Crafting a beautiful cocktail is no longer just a job for high-end bartenders. Cocktails are taking off in Canada, at bars, and at home. Canadians are getting into a well-mixed cocktail, and especially when they mix it themselves.
When Canada legalized edibles, it also opened up cannabis-infused drinks. Just like you might enjoy a THC-packed gummy or snack on a potent fudgy brownie, you can now enjoy a THC-laden drink. At the intersection between Canadians’ love of gourmet cocktails, and their passion for cannabis lies the cannabis cocktail.
But a cannabis cocktail? How can that be? Cocktails contain any number of ingredients that lend themselves to cannabinoid infusion. Thanks to cannabis isolates and distillates, it’s easier than ever to add cannabis into liquids for tasty drinks, like classic cocktails and mocktails.
Why not start dabbling in cannabis cocktail culture with the addition of THC-infused bitters? Bitters form the crucial flavor profiles of many classic cocktails and make for the perfect platform to serve a dash of THC.
A New Gourmet Line of THC-infused Cocktail Foggy Bitters
Looking for premium bitters with a twist? A newly launched line of cocktail bitters is now available, all infused with THC. Each bottle contains 250 mg of THC, which works out to approximately 1.6 mg per 1 ml dash.
THC Infused Aromatic Foggy Bitters
If you are new to the world of bitters, Aromatic Bitters are the classic ingredient in an Old Fashioned and a Manhattan. They are warming and mildly spicy. Now infused with a punch of THC, this bitter is highly adaptable and makes for a perfect first addition in your cocktail cabinet.
THC Infused Grapefruit Foggy Bitters
A THC-twist on a classic cocktail ingredient. This new take combines tangy grapefruit zest with gentian hints, a plant with ornamental and medicinal values from mountainous regions. Grapefruit bitters are likely ingredients in a Paloma, a Gin and Tonic, or even a Daiquiri.
THC Infused Lemon Foggy Bitters
Imagine bright, punchy flavors of lemon and lime, but with pungent and spicy undertones. Black Lemon bitters are named for their similarities in flavor profile to a common ingredient in middle eastern cooking. Black lemons are technically limes, and this ingredient adds bold lime, subtle floral, and a hint of warming spices to any dish. Now black lemon bitters come infused with THC.
THC Infused Orange Foggy Bitters
Finally, another cocktail staple: orange bitters. This ingredient adds the final touch to several of the most popular cocktails over the last century, including the Classic Dry Martini. Expect an upfront orange flavour, with warming spices like clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Oh — and a dash of THC.
4 Cannabis Cocktails with THC Infused Foggy Bitters
Want to take your next cocktail up a notch? Swap out the usual lineup of cocktail bitters with a THC infusion. Each bottle of Foggy Bitters contains a total of 250 mg of THC, which equals roughly 1.6 mg per splash.
Most cocktails require two to three dashes, so that means a mildly intoxicating drink with approximately 5 mg. If you are familiar with THC, you can very likely sip several cocktails throughout the evening for a deliciously relaxing high.
A New Fashioned
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Bourbon
- 1/3 oz Sugar Syrup
- 2-3 Dashes Aromatic Bitters with THC
- Orange Zest to garnish
Directions:
- In an Old Fashioned (or Rocks) cocktail glass, add all ingredients. Stir once or twice to combine.
- Add in a single large ice cube, and using a bar spoon stir constantly until the outside of the glass is cold to the touch.
- Peel a piece of orange zest, approximately 3″ long by 1″ wide, twist, then slip into the glass.
- Enjoy.
THC-Infused Paloma Mota
- 2 oz Tequila Blanco or Reposado
- 4-6 oz Grapefruit Soda
- ½ oz Lime Juice
- Coarse Salt (for rim)
- 1-2 Dashes Grapefruit Bitters with THC
- Slice of Grapefruit to Garnish
Directions:
- Rim a Collins glass with coarse salt, and fill with ice.
- Add all ingredients and use a bar spoon to stir vigorously until the outside of the glass is cold to the touch.
- Top with grapefruit soda.
- Add a ¼ of a slice of grapefruit to garnish if desired.
- Enjoy.
Monsieur Plus THC
Ingredients:
- 2 oz vodka
- 1/4 oz maraschino no
- 1/2 oz dry vermouth
- 2 dashes Black Lemon Bitters with THC
Directions:
- In a cocktail shaker, add all ingredients. Fill with Ice.
- Shake for 30 seconds (or 60 shakes), until the outside of the cocktail shaker is frosted.
- Strain into Coupe cocktail glass (or similar).
- Enjoy.
Irregular Martini
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Dry Gin
- 1/3 oz Dry Vermouth
- 2-3 Dashes Orange Bitters with THC
- Lemon zest to garnish
Directions:
- Add all ingredients (except garnish) into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Use a bar spoon to stir 30 times, or 60 seconds, until the outside of the shaker is frosted.
- Strain into a chilled martini glass.
- Squeeze lemon zest over the surface of the cocktail, and slide it into the cocktail.
- Enjoy.
How to Enjoy Cannabis-Infused Cocktails Responsibly
With such a line of cannabis-infused possibilities, you would be forgiven for getting in too deep too quickly. Cannabis and alcohol are both intoxicating, and it’s always important to consume in moderation.
Most cocktails contain two ounces (or more) of alcohol, and the recipes above include between four to six milligrams of THC each. If you are planning on sipping on more than two drinks in one evening, you’ll want to tread carefully and pace yourself.
Studies have shown that cannabis and alcohol exaggerate intoxication when combined. Alcohol combined with cannabis is a frequent reason behind impaired driving charges, and serious car crashes.
While researchers are still trying to understand the nature of this intoxication, researchers discovered that “the simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis produces significantly higher blood concentrations of cannabis’s main psychoactive constituent, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as well as THC’s primary active metabolite, 11-hydroxy-THC (11-OH-THC), than cannabis use alone.”
Meaning, if you smoke a joint and drink alcohol at the same time, you’ll feel much more stoned than if you just smoked the joint alone.
A well-crafted cannabis cocktail is a novel new gourmet experience and can set the tone for a memorable evening at home. However, these are worth savoring and slowing sipping instead of knocking back one after another. Take it slow for a more enjoyable experience.
