Spring Cannabis Elixirs– how best to dose your mock-tail!
By Juliana Birnbaum
We’ve past the midpoint of springtime now that Beltane has past, and with all the layers of complexity we face at this time in the world, I’m feeling ready to greet summer with cannabis elixir in hand! One way to get your cannabinoids into your drink of choice is by adding drops of CBD and/or THC oil, but oil tends to separate, floating on top of a drink or sinking to the bottom (unless you put it in the blender into a smoothie-style beverage like a daiquiri or piña colada).
A trick for integrating cannabis oil into your elixir is to make an infused simple syrup. Mix equal parts warm water and a sweetener like honey, agave or sugar, add the oil-based cannabis infusion of your choice, and shake to blend. The resulting simple syrup will have the aroma and vegetal flavor of cannabis and can be used on its own or infused with a complementary herb like rosemary or thyme.
Tinctures, on the other hand, are alcohol-based and mix more easily into your beverage, often compared to bitters with their flavor profile that adds astringency and balances sweetness or other flavors. Tinctures can be dropped directly into your elixir, or you can make an infused canna-sugar or salt if you’re wanting to add a special rim to a glass for a festive mocktail. Stir the drops into sugar at the desired ratio and bake at low heat in the oven until golden. Canna-salt can be made without an oven, as simple as can be, just mixing the tincture into salt in a bowl, covering with breathable fabric, and leaving to dry, stirring occasionally, about 48 - 72 hours. Canna-sugar or salt can be infused with other flavors such as ginger, lemon, or lime at the same time to add complexity. Extra bonus if you match your additional ingredient to bring out the flavor and aroma of the strain of cannabis you’re using (which is dependent on its particular blend of terpenes, or phytochemical compounds).
Dosage: Most recipes call for roughly a dropperful of tincture per drink; for CBD the guideline dose of 25mg is given, and for THC strains 10mg is often a suggested amount. For more details on finding the right strain and dose of cannabis for your weight and health condition, consult CBD: A Patient’s Guide to Medicinal Cannabis.
Try out the recipes below, and let us know how they turn out! These are each for making 1 elixir.
Canna-Mary
Ingredients:
- 4 oz. tomato or vegetable juice
- 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 oz. lemon juice
- ½ - 1 tsp horseradish
- Pinch smoked or canna-infused salt
- Pinch coarse pepper
- Pinch celery salt
- 4 drops to 1 dropper Synergy cannabis tincture of choice, depending on your tincture and desired dose
Optional Garnish: celery, pickles, olives, lemon wedge, cocktail onions
Instructions:
Combine tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salts and pepper and shake over ice. Strain over ice and add garnish to the glass. Top with one dropperful or your preferred amount of cannabis tincture, and mix into the drink with a stir stick.
