How to Craft the Perfect Cannabis Mocktail at Home

This podcast discusses cannabis and is intended for audiences 21 and over.

It’s incredibly easy to craft your own cannabis drinks at home, which is definitely my expertise. And with a little practice and understanding of how the infusion process works, you can pretty much infuse any beverage ranging from smoothies to mixed drinks.

Welcome to How To Do The Pot, a podcast helping you feel confident about cannabis. I’m Ellen Scanlon.

You just heard from California-based Jamie Evans, a sommelier and the founder of Herbacée, a non-alcoholic cannabis infused Rose. This is the third episode in our series all about weed drinks. So far I’ve covered how science and some savvy entrepreneurs have come together to create infused cannabis beverages that are user-friendly. If you’re new to weed or coming back after a long break, and if you’re looking to limit your alcohol consumption, in episode 198, I dig into this growing trend. It seems to be geared to women who are looking for low dose weed infused drinks as an alcohol alternative. Today I’ll share how to make weed drinks and give you all you need to know about creating the experience you want through careful dosing.

If you’re making these at home, dosage is a super important part of making sure you enjoy the weed drink experience. We have some great experts who are here to help ensure that your weed drinks bring cheers all around. Felicity Chen is the California-based founder of Potli, the premium purveyor for the modern enhanced kitchen pantry. Felicity founded Potli in part to help her mom who has asthma, by pairing a ritual her mom was familiar with drinking tea with cannabis medicine in the form of infused honey. She helped her mom and was really early in the cannabis beverage space. I drink my tea with Potli’s CBD honey and love the stress reducing balancing effects. She explains how the honey is infused.

Potli infuses our honey through a method of emulsion utilizing lecithin. So lecithin is a binder that binds basically oil to our honey. The oil that we use is usually extracted from one of these two methods, CO2 or Rosin, and mixing it into a mixture of MCT and then adding bits of lecithin it then emulsifies all of the product to be a cannabis infused honey.

If all that sounds pretty technical, it’s because it is. This is how I think about it. Some people love to brew their own beer or make kombucha at home. Infusing honey or creating weed drinks at home, might be a commitment of that level. And if that’s too much for you, you can always just buy them. California-based Monica Lo, a chef and blogger @sousweed.com says it’s all about preparation.

Making a cannabis beverage is easy if you have your base infusions prepared beforehand, you can learn how to make cannabis tinctures, sugar and honey. And once you have all those ingredients you can play with flavor pairings and mix your favorite juice, tea, or even alcohol.

Products like cannabis tinctures make it easier than ever to mix up a drink. California-based Shelbie Vasquez, senior client success manager for our cannabis company, YUMMI KARMA, shares some of her favorite ways to create a weed beverage at home.

I have made my own cannabis infused beverages at my house. I would infuse coconut oil and would add that to a hot tea. I’ve also added my favorite tinctures that tastes good. Shout out to YUMMI KARMA, to smoothies, seltzers, teas as well, any beverages. So it is definitely fun to make your own cocktails, add your own flavors.

If you’re ready to try this at home, how do you get started? Monica has some tips for building your drink.

Like a bartender, you should have your infused ingredients ready to go. So I like to have several infusions in my pantry. For example, cannabis tinctures, sugar, honey, and simple syrup. And then it’s just having fun and mixing up your mocktails and cocktails.

Felicity Chen says, even if you’re not a trained mixologist, you can still make a very yummy drink.

There is no real tip or trick to someone making an infused mocktail. Go with your gut, go with what you have. I always love putting something like a ginger beer and then bubbly water. Add some muddled fruit and you got it.

Easy mocktails can include something as simple as a squeeze of lime and sparkling water, or try adding mint or a seasonal fruit. Adding a splash of fresh grapefruit juice or apple cider vinegar can cut any sweetness and add a bit of acidity into your drinks. Get creative with flavors and see what tastes best. Whether you’re looking for a sweet summer afternoon mocktail or want to ease into a bedtime ritual with infused honey in your tea, take a minute to think about how bringing cannabis into the rituals you already have can enhance the experience. Here’s Monica.

