Cannabis-Infused Drink Recipes Perfect for Any Occasion

There is something truly relaxing about enjoying a good drink after a long day, whether it is a cocktail, mocktail, or even a simple beverage straight out of the fridge. Cannabis-infused beverages for canna lovers take the prospect of fun and relaxation to the next level, with no hangover. The best part? You can create your own canna cocktail in the comfort of your own home.

Although there are readymade cannabis drinks on the market, these ready-to-drink options are not available in Florida. Thankfully, there’s a cannabis-infused drink recipe to suit any taste, and infusion options for all comfort levels. These drinks are a perfect way to treat yourself and get into the holiday spirit.

Our favorite cannabis drink recipes range from hot to cold, sweet to comforting. Regardless of how you like to enjoy your beverage, we’ve tried to highlight a little something for everyone. Before we get to the recipes, let’s look at the common ways to infuse beverages with marijuana.

Infusing with Tinctures

Tinctures are a straightforward way to infuse your favorite beverages with cannabis, especially when using MÜV Encapsulated Cannabis Tinctures.

Traditional tinctures are defined as a medicine incorporated into a grain-alcohol base. In the cannabis space, it’s more common to see tinctures created using oils, such as coconut or olive - not something you would want to place directly into your drink. Oil-based tinctures will sit on the top of the beverage, never fully mixing into water-based beverages. Oil-based tinctures are a great option for mixing into butter or honey.  

Encapsulated tinctures, on the other hand, can be added directly to beverages. Using patented EnCaps™ technology, cannabinoids THC and CBD are encapsulated into a water soluble micelle shell, allowing for thorough incorporation into any liquid.  

How to Infuse Drinks with Distillate

Cannabis distillate, too, is a way to create a cannabis-infused beverage. Distillate is a concentrated form of cannabis, often testing at 80% THC and above, most often found in a syringe. This form of cannabis is the base of most store-bought edibles simply because it makes infusing food or drinks easier, and more precise.

Distillate, when compared to flower, is easier to infuse foods and beverages with. Not only is the concentrate refined and pure, with no filtering of plant matter needed, it’s easier to calculate the dose to add to your beverage. With flower, a scale is necessary, but distillate? Simply determine your desired dose, use the measured lines on the syringe to calculate, and measure it out. Distillate is often used to infuse milk, butter to make cannabutter, simple syrup, or oils to create a range of infused drinks or treats like marijuana brownies.

When experimenting with drink infusions, it is best to start low and slow—build your dosage slowly and safely with the help of a dropper. Beverages will be digested in the same manner as edibles, so the first-pass effect will take place (more on that here). In addition, keep in mind that the right dose for you will also depend on your tolerance levels—develop a feel for what you can handle and sip slowly to ensure a great experience.

Cannabis Drinks for Every Season and Holiday

Cannabis drinks are perfect for special occasions as they are a nondescript way to achieve your dose. They also make for the perfect hot drink after a long day in the cold or a refreshing beverage on a warm summer day. We’ve rounded up our favorite recipes for these occasions and more.

Year-Round Favorites

While some drinks are ideal for the warm or cool seasons, these cannabis drinks can be enjoyed all year round.

Cannabis Milk

Also known as Mother’s Milk, this beverage is perfect alone or when you need that creamy note in your morning cup of coffee or tea. This is also a terrific addition to lattes, milkshakes, and any other beverage that would normally contain milk. While there are many techniques for creating cannabis milk, we’re highlighting one of the simplest.

For those worried about using flower, don’t worry! This is our only recipe that calls for loose flower.

Makes: varies depending on need

Prep Time: minimal, though cook time will take hours

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• Milk
• 0.5-1.0 grams (or preferred dose) of finely ground cannabis flower per quart of milk

Directions:

Before you begin, you’ll want to make sure you have the correct flower to milk ratio. If your flower is still in bud form, take the time to grind it finely.

1. Boil a pot of water (double boiler is preferred).
2. In a steel bowl, combine the milk and finely ground marijuana.
3. Once the water is boiling, place the bowl of milk and cannabis on top of the boiling pot. This indirect contact will prevent your mixture from burning or curdling, or THC from being activated.
4. Bring this mixture to a soft boil.
5. Reduce to a gentle simmer and stir occasionally over the next 2-3 hours.
6. Strain your newly infused milk through a cheesecloth and store it accordingly.

Red "Strain"gria

Sangria is a great drink for any season or holiday and can be enjoyed warm or iced depending on your preference, but "strain"gria? Our take on cannabis-infused juice in lieu of headache-inducing wine? A year-round win in our books.

Makes: 32 ounces

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• Fresh lemon slices (with rind)
• Fresh lime slices (with rind)
• Fresh orange slices (with rind)
• Cranberries
• 2 cups cranberry juice
• 2 cups grape juice
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 4 cups San Pellegrino sparkling mineral water OR lemon-lime soda
• Preferred dose of cannabis tincture OR cannabis simple syrup (3/4 cup water, 1 cup sugar, desired distillate dose, bring to a gentle boil together)

Directions:

Before starting, round up a half-gallon pitcher with a lid to store your staingria.

1. Add the orange, lemon, and lime slices to the pitcher, muddle lightly.
2. Pour juices overtop the fresh fruit.
3. Add your desired dose of tincture to the beverage and stir thoroughly (or, add desired dose just before serving).
4. Seal the pitcher and refrigerate for at least 12 hours
5. Enjoy over a glass of ice, adding a splash of lemon-lime soda or sparkling water before serving. Add more fruit to your taste.

