Six Cannabis Cocktails for Holiday Cheer
No matter how you plan to celebrate this holiday season, we’d wager your festivities might be better off with a cannabis cocktail in your hand. A cannabis-infused cocktail is one of many ways you can enhance your self-care during the holiday season with nature’s medicine. It’s time to ditch the liquor and bring something new to the table: your favorite cannabis flower or infused drink mix.
Before You Begin: Infuse as You Choose
No cannabis cocktail is complete without some sort of infused ingredient. You can add some “zing” (wink wink) to your cocktails in a few ways. The easiest option is to use an infused drink mix or tincture. This method is quick, precise, and beginner-friendly, as it allows you to carefully dose the THC or CBD in your drink.
Shop Delta-8 THC Tinctures from Hemp Living
We like these delta-8 THC tinctures because their flavors suit many cocktails. However, you may want to opt for an unflavored tincture if you want the most versatility. We’ll discuss some of our favorite drink mixes later on.
How to Make Cocktails with Decarbed Flower
Don’t have any tincture on hand or want to make use of your favorite flower? No problem. You can whip up a quick infused syrup using decarboxylated (“decarbed”) flower. Decarbing is what activates cannabinoids like THC so that they can interact with your endocannabinoid system and produce your desired effects.
First, let’s focus on toasting your flower ‘til it’s nice and brown:
- Preheat your oven to 245ºF.
- As you wait for the oven to reach the right temperature, prep a baking sheet with some foil or parchment paper.
- Next, carefully break up your flower until there are no large chunks. Spread it evenly across the sheet.
When the oven is hot, it’s time to get cooking. Add your sheet of flower and let it toast for around 30-40 minutes. Shake the sheet every 10 minutes or so to ensure the flower gets evenly cooked. Aim to bake your cannabis until it reaches a light, golden brown color. Once it’s ready, pull the sheet out and allow the flower to fully cool before you grind it up for infusion.
The hard work is almost over! We’ll adapt a basic simple syrup recipe by giving it some extra time to simmer and free all of those cannabinoids.
Cannabis-Infused Simple Syrup
Yields: 8 oz. of syrup, or about 8 servings
What You’ll Need:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar (optional: substitute ½ cup of honey if you’d like)
- Optional: spices, fruits, or anything else you’d like to add
What to Do:
- Mix the water, sugar, and any other ingredients in a small saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce the heat to 160–180°F and add as many grams of decarboxylated cannabis as you’d like. We recommend starting with one gram per cup of water.
- Simmer over low heat for 30-60 minutes. Ensure the sugar has fully dissolved. Allow it to cool.
- Pour your syrup into a clean jar through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer.
- Seal with a tight lid, then store in the fridge for up to a month. Shake before using.
Hint: You can estimate how much THC/CBD you’ll end up with in each dose to adjust the recipe as needed. For instance, if your flower clocks in at 25% THC, you can assume that you’ll end up with around 10-15 mg of THC in each ounce:
- 0.25 x 1000 mg (1 gram) = 250 mg of THC in each gram of flower
- 250 / 16 = 15.625 mg per ounce of syrup
6 Cannabis Cocktail Recipes to Liven Up the Holidays
Now that you’ve got what you need to craft the perfect cannabis cocktail, let’s dive into some of our favorite and classic recipes. Feel free to get creative and swap our ingredients or whip up a concoction of your own!
1. Mind-Bending Margarita
Is there anything more refreshing than an ice-cold marg? Admittedly, this version might make you into more of a couch potato than a party animal. Still, its sweet-and-sour taste masks the natural flavor profile of cannabis very well. An infused drink mix, some liquid, and some garnishes are all you need to make this beloved beverage.
Cannabis Product to Use
3CHI Delta-9 Flavored Drink Enhancer: Margarita
Ingredients
- 1 packet delta-9 margarita drink enhancer
- 8-12 oz. liquid of your choice: we recommend water, seltzer, or lemon-lime soda
- A squirt of lime juice
- Ice
- Optional: sugar or salt for your glass’ rim
- Optional: fresh lime or lemon slices
Directions
- Rim your glass with salt or sugar if you’d like. Set aside.
- Shake all the remaining ingredients together with ice.
- Strain the mixture into your glass.
- Garnish with a fresh lime or lemon slice (optional).
2. Simple Screwdriver
Keep it simple with a bright and sunny screwdriver. While you certainly can add an infused drink mix to this recipe, it’s also a great time to use your infused simple syrup.
Cannabis Product to Use
THC/CBD tincture or homemade infused simple syrup
Ingredients
- 1-3 grams of tincture OR 1 oz. of infused syrup
- 5 oz. orange juice
- Ice
- Optional: fresh orange slices
Directions
- Fill your glass with as little or as much ice as you’d like.
- Add your infused syrup or tincture. Pour in the orange juice until you’re satisfied with the taste.
- Gently stir the mixture. Garnish with orange slices (optional).
