On the wave of cannabis legalization, entrepreneurs in legal states are looking to diversify the cannabis experience for consumers. One restaurant in California is getting a head start on the recreational cannabis market by offering their clientele a unique spin on the typical cocktail. Cafe Flore in San Francisco is offering cannabis-infused (hemp-derived) cocktails before cannabis becomes recreationally legalized in the state.
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Cafe Flore, an iconic Castro bar, is hoping to be on the forefront of cannabis infused food, drinks, and cocktails. Currently, they’re mixing up cocktails made with a high quality hemp-derived CBD extract, which was formulated with the help of Chris Emerson, the co founder of Level Blends vape cartridges. Hemp based products, although derived from cannabis, don’t contain THC, the mind altering cannabinoid for which marijuana is so well known for.
The owners of the cafe, Aaron Silverman and Terrance Alan, have enlisted the help of Chris Longoria, the bar manager at 1760 to create their new line of CBD-infused cocktails. The cocktails also feature fragrant terpene oils, which help to compliment the unique flavor profiles from the specific strains of cannabis used to craft the drinks. Cafe Flore is on the cutting edge of the cannabis infused drinks, but if you can’t travel to San Francisco to try these cannabis cocktails, you can still make your own.
I find that having a great cannabis cocktail is one of the best ways to relax at the end of the day. I enjoy making my drinks with high CBD strains of cannabis to provide me with anti-inflammatory and anxiety-relieving benefits without any of the mind altering effects. One of the easiest ways to combine cannabis with your cocktails is through the creation of a simple syrup infused with the flower of your choice.
Depending on your taste, select cannabis flowers that you enjoy, but be aware of the strength of the strain you’re choosing and how that could affect the overall strength of your drink. High CBD strains are a great place to start with cannabis-infused drinks in order to gain a better understanding of how the combination of cannabis and alcohol can affect you. I personally like Electra-Tsu, ACDC and Harlequin as my preferred high CBD strains.
Make a Cannabis-Infused Simple Syrup
Ingredients:
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup honey
- 4 grams of decarboxylated, ground cannabis
- 1 tbsp of vegetable derived lecithin
How To:
- Boil water in a saucepan.
- Reduce the temperature of the water and dissolve honey in the water.
- Add cannabis.
- Reduce heat to around 160 degrees F.
- Cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and add lecithin.
- Cook for about 10 minutes while stirring .
- Strain through cheese cloth into a bowl placed in another bowl full of ice.
Recipe note: You can also use 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to make the simple syrup if you’d rather make it with sugar instead of honey.
Recipe for Tropical Mule Cocktail
Here is a recipe for a tropical inspired mule cocktail with a medicated twist. This drink is perfect to enjoy throughout the warm summer months to will help you calm down after a long day. A sip of this drink makes me feel like I am spending my evening in a tropical paradise. This recipe uses ginger simple syrup, which can be made by adding a 1-inch piece of peeled and sliced ginger to the recipe while making the cannabis-infused simple syrup. The ginger can be added to the syrup at the same time the cannabis is added.
Ingredients:
- 2 handfuls of crushed ice (either made from water or coconut water)
- 2 oz of cannabis-infused ginger simple syrup
- 1 oz coconut cream
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1/2 oz orange juice
- 1 oz dark rum
- 4 oz sparkling water
- Aromatic bitters (optional)
Instructions:
- Add all ingredients but bitters and sparkling water to a blender.
- Blend until combined.
- Pour into a glass and top with sparkling water. If using bitters, add a few dots on the top of the drink.
This recipe is just a starting place, feel free to try to infuse any of your favorite cocktail recipes with the help of cannabis-infused simple syrup.
Enjoy.
If you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our Cannabis 101 post. HelloMD can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it’s 100% online, private and efficient.