BORN BEHIND A BAR

Sonic Tonics was born behind a bar – specifically Behind This Wall, our small independent cocktail spot on Mare Street that has been quietly shaping drinks, culture and good times in Hackney for over a decade.

But before the bar came the spirit: a DIY, creative, community-led energy that started in 2012 as a music blog run by three obsessives. That turned quickly into events – open-deck parties, a club residency at Plastic People, festival stages hidden in Welsh forests, terrace takeovers in Cambridge Heath. Everywhere we went, we brought the same philosophy:

Better ingredients make for a better whole – and a better experience.

Whether it was craft cocktails built without artificial additives, a lovingly tuned vintage sound system, or ridiculous attention to the small details that make a night great… the mission never changed.

WHERE SONIC TONICS BEGAN

During lockdown, with the bar shuttered, we turned further inward to our craft – experimenting with nootropics, flavour and function. Our Honey CBD Cocktail Syrups became a local favourite. Then came a small run of bottled cocktails blending alcohol and CBD – and something clicked.

A new kind of drink was possible.

Not a gimmick.
Not a canned cocktail rehash.
Not a “healthified” placebo with no discernible effect.
Something original – something intentional.

This became Sonic Tonics.

ALCOHOL FINELY TUNED

At the core of Sonic Tonics is a very simple but powerful idea:

“The real innovation is the carefully calibrated blend of alcohol and CBD, whose interaction gives a smoother, more considered experience than alcohol alone. The result is intentional drinking — prioritising poise and depth over excess.”

We’re not trying to cancel alcohol.
We’re trying to tune it.

CBD – especially when cold-pressed, not isolated – doesn’t mute the buzz. It rounds it. Brightens it. Gives a more textured, layered feel.

“The beauty is in the blend – CBD pushes the envelope past alcohol’s single note, opening out into a brighter, richer and more balanced tone. Without dampening experience, Sonic Tonics encourage drinking better over drinking more.”

This isn’t escapism.
It’s amplification – it's harmony.

WHY WE EXIST

Because drinking shouldn’t be about more.
It should be about better.

“This is alcohol, finely tuned with CBD for more balanced, richly textured drinking. An innovative, carefully calibrated blend that helps people enjoy more from less without compromise.”

A drink for the first round that shapes your whole night.
A drink made for the modern drinker — curious, intentional, joyful.

Welcome to Sonic Tonics.
Finely Tuned.