Cannabis infused honey mixed into mint tea is really quick and easy, and it’s often a treat that I’ll have during bedtime.

When it comes to new pairings and fun concoctions, play around and find what feels best for you. And in the new world of weed drinks, you’re not limited to just the flavors.

Alcohol is a very ubiquitous product in our culture. It’s everywhere. And yet, are you really asking specifically how much alcohol is in a pina colada from the beach bar or a Negroni from a swanky cocktail lounge? Probably not, but that’s where we are with weed. As cannabis exits it’s moonshine era and moves into being a safe legal product with consistent and predictable effects. So dosing matters and it’s really just asking how strong do you want your drink to be? Let’s talk about a trickier part of making cannabis infused mocktails. How do you know the right amount of weed to include? This is where dosing comes into play. Jamie Evans has helpful advice.

When you’re working with THC. Keep in mind that you should start low and go slow. This is definitely the golden rule when it comes to cannabis products. I recommend experimenting with between one to five milligrams of THC per beverage, which is definitely a safe place to start if you’re a beginner. Also, if you’re brand new to TCH, I do not recommend drinking a second infused beverage in a row if you don’t feel immediate effects. So remember, it’s all about being patient when it comes to cannabis infused products so you don’t accidentally over-serve yourself or your guests. For the more experienced cannabis consumer, if you’d like to have a sessionable cannabis drink experience, so having more than one, I also recommend sticking to a lower dosage so you can have a second or third drink in one sitting and still be very comfortable.

Matching your weed to the effects you want is the goal, and I don’t want you to get too high if that’s not what you want. The reason that low dose drinks are becoming readily accessible is that they are not going to overwhelm you. Start with a two and a half milligram five milligrams of THC. Start with just a half a can and let your body and the situation guide you. Monica shares what works best for her.

I prefer a one-to-one CBD and THC ratio. I like to have that effect on my body. It feels pretty nice. I also like an easy five to 10 milligram dosage in the evenings MIT or a cocktail. And for beverages, I tend to use strains that are fruity or citrus-ey in terpene profiles so it pairs nicely when there’s sweeter ingredients involved.

Are you excited for a great summer and looking to have fun with less alcohol? Now in 39 states, you can have Happi, a THC infused good mood inducing Sparkling Seltzer, shipped right to your house. Happi is a women-run company making beverages that loosen you up without the hangover. If you’re curious about a lower alcohol lifestyle, but miss mixing up cocktails, Happi’s Spa Water Mocktail recipe might be just what you’re looking for. I recommend trying it with Happi’s Lemon Elder Flour Drink, which has a yummy citrus and floral flavor. This flavor has two and a half milligrams of THC, which is a low dose beverage. Here’s the easy recipe for Happi’s Spa water, five cucumber slices, two lemon wedges, a couple of basil leaves and ice for serving. First, you add the ice and cucumber slices to a tall glass, squeeze the lemon wedges into the glass and drop them in.

Next, pour in your can of Happi’s lemon elder flour and garnish with the basil leaves, really easy right? After 15 to 20 minutes of sipping, you’ll feel a little buzz like a glass of wine. For better relaxation tonight, go to happihourdrink.com and order a four pack of Happi’s Lemon Elder Flour. A THC infused seltzer. Happi is offering 20% off for How To Do The Pot listeners, that’s happihourdrink.com and use the code, do the pot for 20% off. I’ll link to it in the show notes. And remember, it’s Happi with an eye at the end.

Since weed drinks are truly a new category of legal cannabis, even more than usual, you might need to experiment a bit to figure out how you want to feel. And using myself as a sample of one. I’ve been a little surprised because I like more THC than usual when I’m sipping a cannabis beverage. With edibles, I like to have one or two milligrams of THC and an equal mix of CBD. A five milligram edible is usually too much for me. It’s stronger than how I like to feel and can make me a little bit anxious. And lately on a Friday or Saturday night, I like how a five milligram THC infused drink usually paired with an equal amount of CBD makes me feel.

