Cali Sober (California Sober) is a thing, where many are replacing recreational drugs and excessive alcohol consumption with weed and limited amounts of alcohol.

Think of it as a harm reduction method – replacing damaging and/or addictive recreational modes with healthy ones. Even if you are having one or two drinks of alcohol, consumption is reduced when adding infused beverages with cannabis and other beneficial plants.

Cannabis is an enhancer, meaning, if you are already drinking alcohol, the plant will increase the efficacy or effect of the alcohol. Add an edible, and you can easily black-out, phase-out, or faze – to disconnect, as noted in the Urban Dictionary.

But don’t be too quick to blame the plant. It’s not cannabis causing you to faze, it’s the alcohol or whatever else you may be partaking of – and that goes for popping pills.

That pain killer you took to numb might just be increased in efficacy by upwards of 25 to 30 percent, per numerous studies on pain medications and cannabis use – merely by smoking. Ingest an edible and you may be down for the count.

You’ll no doubt have the best, deep sleep of your life, but it will end the party – and it may not happen before you have an out-of-body experience, as has been reported by the unlucky one.

How to remedy our love for partaking of the plant, while enjoying a cocktail or two? Replace the amount of alcohol consumed by adding herbal elixirs, or what I like to call tonics, to the bar.

Setting up the Herbal Bar

The basis for flavoring and sweetening many drinks is Simple Syrup, a sugar water mixture boiled down into a syrup. I like to infuse it with cannabis and other flavorful plants and spices, like mint, or rose with cardamom.

I did make a cannabis simple syrup once, and my guests began drinking it in shots! Please know, when infused with heat simple syrup can have tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) activated upwards of 60 percent – nothing to mess with. Remember my phasing rant above? Everything in moderation, please.

Leave out the alcohol, mixing your drink using cannabis infused simple syrup, fruit juice, seltzer water, and a spring of flavorful herb, and you have a ganja or cannabis mocktail.

Another component of the herbal bar is providing fruit juices to mix, coconut cream, and little bowls of fruit, like sliced apples and pineapple for garnish; sliced citrus, like lime and lemons; and fresh flavorful leaves, like mint, basil, and rosemary (shown in photos).

Think of it as a herbal elixir buffet, where the sky’s the limit when it comes to combinations of cocktails and mocktails. Just remember the golden rule of ingesting activated THC… Start low, and go slow!

Tonics & Tinctures

The true definition of a tonic is both a noun and an adjective. When used as a noun, it’s a feeling of well-being – you could say a good friend is a tonic for the soul, or a cool drink of water on a hot summer day is a refreshing tonic to soothe. When used as an adjective, it describes the feeling of well-being given, no matter the ailment or mood.

Making a tincture with drinking alcohol is the simplest and oldest form of infusion for remedy on the planet, next to steeping a hot cup of tea.

Alcohol strips the beneficial terpenes and cannabinoids (where the medicine is found) quickly and easily. In a cold-steep in a cool cupboard, the THC isn’t activated – providing full spectrum, or whole plant, benefits without the head high.

THC is activated by heat, and why we burn or smoke the flower.

Among cannabis’ many benefits, at the top of the list are its anti-inflammatory properties along with its ability to fight infection, treat digestive disorders, and basically address and protect all of our biological systems, creating homeostasis in the body, or a place where illness and infection cannot dwell.

This is why I began infusing my alcohol in the first place, to do away with the hangover and protect me from the negative qualities of the beverage.

Namely, the tummy upset and headache that often follows – said to be caused by chronic inflammation and other irritants from the spirits, and the fact that our organs – namely the liver and gallbladder – cannot process alcohol.

Decarb or Not?

I’ve never decarboxylated my flower before processing it as medicine. My personal feeling is, the THC gets activated by the heat you are cooking it with.

I don’t make remedies to get people high, I make remedies to heal, so activating the THC to new heights isn’t a priority. And I must say, for the most part, the majority of people who have needed and requested the plant to heal aren’t really interested in the high either.

After processing the alcohol in a cold-steep, if you would like the THC activated, it’s as easy as setting the finished bottle out in the sun for a couple of hours, and it will be activated at upwards of 60 percent activated THC.

My suggestion is to start with a half a shot per cocktail, if this is the case. Or, I like to put it in a sipping bottle to better control my intake, as it only takes 20 minutes or less to feel the effect – more or less, depending if your stomach is empty or not.

