How to make cannabis drinks at home

Cannabis drinks are a big trend, but what’s more than making something yourself at home? NIC! Let’s learn together today how to make such a cannabis drink at home.

How to make simple cannabis syrup

Jamie Evans, also known as Herb Somm, has been exploring the intersection of cannabis, wine and good food since 2017. Evans worked for years in the wine industry before recognizing the parallels of wine pairing and profile evaluation with weed, and even launched her own alcohol-free cannabis wine, Herbacée.

“As I started learning about cannabis, I started to realize that there are so many similarities and that we can approach cannabis from a gourmet perspective, thinking about flavors, aromas and how to incorporate them into food,” Leafly said. “A lot of times you see these commercial bluffs and you can’t choose.” He’ll take care of what you need at home.”

Evans’ favourite method is infusing basic drinks such as bitters and simple syrups, which she recommends making from the cannabis flower. This not only integrates into most drinks without texture or flavor issues, but also gives you, the amateur mixologist, the power to customize a drink to your preferences. Mimosa with an infusion, anyone?

“You can pour bitters, simple syrup, things that we normally combine in a cocktail, and combine them into a drink pretty seamlessly. It takes a lot of experimentation,” she said. But don’t worry: “Once you know the techniques, it will be easy.”

Adding a commercially produced cannabis beverage to a proven recipe is easy, but you may not live in a state where there is a market for them. Adding a dose of tincture or dehydrated cannabinoid isolate to your drink means you know exactly how much you’re getting, but the composition can distort the texture and flavour of the drink. And with isolates you don’t get the effect of accompaniment. Evans recommends drinks that can be blended or shaken if you go that route, such as smoothies.

Her new book, Cannabis Drinks: Secrets to Crafting CBD and THC Beverages at Home , discusses some other methods of infusing cannabis in any beverage of your choice. Each method has its pros and cons, and readers will find some better than others depending on the type of beverage they want to shake, stir or mix.

Simple recipe for cannabis infused syrup

Depending on your preference, this recipe can be modified with additional ingredients of your choice. Evans recommends using a mid-range cannabis flower to start, so you’re not shelling out $60 for an eighth if there’s some kitchen flair. These infusions can last for months. This is taken from a recipe by Jamie Evans.

Yield: 465 to 480 ml

Target dose: 16 mg CBD | 4 mg THC

Facilities

• Digital scale
• Scraper
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Small casserole
• Thermometer
• One 16 ounce (480 ml) sterilized Mason jar.
• Cheese cloth
• Fine mesh sieve

Ingredience

• 3 grams of decarboxylated flower of your choice
• 2 cups (480 ml) water
• 1 cup (340 g) honey
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of food-grade vegetable glycerin

Instructions

Step 1: Preparation

Weigh 3 grams of decarboxylated flower. Decarboxylation of your flower involves exposing it to controlled heat to activate the THC and other cannabinoids and deliver the desired euphoric effects. Put it aside.

Step 2: Boil the liquids

Mix water and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and stir until the honey dissolves in the water.

Step 3: Mix together

Reduce the temperature to approximately 160°F to 180°F (71°C to 82°C) and add the decarboxylated cannabis.

Step 4: Infuse the cannabis

Cook over low heat for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower the temperature and add vegetable glycerin – this will give the CBD and THC something to which they can bind. Continue heating and stirring for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Step 5: Drain and start mixing!

Pour the infused simple syrup into a 16 ounce (480 ml) mason jar through a cloth placed in a fine mesh strainer to remove solids. Let cool. This syrup can now be added to any cocktail or mocktail of your choice.

Seems simple enough (wink), doesn’t it? Evans also shares two recipes with Leafly from her book on summer sipping below. While one of them requires alcohol, which not everyone may want to mix with cannabis, it can easily be made as a dummy. As with other narcotics, Evans says the rule of thumb is “start low and go slow.”

How to make cannabis emulsion

One of the first things you learn in high school chemistry class is that oil and water don’t mix, at least not without some scientific intervention. An emulsion is a liquid mixture that combines water and oil, which are bound together by an emulsifier to stabilize the mixture. Popular emulsifiers include soy lecithin, eggs and mustard, but don’t worry, there are no eggs in these drinks.

Dr. Harold Han, president and chief scientific officer of Bay Area-based emulsion company Vertosa, says that despite how complicated it may seem, anyone with the right equipment, patience and a healthy dose of curiosity can make an emulsion at home. He didn’t try cannabis until he was 30, but the shift in his perception was immediate. With a PhD in emulsion chemistry, Han helped found Vertos to facilitate consumer access and acceptance of cannabis beyond fear-mongering and enduring stigma.

“As a consumer, if you have some hobby or chemistry background and you have some equipment and emulsifiers, you can definitely make a homemade beer or a homemade emulsion to put in your beer or coffee. I actually encourage people to try it because it’s fun,” Han said.

