12 Best Cannabis-Infused Drinks And How To Make Them
We’ve come a long way from clumsily rolled joints. The legal medical and recreational markets exploded, launching an impressive span of cannabis-infused edibles. And these dank delectables offer healthier alternatives to smoking. What’s more, they aren’t just your average fudgy brownies. Companies dabbling in marijuana consumables have innovated the cannabis plant, taking it further than ever before. You can conveniently chug a canna-coffee made from eco-friendly cannabis-infused coffee pods. With more states approaching the possibility of legalizing the plant, you could be able to enjoy your bud and your suds all in one big gulp thanks to some clever cannabis-focused brewmasters. But who needs the companies when a cannabis-infused beverage is so simple to make at home? We’ll show you the 12 best cannabis-infused drinks and how to make them.
Look no further for your guide to making reefer refreshments. After calculating the dosage, all you need to remember are these four basic recipes to build from.
Making the Base: Cannabis-Infused Milk
Not all of us live near a coffee shop with Venti-sized CBD-oil cappuccinos or “wellness lattes”. Some of us aren’t even lucky enough to be able to pick up a bottled bud-infused beverage to fuel our day. But having cannabis-infused milk handy to face the mornings can make your ritual coffee or tea an even more enjoyable experience. Keep in mind, weed is fat-soluble. So using something with a fattier content like whole milk will ensure the THC is in full effect.
You will need:
- 0.5 – 1.0 gram of weed per quart of milk
Choose between two methods: one which is more labor intensive (stirring) and one which almost cooks itself. If you want to work your forearms with this recipe and following the first method, start with putting the broken down weed and milk into a pot. After this mixture reaches boiling, reduce to a simmer, and then begin periodically stirring for the next two to three hours.
Alternatively, bring water to a boil in a pot. Then, take a steel bowl and pour together the milk and finely ground marijuana. Let it simmer for a few hours. While this second method still needs an occasional stir, the lack of direct heat on the milk prevents the mixture from burning or curdling.
In both approaches, finish off the recipe by straining the liquid through a cheesecloth.
Get Crazy with Cannabis-Infused Milk
Now, you are the proud creator of thick and potent cannabis-infused milk. This dairy concoction can provide a base for a limitless list of beverages. Anything that could use some canna-creamy goodness could stand a dollop (or two, or five). Try these creative recipes:
- Weed-Infused Matcha Tea
- Bud-Infused Boba Tea
- Pot-Infused Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Cannabis-Infused Pre=Workout Protein Shake
- Vanilla Cannabis Milkshake (try mixing and matching flavors!)
Making the Base: Cannabis-Infused Coconut Oil
Of course, maybe you tend to prefer a drink that lacks lactose altogether. Easily accommodated. The best cannabis-infused drinks and how to make them doesn’t require dairy at all.
Try a cannabis concoction that skips the milk and opts for oil. A cannabis-infused coconut oil can add some nutty flavor, not to mention offers all the healthy benefits of coconut alongside the high of marijuana. Follow this simple recipe to start, then get creative!
This oil can be added to a number of different drinks to make them a little (or a lot) dank. Additionally, because coconut oil becomes solid at room temperature, this handy additive can be thrown into other edible recipes that aren’t liquids.
You will need:
- 1 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup ground weed
After grinding the cannabis loosely (not into a powder!), use a double-boiling method. Put the oil and cannabis into a steel bowl over a pot of low-simmering water. Stick around the stove, you’ll be sporadically stirring the mixture for around at least 6 hours (8 hours, if you’re die-hard).
If pressed for time or the idea of standing stove-side all day doesn’t sound appealing, consider the slow-cooker method. To try, simply add the oil and ground herb to a slow cooker. Set the temperature to low, and stir only very occasionally.
As with the cannabis-infused milk, it is important that the mixture not overheat or it will scorch and potentially ruin your oil. Keep in mind for all the best cannabis-infused drinks and how to make them demands the cook always watch their infusions carefully so they do not burn.
In your slow cooker or pot should be a powerful potion ready to deliver the high of smoking pot. Strain through a cheesecloth and add it to any liquid you prefer.
Get Creative with Cannabis-Infused Coconut Oil
Consider adding the cannabis-infused coconut oil to these recipes, but feel free to experiment and create your own.
Try a healthy hemp shake or a Pina Canna-lada:
You will need (for a 16 oz. drink):
- 1 oz. dark run
- 2 oz. white rum
- 1/4 cup diced pineapple.
- 4 oz. coconut canna-oil
- 2 oz. pineapple juice
- 4 oz. coconut cream
- 1 1/2 cup ice
Combine all ingredients in the blender. The drink should be pourable and perfect to enjoy on a sunny day. Add a straw and mini umbrella, according to preference.
