is essentially a blend of fruit juices, we could taste the blueberries, apple and elderflower and in fairness, this results in a pleasant enough fruit juice.

We did, however, find it watered down too much and hoped for a bit more in the form of complex flavours rather than what we could best describe as a fruit squash. After Kolibri promising a non-alcoholic cocktail, we were left sipping our pleasant fruit soft drink, hence the disappointment.

We then tried the cocktail with the added CBD and being the curious bunch we also sampled the CBD-agave syrup straight from the smart cap, which isn't recommendable, unless you like the taste of concentrated honey. Adding the CBD to the fruit "cocktail" didn't add anything in terms of flavour. The drink tasted more or less the same and we were left to drink the rest of our fruity CBD soft drink to see if there would be any calming, anxiety-busting or pain-relieving effects, we didn't notice any but one of us had a great nights sleep.

Value for money: No

As of June 2020 this was priced at £5.99 for a 30cl bottle at Holland and Barratt. This is marketed as a two servings bottle, there's 20mg of CBD in the smart cap. With Kolibri's non-CBD range at £3.99 for a 30cl bottle, you are paying for the CBD here. 

Comparison: Fruity soft drinks

Lacking the flavour punch to be considered a true non-alcoholic alternative we feel this is more a sophisticated soft drink rather than a serious alternative to an alcoholic cocktail.

Perfect for: Fruit juice lovers

Serve with ice and some crushed mint, this drink is a refreshing, fruity and balanced beverage. 

Our opinion: Not worthy of the non-alcoholic cocktail label

As a soft drink, this works, as a non-alcoholic cocktail, it does not. 

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"The flavour of the cocktail is essentially a blend of fruit juices”
  • 21 kcal/100ml
  • Vegan and Gluten-Free
  • £5.99 for a 30cl bottle

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Credits: Images by Kolibri Drinks     Disclaimer: Not sponsored, purchased for review.