Fall and Winter Favorites

When it comes to cannabis-infused drinks, fall and winter are the perfect time to experiment with both hot and cold beverages. Whether you are curling up on the couch or entertaining for the holidays, these favorite cannabis drink recipes will be a huge hit.

Hot Buttered Rum Cider

Nothing screams fall and winter like a great cider served warm. While this recipe includes rum (which is diluted when heated), you can simply eliminate it if you prefer a non-alcoholic favorite. The best part about DIY cannabis-infused drinks is the range of creativity and experimentation possible.

Makes: 24 oz.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• 24 oz. apple or pear cider
• 4 tsp. softened cannabutter
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
• ½ tsp. powdered sugar
• 8 oz. dark rum
• ¼ tsp. cloves
• 4 cinnamon sticks

Directions:

1. Bring the rum and cloves to a slow boil and boil for about 10 minutes. Keep in mind that some of the alcohol will cook out, especially if allowed to boil rapidly.
2. Whisk together cannabutter, heavy cream, and powdered sugar in a separate bowl. Set aside.
3. Strain the rum/clove mixture into a clean pot.
4. Add cider and heat on high for a few minutes.
5. Once heated to your liking, pour the rum, clove, and cider mix into your favorite mug.
6. Top with cannabutter-infused cream, and garnish with a cinnamon stick. Enjoy!

Winter White Russian

The White Russian holds a special place in pot culture (and pop culture) thanks to The Big Lebowski. The Dude is famous for sipping on a White Russian any chance he gets—and we’re confident he’d enjoy this warm, non-alcoholic but canna-infused version on a cold winter’s day.

Makes: 24 oz.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• 2 ½ cups of coffee
• ½ cannabis-infused cream or milk (use regular half and half if you’d prefer to add a tincture or distillate instead)
• Your preferred tincture or distillate (add only if you choose not to infuse your own cannabis cream or milk)

Directions:

This winter must-have is quite simple to make.

1. Add coffee and  canna-infused cream (or add half and half plus your preferred tincture or distillate) to a medium-sized saucepan.
2. Stir and heat on low until thoroughly warm.
3. Divide evenly and enjoy!

Hot Toddy, AKA “Pot Toddy”

This is a winter must-sip, especially if you ever find yourself feeling a bit under the weather. It’s also the perfect drink for cozying up on the couch and seeking refuge from the cold outdoors - bonus points if you use a stylish teapot and cups for serving.

Makes: 24-32 oz.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• 4 bags of tea (choose your favorite flavor—common options include orange, berry, or hibiscus tea)
• 2 oz. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. infused honey (if you don't have time to make your own, simply use regular honey)
• Tincture or distillate (if you don’t use infused honey, just add your desired dose of your favorite tincture)

Directions:

1. Start by steeping the tea bags in hot water for 5 minutes.
2. Once your tea is ready, you’ll add the lemon juice and honey. Stir thoroughly.
3. If your honey is uninfused, add your tincture and stir. .
4. Sip carefully and enjoy responsibly.

Summertime Favorites

The summertime is a perfect opportunity to experiment with refreshing drinks and, because we're lucky enough to live in Florida, can be made year-round. Whether you are looking for a cocktail to unwind or a mocktail to sip on throughout the day, these are some of our favorite cannabis drink recipes for summer.

Berry Lemonade

Lemonade is one of the most refreshing drinks you can sip on a muggy day. This recipe can be made with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or any other seasonal berries you’d like to highlight.

Makes: 32 oz.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• ¾ cup sugar
• 5 cups water (divided)
• Desired distillate dose
• 2 lemons (zested)
• Pint of fresh berries
• 1 cup lemon juice

Directions:

1. Combine sugar, 1 cup of water, distillate, and lemon zest in a medium pot.
2. Simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring to thoroughly incorporate the distillate.
3. Set aside and let cool. You’ve essentially created an infused simple syrup for your lemonade!
4. Puree your choice of berry (keeping a few aside for garnish), using a metal strainer to remove large chunks of fruit (unless you want to keep them).
5. Once simple syrup is cooled, strain it into a pitcher or jug.
6. Add berry puree, lemon juice, remaining water, and your preferred amount of cannabis tincture.
7. Stir well, add ice, and serve!

This is a great non-alcoholic recipe for a refreshing summer sipper.

Cherry Limeade

This is another crisp, flavorful drink perfect for those sizzling summer months. Tart cherry complements the tangy lime, providing a refreshing way to dose with cannabis.

Makes: Varies, depending on your needs

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• 2-liter of your favorite lemon-lime soda
• 1 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 cup sugar
• Cannabis tincture
• Maraschino cherries, for garnish (for a fancier look, use stemmed cherries, pictured above)
• Thinly sliced limes, for garnish

Directions:

Whether you’re making a large batch or a single glass, this crisp summer beverage is quick and easy.

1. Make sure all of your ingredients (except tincture) are cold.
2. Add your desired tincture dose, stir, and top off with ice.
3. Garnish with cherries and lime slices.

Level Up Your Cannabis Beverage Game

Canna-infused beverages allow you to experiment with cannabis in new and exciting ways. While you can create your own bases, including milk, oils, and butters, you can also buy encapsulated tinctures that make experimenting with canna-beverages quick and easy.

The MedTenders at MÜV Florida love helping our patients find new and exciting ways to enjoy cannabis. Edibles have been in the spotlight for quite some time, and we’ve found that beverages allow for even more fun, creative, and tasty treats perfect for any season or holiday occasion! Make sure you're subscribed to receive more fun recipes and other cannabis-centric topics straight to your inbox.

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