Making the Base: Cannabis Simple Syrup
Sometimes all a drink needs is the addition of a little something sweet to really tickle the taste buds. Imagine that the sugary sweetener added to your favorite drink contained the medicating and calming power of cannabis.
The best cannabis-infused drinks and how to make them could be a major success with the introduction of this sweetness. Make your own and bottle it, and this spoonful of sugar will also be medicine going down.
You will need:
- 3 cups of filtered water
- 3 cups of fine granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable glycerin (locate this at a health food store)
- 2 grams of finely chopped or ground cannabis
Start with combining water and sugar into a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar fully dissolves into the water. Add the weed to the boiling mixture and cover the metal pot for 20 minutes.
Ensure the boil remains gentle so that the cannabis does not scorch and the mixture reaches decarboxylation. Then, add the vegetable glycerin.
Watch as it simmers for 5 to 6 minutes, removing the lid to ooh, ahh, and stir occasionally.
Pour the hot liquid through the cheesecloth and into a jar or bottle for safekeeping and future use.
Sweeten Anything with Cannabis Simple Syrup
This sweetener will be a necessary addition to anyone’s at-home bar. It jazzes up a gin and T with THC, enhances a Manhattan with the high of marijuana, and makes for a simple but delectable Sweet Iced Tea. The below recipes take this sweetener up a notch.
Super Duper Green Smoothie
You will need:
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- a banana
- 1 tablespoon protein powder
- 1 cup water or almond milk (or for a really strong beverage– use the above recipe for canna-milk)
- cannabis-infused simple syrup
- 1 teaspoon canna-coconut oil (see our handy above recipe)
Blend all ingredients in a blender. The results should be thick and delicious when guzzled through a straw.
Other recipes you can make are a Marijuana Malibu Mule or a Bloody Good Remedy (try replacing the cannabis tincture with the cannabis-infused simple syrup!)
Prefer a heartier, healthier sweetener? Try this recipe for a Cannabis-Infused Maple Syrup to add a tangy kick.
Making the Base: Cannabis-Infused Alcohol
Combining two vices seems like it warrants confession or at the very least guilt at gluttony. But there’s no need to feel bad about drinking cannabis-infused alcohol. The duo together may be just the ticket for letting loose and keeping it classy.
Then, once you have cannabis-infused alcohol amongst your impressive (or not) collection of cheap whiskey, you can impress your guests with ganja drinks.
But before we send you off to play with fire, a few words to the wise. Alcohol is seriously flammable.
Because of this, avoid using a gas burner to do this infusion.
In fact, keep the project away from any open flame (including the J you rolled for this cooking process). Keep calm, safe and work in a well-ventilated area.
You will need:
- one 1/8-ounce bag of high-grade weed for one 750-milliliter bottle of booze (choose whatever is your favorite liquor)
Begin by decarbing the weed. This process helps to bind the THC molecules to the alcohol. You can use the microwave or the oven (at a low 240 degrees for about an hour), but the microwave is just as efficient and in less time.
Put full buds into a microwave-safe bowl or container. Cover with a microwave-safe plate and cook on high for a minute and a half.
Flip the buds to the other side, then repeat the cooking process two more times, flipping each time and entering the time of a minute and a half.
Finally grind down the weed loosely, but not into a powder.
Now, it’s really cooking time. Fill the bottom half of a large pot halfway with water. Using an electric stove or hot plate bring it to boil, at 212ºF. Then, turn the heat to low.
Dump the booze and the ganja into another smaller pot or the top of the double-boiler with the water in it. Stir and then cover the mixture.
Be careful to watch the stove and ensure that the weed and alcohol alchemy you’re working on doesn’t exceed 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
Stick around and occasionally stir for up to three hours.
Collect a Bar of Your Own Cannabis-Infused Alcohol
Repeat this process for any booze of your choice, But beware: this jazzed up juice will have you hosting guests more than ever before. Try these recipes to get started:
11. Mai High
12. Pot Toddy
No matter your poison, you can take it up a notch by infusing it with cannabis for the perfect libation.
The Cheat: Just Add Cannabis-Infused Honey, Oils, or Tinctures
Too much work to make your own infused milk, oil, sweetener, or alcohol? The best cannabis-infused drinks and how to make them doesn’t have to be overly complicated.
Try using tinctures and cannabis-infused honey. CBD oil provides an excellent additive as well, and it can often be purchased and delivered right to your doorstep or from a local head shop.
As with any edibles, know your body and be patient. Don’t guzzle too much right away, but progress into your dank drinkable high.
Final Hit: Best Cannabis-Infused Drinks And How To Make Them
Pulling together a bud-infused bevvy isn’t difficult. In fact, with a little preparation, you can stock your kitchen with the building blocks to many different types of cannabis-infused drinks.
Knowing these simple basic cannabis-drink starters will be your easiest path to the best cannabis-infused drinks and how to make them.
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