Canna-Cocktails to Spice Up Your Holiday Gatherings
What Christmas party is complete without a few delicious drinks? For cannabis lovers looking to add a little festive flair to their holiday parties, you may even want to serve your guests some signature cannabis cocktails. When you drink alcohol infused with cannabis, you experience the same psychoactive effects as you would when ingesting cannabis regularly—making your office holiday party that much better. Plus, you can add infused alcohol to a number of different recipes so that you can relax with friends and enjoy your favorite herb while sipping on your favorite drink.
Before you get started, you’ll need to know how to make and distill cannabis vodka—the essential ingredient in these drinks. To make this vodka, otherwise known as Green Dragon, you’ll need:
A whipped cream whipping container
Nitrous
A double boiler
Cannabis
Vodka
Cheesecloth
First, pour 250 mL of your favourite vodka into the whipping container. Then, add 1.5 grams of finely ground cannabis and seal. Add two charges of nitrous that will fuse the cannabis and vodka, getting it ready for the double boiler. Pour the cannabis vodka into the top of the double boiler and let it simmer for 45 minutes. The mixture will look green at this point. Strain it through a cheese cloth to remove any impurities before serving. It’s important to note that cannabis vodka can be quite bitter, so ensure you balance its taste with other flavors.
Now that you have the key ingredient, scroll through some of our favorite holiday drink recipes below:
Canna-cane Cocktail
This recipe is perfect for peppermint lovers who are likely to snag a candy cane off the tree during this time of the year. Take 2 ounces of cannabis vodka, 1 ounces of peppermint schnapps and add cranberry juice to taste. Shake the mixture well with ice and pour the final product into a martini glass. This drink is best topped with a candy cane, which will add a bit of festive fun to your drink while adding subtle flavor as you sip.
Christmas Cannabis Colada
This recipe is a play on the traditional piña colada—but with a Christmas cannabis twist, of course. Take 1–2 ounces of cannabis vodka and add it to a shaker with a half-ounce of coconut cream, some pineapple juice, an ounce of milk, one egg and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. Top up the shaker with ice and shake well to ensure the egg is properly beaten into the mixture. Once poured into a glass, top the drink with coconut shavings and cinnamon.
Cannanog
If vodka isn't to your liking, heat the oven to 350 degrees and place a mixture of finely ground cannabis and rum into the oven (with a 1:3 ratio). This process will fuse the THC to the rum, giving it that extra kick. Once the cannabis and rum has been in the oven for about 45 minutes, remove it and strain the mixture with a cheese cloth. Add two ounces of cannabis rum to a warm glass of eggnog and sit back and enjoy the bliss of the holidays.
Blended Cannaberry Cocktail
This tasty concoction is perfect for those who enjoy a sweeter drink with dinner. In a blender, add fresh strawberries and pineapple along with lemon-lime soda. Add ice for consistency along with as much cannabis vodka as you please. Blend the drink for 30 seconds or until all remnants of fruit have disappeared into the mixture. Pour into a glass, top with a mint leaf and serve. So easy!
Happy Grinch
This drink is incredibly simple to create and is sure to make your heart grow at least three times the size. Using equal parts cannabis vodka, sour apple schnapps, lemonade and sprite, this drink can easily be made in various quantities depending on how many people are visiting for dinner. The green look of the drink and sour taste plays homage to Christmas' most notorious (and beloved) villain.
Holiday Hangover Cure
There are few ways to better cure a holiday hangover than with a greasy breakfast and a spicy Bloody Mary. In a cocktail shaker, mix tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish and pepper. Then add 1–2 ounces of cannabis vodka. Pour the drink into a short glass and garnish with a stick of celery or an olive.
The holidays are a time to put aside our differences and spend time with the people we love. Cannabis and alcohol have been pitted against each other in our society as people argue about the pros and cons of each, however, these six recipes show that even the most divided substances can come together to make something beautiful (and tasty!). Celebrate what you love this holiday season with any of the above drinks or come up with your own concoctions!