3. Sweet Strawberry Daiquiri
Whether you like it frozen or on the rocks, you can’t go wrong with a strawberry daiquiri. This cannabis daiquiri uses a delta-9 THC mix to pump up the jam.
Cannabis Product to Use
3CHI Delta-9 Flavored Drink Enhancer: Strawberry Daiquiri
Ingredients
- 1 packet delta-9 strawberry daiquiri drink enhancer
- 8-12 oz. liquid of your choice: we recommend water, seltzer, or fruit juice
- Splash of lime juice
- Ice
- Optional: Fresh strawberries
- Optional: 0.5 oz simple syrup
Directions
- Crush the strawberries and mix them with the simple syrup and lime juice (optional).
- Add in your liquid of choice, followed by your drink enhancer mix.
- Mix thoroughly until the powder fully dissolves.
- Add your lime juice and strawberry mixture (optional).
- Strain into a chilled glass filled with ice.
- Garnish with extra fresh strawberries (optional).
4. Mojito Me, Please!
Simple, botanical, and beautiful, mojitos are a favorite drink for good reason. An infused mojito offers the same minty freshness with a unique, earthy twist.
Cannabis Product to Use
3CHI Delta-9 Flavored Drink Enhancer: Mojito
Ingredients
- 1 packet delta-9 mojito drink enhancer
- 8-12 oz. liquid of your choice: we recommend water or lemon-lime soda
- 6-8 fresh mint leaves
- Ice
- 1 fresh lime
Directions
- Muddle your fresh lime (cut into wedges) and mint in a glass.
- Fill the glass to your liking with ice.
- Pour your liquid of voice over the ice.
- Add your drink mix and stir well.
- Garnish with an extra mint sprig (optional).
5. Perfect Piña Colada
If you like piña coladas, good news: you can now add your favorite cannabinoids to the equation. Use an infused drink mix alongside fresh fruit for a deep, rich flavor.
Cannabis Product to Use
3CHI Delta-9 Flavored Drink Enhancer: Piña Colada
Ingredients
- 1 packet delta-9 piña colada drink enhancer
- 8-12 oz. liquid of your choice: we recommend pineapple juice or orange juice
- 0.5 cup crushed ice
- Optional: 1.5 oz of coconut cream
- Optional: maraschino cherries (for garnish)
Directions
- For a classic piña colada, blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour the mixture into a prepared glass and garnish to your liking.
- For a piña colada on the rocks, add crushed or cubed ice to a glass. Then, add your liquid, mixture, and coconut cream (optional). Mix well.
6. Classic Cosmopolitan
Impress your guests with a drink so iconic it needs no introduction. Since this cocktail incorporates several fruity flavors, it’s easy to swap drink mixes out for the simple syrup to make preparing it easier.
Cannabis Product to Use
THC/CBD tincture or homemade infused simple syrup
Ingredients
- 1-3 grams of tincture OR 1 oz. of infused syrup
- 0.5 oz orange juice
- 0.5 oz lime juice
- 1 oz cranberry juice
- Ice
- Optional: 1 extra splash of simple syrup
- Optional: lime or orange slices
Directions
- Shake all ingredients together with ice.
- Strain into a chilled glass.
- Garnish with fresh fruit slices.
Take Your Sips to New Heights with Quality Cannabis
We hope these recipes inspire you to craft some seriously delicious cocktails during the holidays and beyond. Remember that edibles can affect you differently than smoking, so even if you’re a seasoned cannabis user, it’s a good idea to take things slow when making drinks. And, as always, don’t hesitate to speak with your doctor before consuming cannabis of any kind. .
Here at The Green Dragon CBD, we’ve got the products and insight you need to experiment with cannabis safely. Check out our full shop for deals on THC, CBD, and other cannabis finds you won’t want to miss. Or, if you could use some extra guidance, contact our team for a free consultation.
You can put CBD oil in cocktails. You can either add CBD oil straight into the already-made cocktail, add it in before you mix ingredients, or you can even make your own simple syrup with CBD oil in it that you can add into your drinks.
Consider the type (isolate, full, broad), flavor and strength.
- Pick Your Oil. Choose a base oil with a flavor that makes sense for your plans. If you plan to use your cannabis oil in baked goods, for example, you’ll probably want to opt for a more neutral-tasting oil like canola or vegetable. Certain dishes might benefit from alternatives, like olive or peanut oil, with a stronger taste.
- Measure and Add Ingredients. Grind down enough cannabis to fill one cup using either a grinder or your hands. Then, add one cup of oil and your cup of ground cannabis to a saucepan or pot. Mix together.
- Let it Simmer. Over a low heat, let your oil and bud simmer for around two to three hours. Make sure the oil’s temperature stays between 160-200ºF.
- Strain and Store. Place a mesh strainer or cheesecloth over a jar. Next, take your finished oil and pour it through. Discard any leftover plant material.
Yes, it's perfectly safe to mix alcohol and CBD.