And since I feel the effects within 15 or 20 minutes, I start with half. And if I feel good, I’ll enjoy the other half too. I really like that the dosing is consistent and predictable and that I feel the effects quickly. It’s really fun to have a weed drink at home for me. I have it in my favorite glass. I can cheers with my husband and it’s new and feels kind of special. If all that sounds good to you, Jamie Evans gives her tips for finding just the right amount of weed for you.

Dosage depends on the individual. There’s no one size fits all when it comes to dosing, so it really comes down to experimenting to see what works best for you. But when you’re crafting CBD drinks at home, I recommend starting on the lower side of the dosage range. So this is anywhere between five to 25 milligrams of CBD per drink if you’re using a commercially made CBD product to infuse your beverage, so let’s say like a CBD tincture, most people begin with between 10 to 15 milligrams of CBD per drink. And if you’re using a tincture you really love, you could also start with the brands recommended dose per serving and adjust up or down based on your personal preferences.

Now that you know a bit about how to make a drink, let’s talk about microdosing. For today, I’m just sticking to microdosing cannabis, which is really pretty straightforward. It’s just taking smaller amounts from a half a milligram to two to three milligrams of THC, the intoxicating part of the cannabis plant. For many medical patients, microdosing means taking these smaller doses more frequently throughout the day, you’re getting all the benefits of the plant, lower stress, calmer mind, pain relief, without really feeling intoxicated. California-based, Sandra Guynes is a nurse educator and one of the leading forces behind Pacific Colleges medical cannabis programs. She’s an expert on the healing power of microdosing, especially for medical patients.

People with lupus have pain like 24 hours a day, and so you have to find something that’s going to last long. I have one lady, she’s on butter. She does butter on her toast, butter in her coffee, and it keeps her, with a little pain management all day long. And she’s only doing five milligram little tabs butter here and there, but it’s keeping her all day of giving her what she needs to be able to still keep moving.

Until recently, microdosing cannabis was mostly associated with edibles. And now that you can find low dose THC drinks, you can try it out in a beverage form. The effects of microdosing feel subtle, which is intentional. Jamie talks about learning what your limits are.

So while CBD is going to be quite subtle, THC can be very intense as it’s starting to set in. So knowing this, it’s just very important to be patient when consuming THC. If you double down and drink another drink too early, the effects might be twice as strong, which can lead to just an uncomfortable experience. So remember, start low, go slow and enjoy that cannabis beverage high.

I do have a few safety notes to talk about before you bring a four pack to share with friends or mix up some homemade cannabis drinks at your next dinner party. The first is that THC infused drinks are new. If you buy them commercially, they will be labeled with dosage amounts on the can, but your guests might not know about dosage or understand the labels. Most weed drink cans have secure tabs or some sort of locking feature to address this, but they also look like regular drinks. So share this episode with your friends so they know what to expect, or just let them know what they’re drinking. And if you’re making weed drinks at home, measurements might not be exact.

There could be some trial and error. My advice is always to try to keep things low stakes. Maybe experiment on your own on a weekend or a quiet night so you know how you’ll feel and what you’re sharing. When trying something new, I think it really helps to have a friend to guide you. And next episode, we have tips, tricks, and great stories from some special experts and from some of our listeners. So stay tuned for the final episode in our weed drinks series, and it should answer any questions that you have about how other women are enjoying cannabis infused beverages.

Thank you for listening to How To Do The Pot. For lots more information and past episodes, visit dothepot.com. Are you one of the thousands of people who love How To Do The Pot’s newsletter? If you’re not getting it, please sign up at dothepot.com. And if you like How To Do The Pot, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. It really helps people find the show. Thank you to writer Joanna Sokoloski and producers Maddie Fair and Nick Patri. I’m Ellen Scanlon and stay tuned for more of How To Do The Pot.