While both alcohol and cannabis have been parts of human existence for thousands of years, the two recreational substances have a long relationship entirely of their own. Nowadays in the US, cannabis is slowly finding itself free of legal restrictions among a growing geographic landscape, giving cannabis entrepreneurs access to an adult population that just voted to allow it.
While weed drinks are still establishing their place within the legal cannabis community, it is important to acknowledge not all marijuana drinks are created equal and, in fact, many aren’t going to be right for the inexperienced marijuana user.
That’s not to say that marijuana drinks aren’t delicious; these weed drinks are quite the contrary. The green dragon recipe, for instance, lives in infamy because of the assault of flavor it contains and the bounty of effects it produces. Just be aware that you are mixing two individually potent substances, and that for people who have little experience with alcohol, marijuana, or both — they may not know how to gauge the experience.
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Why Alcohol?
Alcohol is used commonly as a solvent in extracting essential oils from plants and vegetation by stripping the organic compounds from the plant, resulting in a resinous concentrate if you cook out the alcohol. Dilute it down a bit instead and you may find yourself with a cannabis tincture.
Tinctures generally use alcohol between 25%-60% by volume and are usually designed to deliver a medication into the mouth, under the tongue. Keep diluting your marijuana drink with vodka, say, to the volume of 750ml, and you’ve got yourself a bottle filled with the most well-known cannabis vodka recipe out there: the green dragon recipe.
Though, ultimately, you may infuse whichever liquor you like cannabis vodka recipes seem to be among the most common. Attributed to vodka’s clear and mostly flavorless form, marijuana drinks made of the bitter green dragon recipe often contain all of the flavors of your flower.
While the likelihood of alcohol infused weed drinks being served at cannabis social clubs is but a dream for many of us, there is hope with the inclusion to Maine‘s cannabis referenda in 2016 of legislation allowing for social clubs for marijuana to exist and Denver’s own Ordinance 300, which (if passed) would allow limited licensing for marijuana consumption in bars and restaurants.
The Recipes
For you non-drinkers out there, or those of you that just want something you can add to your coffee in the morning not to worry — there are plenty low or alcohol-free varieties of weed drinks available. Let’s take a look at four different recipes, two cannabis vodka recipes (one for the original green dragon recipe and one modified) and two alcohol-free recipes.
Cannabis Vodka Recipe No.1
The Original Green Dragon Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1x bottle of unflavored vodka @ 40% alcohol by volume
- ¼ oz. marijuana (add more for a stronger infusion), ground
- 1x medium oven safe Pyrex
- 1x liter glass jar
- Cheesecloth
How it’s made:
- First, you will have to decarb your ground marijuana. Preheat your oven to 220 degrees Fahrenheit. Using the Pyrex dish, spread the ground marijuana evenly across the dish, covering it. Bake your bud for an hour, flipping or stirring it every 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and let sit for 10 minutes, covered.
- Once the marijuana has been decarbed, making your weed drinks is just a matter of time. Transfer the plant material to the glass jar. After all the weed has been transferred to the glass, add the vodka. You should be able to fit the whole bottle.
- Seal the jar, placing your marijuana drink it in a dark, cool space like a cupboard. Shake the jar vigorously daily for a minute or two for the duration seven days to a month, depending on your timeline.
- As time goes on, the marijuana drink mixture should begin dying dark green, with hints of purple possible. Use the cheese cloth to strain the alcohol from the ground marijuana. Now you have an activated cannabis vodka recipe (aka the green dragon recipe) to make weed drinks with!
Cannabis Vodka Recipe No.2
Rum Infused Green Dragon Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1x pint of unflavored vodka
- 1x pint of silver rum
- ¼ oz. ground marijuana (more if you prefer)
- 1x medium oven safe Pyrex
- 1x liter glass jar
- Cheesecloth
The Instructions:
- Decarb your greens.
- Transfer the plant material to the glass jar. Fill with both vodka and rum.
- Follow steps 3 and 4 from above.
Fruity Weed Drinks
First, you need to make cannabis syrup for your marijuana drinks.
What you’ll need:
- 2x tbsp. food grade glycerin
- ¼ oz. ground cannabis
- 1x liter glass jar
- 1x cheesecloth
- 2x cups of water
- 2x cups of sugar
How it’s done:
- Bring the water to a boil, adding the marijuana grounds and sugar.
- Stir till all sugar is dissolved into solution. Cover on a low boil for 20 minutes before setting the heat to low.
- Add the glycerin, turn off the heat, and stir for 5 minutes. Strain with the cheesecloth into the glass jar.
- You now have a sweet and potent cannabis syrup to add to all the weed drinks you desire.
The Malibu Mule
Ingredients:
- Cannabis syrup
- Lime Syrup
- Ginger Syrup
- Club Soda
The proportions:
Mix two parts cannabis syrup with two parts lime and two parts ginger, adding club soda to taste.
Going Cannanas
What you’ll need:
- 2x medium, ripe bananas
- 1x scoop of vanilla ice cream
- ½ cup of Rice Krispies
- 1x spoonful of peanut butter
- Cannabis syrup
- 1x cup of milk or milk substitute
- 1x blender
How it’s done:
- Place the milk, ice cream, bananas, peanut butter, and cannabis syrup into the blender.
- Blend it till it is in a uniform consistency — like that of a shake or smoothie.
- Add the Rice Krispies, pulse the blender to mix the Rice Krispies in, but not pulverize them.
- Enjoy your marijuana drinks!
By Joey Wells
