Sipping on cannabis-infused beverages can quickly become a fun alternative to vaping or smoking when you have the right recipes on hand. Not only are they a fun way to consume the plant, but cannabis drinks are also generally seen as a healthier alternative to smoking. In fact, in some states where marijuana has become partially legalized, such as Florida, smokeable variations of the plant are still not legal.
The following drink ideas will provide a range of different effects due to their strengths and levels of THC, CBD, or both. Depending on how the cannabis was infused into the beverage, it can pack a different sort of punch than smoking or even eating normal edibles. Let’s dive into a few different ways you can infuse the beneficial plant into drinks and provide a range of healthy cannabis drink ideas from it.
Decide on a Base
The base you use as a vessel for your cannabis infusion will play a role in how potent the beverage will be and what you’re primarily going to be using it for. For example, you may need two or three tablespoons of cannabis-infused milk, while you would only need a few drops of cannabis-infused alcohol to do the same job. While the strain of marijuana you use also has a role in how potent your beverage will be, the base you decide on is absolutely a key player. Fortunately, we’ve got suggestions.
Brew a Tincture
Large quantities of alcohol are obviously not recommended on the side of health but using a tincture as a base to either drop under your tongue or cut with a beverage is certainly a better alternative to eating edibles packed with sugar to get the same effect.
Plus, while edibles take 1 to 2 hours to kick in, the effects from a tincture can be felt within 15 minutes, making sublingual dosing (placing drops under the tongue) an option for easy medical use. A 750 ml bottle of liquor can be infused with less than 4 grams of cannabis to create a tincture that can last even frequent cannabis consumers months.
Canna-Oil and Canna-Butter
Using a 1:1 ratio, you can generally make a decent amount of canna-oil or canna-butter and spend less than 8 hours on the project. Though coconut oil is recommended, keep in mind that both butter and oils will still have a certain amount of saturated fat. Therefore, this isn’t a recommended option for someone whose key focus is health, as safer alternatives are further on our list.
One cup of coconut oil or butter for every one cup of activated ground cannabis can simmer in a pot or a slow cooker on low heat for 6 to 8 hours makes a fatty base that can go in sweets, savory dishes, and be infused into various beverages alike.
Cannabis-Infused Milk
To enhance your coffees, teas, sauces, and other drinks that can use a tablespoon or two of cream (or more!), cannabis-infused milk is the base for you. One of the most marijuana-conscious methods, you only need half a gram to one gram for every quart of (preferably whole) milk. You want whole milk because cannabis is naturally fat-soluble. This means that the fattier the content of the base you’re using to extract the cannabis with, the fuller the effect of THC and CBD will be.
Combining around a gram of activated, ground cannabis for every quart of milk, simmer the two ingredients together for a few hours, stirring every few minutes to truly activate the compounds within the plant. Finish off by straining with a cheesecloth, just like you would with the previous methods.
Turning the Bases into Beverages
Once you’ve decided on what you feel is the right base to act as your cannabis vessel, it’s time to start infusing. You can keep the base separate and make different drinks until you use up the base in sections, or you can prep the whole drink ahead of time to allow it to be steep, which makes it richer in flavor and texture.
It’s completely up to you to decide how and when you’d like to prepare the main beverage, though most prefer to keep the base separate until it’s time to infuse that day to keep the flavors separated. This is because cannabis has a strong flavor that will steep and become pungent – it all comes down to preference on your end.
Bulletproof Coffee
For a low-carb, cannabis-packed morning routine, you can add a tablespoon or two of canna-oil to a mug of black coffee and drink up. Black coffee mixed with coconut oil is coined “bulletproof coffee,” meant to replace cream and sugar and thought to provide stabilized gut health, weight loss, increased strength and mood, and more. Using canna-oil in your morning coffee can further enhance your mood, supercharge your day, and help you take on whatever task you need to be done.
Coffee or Tea
Likewise, if you’re not worried about carbs, you can cut your morning tea or coffee with some cannabis-infused milk to really liven up the day. Of course, you can add in honey or sugar to sweeten the deal for this beverage, but this is an excellent way to try out cannabis-infused milk to really see if it’s something that’s worth doing for you.
Lemonade
If you’re trying to avoid fats like milk and oil, you can try out the cannabis-infused alcohol tincture method we mentioned earlier in one of two ways. The first way, as previously mentioned, is to place drops of the tincture under your tongue. However, it can also be combined in a blender with freshly squeezed lemon juice, water, and honey or sugar to craft a cannabis lemonade that’s equal parts sweet, tart, and dank.
Use about two tablespoons of cannabis tincture for every ¼ cup of lemon juice, along with 1 ¾ cups water and 1/3 cup of sugar or natural honey. If you want further flavor definition, you can even go the extra mile and slice up some strawberries to go along with the beverage. Strawberry lemonade is a refreshing beverage that can be infused to provide a medicinal, relaxing effect for the whole day.
What is your favorite cannabis-infused beverage flavor combination? Do you prefer cannabis drinks in the morning, afternoon, or evening? Hopefully, these ideas will help you create your very own cannabis drink idea, propelling past ordinary edibles forever more. The possibilities are only limited to your imagination.