I don’t have to tell you not to drink alcohol on an empty stomach, right? And I need to note, you’ll have the same effects whether you are doing alcohol, psilocybin mushrooms or a cannabis edible, the effects will be stronger on an empty stomach.

 

Recipes:

Ganja Simple Syrup

 

Ratio 1:1 water to white refined sugar (I’ve used raw sugar)

1 liter water (4 cups)

4 cups sugar

 

Flavorings (individual suggestions, not to be used all together)

¼ cup ground cannabis flower (or whole plant, stems, leaves, bud)

Handful of fresh mint leaves

1 T. cardamom seeds & 1 T. (organic, dried) rose petals

1 fresh jalapeno (seeds removed) for a spicy syrup (think spicy margarita)

1 T. fresh rosemary leaves

1 T. fresh basil leaves

 

Mix sugar, water and flavorings in a sauce pan

Let mixture come to boil, then set heat to low

Simmer until sugar is dissolved and water has thickened slightly

Strain and decant

Always label your finished product, especially when the THC is activated.

Unfortunately, there is no way to make a non-psychoactive simple syrup, as the sugar must dissolve using heat.

Note: You can omit the cannabis and use the syrup solely as a flavoring.

Ganja Cardamom Rose Vodka

1 liter Vodka

¼ cup ground cannabis flower (or whole plant, leaf, stems, bud)

1 t. Cardamom seeds or 6-8 pods

1 t. Dried rose petals (organic/food grade, if possible)

To activate THC, bypass cupboard and let set in sun for a couple of hours.

Add all to vodka in a pourable bottle. Let set in a cool, dark cupboard for about a week. Strain and decant. Always label, especially if the THC is activated.

Vodka Grapefruit Cardamom Rose Mocktail

Fill tall glass with ice

Pour 1 shot of Ganja Cardamom Rose vodka (½, if activated)

Fill half the glass with grapefruit soda

Fill glass with sparkling water, seltzer, or soda water

Garnish with a slice of fresh grapefruit

Ganja Habanero Tequila

1 liter Tequila

2-3 habanero (or jalapeno, slightly cooler) chiles, seeded & cut into quarters

¼ cup round cannabis flower (or whole plant, stems, leaves, bud)

Steep all in pourable container in cool, dark cupboard.

Strain, decant and label accordingly.

Note: removing seeds cools the hot chile

This recipe makes a lovely spicy margarita, or hot shots.

Sharon’s Favorite, Ganja Spiced Rum

1 liter dark rum

¼ cup ground cannabis flower (or whole plant, stems, leaves, bud)

4-5 whole star anise, 4-5 whole cloves

1 t. Cardamom seeds, or 5-6 pods

1 stick cinnamon

1 t. Whole black pepper corns, or ½ t. Ground black pepper

1 t. Vanilla

 

Steep all in pourable container in cool, dark cupboard.

Strain, decant and label accordingly.

I like to mix this rum with Coca-cola or Dr. Pepper. I’ve also made a cocktail using sparkling apple cider. You can also add this rum to hot apple cider for a warm, holiday treat. Note: If the THC is not activated, adding it to a warm beverage will activate the THC.

Bonus

Benefits of Chai spices, broken down:

Cinnamon: Lowers blood sugars

Star Anise: Antioxidant (lowers risk of cancers), promotes healthy skin, anti-fungal, strengthens the immune system, aids in digestion and sleep.

Cardamom: Gastrointestinal prevention, controls cholesterol, cardiovascular aid, blood circulations, dental aid, urinary tract infection – such as cystitis, nephritis, and gonorrhea (who knew?)

Black Pepper: Antioxidant, digestion aid, may slow aging, improves dental health, aids in skin conditions.

Vanilla: Aids in treating acne, improves hair growth, speeds healing, anti-inflammatory, chronic disease prevention, cardio protection.

Cloves: Antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, aphrodisiac, antiviral, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory,, and analgesic properties.

See Superfoods, Super Plants for a list of Sharon’s favorite super plants and benefits.

Daily Dose: Superfoods, Super Plants – Super Healthy!

 

For more recipes, visit www.sharonletts.com/apothecary

Written and Published By Sharon Letts in Weed World Magazine Issue 159