In addition to producing emulsion formulas for dozens of cannabis companies across the U.S. and Canada, Han at Vertos YouTube channel, he discusses how he and his team at Vertos turn pot into wine (or coffee, gum or soda). Emulsion basically requires a basic understanding of chemistry (the ingredients and their interaction) and physics (the energy required to maintain that interaction). https://www.youtube.com/embed/fPMvDhHytRs?feature=oembed(via Youtube)

While the emulsion method requires some investment and practice, it’s one of the fastest ways to infuse your favorite water-based beverage with a controlled dose of cannabis.

Recipe for hemp emulsion

Ingredients and equipment

• High-speed blender
• Food emulsifier (as polysorbate)
• Oil-based hemp tincture
• Water

Instructions

Different emulsifiers require different amounts in your emulsion, but Han says it’s really as easy as mixing water, oil and emulsifier together and throwing them in a high-speed blender or sonicator (a machine that uses ultrasonic vibrations) and stirring until you reach your desired consistency.

Keep in mind that this is a perishable product and you may need to mix it between uses as it may separate. It also may not gel well with your favorite drink, but half the fun is figuring it out.

Recipe for spicy watermelon margarita from hemp

Recipe from Jamie Evans, The Herb Somm, featured in her latest book, Cannabis Drinks: Secrets to CBD and THC Beverages at Home (published by Fair Winds Press of Quarto Publishing Group)

Yield: 1 drink

Facilities

• Mixer or food processor
• Fine mesh sieve
• One 8 ounce (240 ml) sterilized Mason jar.
• Saucer
• Citrus juicer
• Old-fashioned glass
• Can of shaker
• Jigger
• Hawthorne strainer

Ingredience

• Watermelon juice
• 1/2 small seedless watermelon

Chili Salt Rim

• 1 tablespoon (9 g) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ancho chilli powder or standard chilli powder
• 1 lime wedge

Spicy Watermelon Margarita

• 3 ounces (89 ml) watermelon juice, drained of pulp
• 1 1/4 ounces (38 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 ounce (15 ml) of infused rich simple syrup (page 89 in the Cannabis Drinks book or use the recipe above)
• 1/2 ounce (15 mL) tequila blanco
• 1/2 ounce (15 ml) mezcal
• 1/2 teaspoon Aperol
• 1 jalapeño pepper, sliced (set 1 slice aside for garnish)
• Led
• Jalapeño or round lime, for garnish

Instructions

Step 1 : Prepare the watermelon juice

Place the watermelon flesh in a blender or food processor and cook for 1 minute or until the watermelon is chopped

turn it into juice.

Step 2 : Drain

Using a fine-mesh strainer, separate the pulp from the juice through an 8-ounce (240 ml) Mason jar. Discard the pulp and set the jar aside.

Crook 3: Chilli rafek

Mix salt and chili powder in a shallow dish. Rim the glass with a lime wedge and then dip the glass into the salt mixture. If you have a Tajín handy, that works great too!

Step 4: Put everything together

Add all ingredients to a shaker mold, including 3 ounces (90 ml) of watermelon juice and jalapeños.

Step 5 : Shake

Add ice, cover and then shake for 25 seconds.

Step 6 : Pour

Gently strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with jalapeño or lime wedges.

Recipe for cannabis drink Ginger Rabbit

Recipe from Jamie Evans, The Herb Somm, featured in her latest book, Cannabis Drinks: Secrets to CBD and THC Beverages at Home (published by Fair Winds Press of Quarto Publishing Group)

Yield: 1 portion

Target dosage: 8 mg CBD | 2 mg THC per drink (using infused ginger simple syrup, see recipe in book) or your preferred dosage (using a commercially produced CBD or THC tincture of your choice, see note below)

Facilities

• Muddler
• Can of shaker
• Fine mesh sieve
• Collins glass
• Bar spoon
• Reusable straw

Ingredience

• 1 (1 inch or 2.5 cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 2 ounces (60 ml) freshly squeezed apple juice
• 4 ounces (118 ml) freshly squeezed carrot juice
• 1½ ounces (45 ml) fresh lemon juice
• ½ ounce (15 mL) infused ginger simple syrup (recipe in book)
• Led
• Splash of ginger beer (recommended Q, see note)
• Green carrots, edible flowers and a slice of lemon for garnish

Instructions

Step 1:

Stir the ginger and apple juice in the bottom of the shaker. Stir well to get the most ginger flavor.

Step 2:

Add carrot juice, lemon juice, infused ginger simple syrup and ice. Cover and then shake for 15 seconds or until completely cool.

Step 3:

Using a fine sieve, separate solids from liquids through a Collins glass three-quarters filled with fresh ice. Top with a splash of ginger beer, stir well with a bar spoon, then garnish with a sprig of green carrot, edible flowers and a slice of lemon.

Information taken from: https://www.leafly.com/news/lifestyle/guide-how-to-make-cannabis-drinks-at-home