Episode 7 - Do Cannabis and Cocktails Make a Good Match?
Warren Bobrow, author of Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails and Tonics, says YES!
I must admit, the idea of a cannabis cocktail did not initially sound appealing. I imagined a couple of buds thrown into a shaker with some vodka that resulted in a grassy, leafy swill that left you zonked.
Warren Bobrow has another idea, and it all begins with his passion for quality ingredients and a deep knowledge of how to use cannabis to enhance the effects. He came to our studio shaker and stirrers in hand to show his stuff, and despite our skepticism, the results were impressive. The podcast will give you lots of details, but “The Cocktail Whisperer,” as he unapologetically refers to himself, has boiled down his methodology to three key elements:
1. Prep your bud. Bobrow uses decarboxylation (a chemistry term for heating) to convert the THCa and other oils from the plant into a bio-available form. Old school decarb was as simple as heating cannabis for about 40 minutes in 240 degree oven. Today, Bobrow uses a nifty device from Ardent to easily and efficiently decarb his bud.
2. Balance: You’ve got to be careful mixing cannabinoids and alcohol, so go slow. Also, keep them crisp and not too sweet—the sugar in cocktails can cause a lot of trouble.
3. Use high-quality craft spirits. This is as essential to a delicious cocktail as the supplementary ingredients that Bobrow renders by hand. He squeezes his own ginger juice, for example, and concocts his own bitters.
This pursuit requires a demented amount of dedication, but if you’re throwing a party this is one way to make it memorable. This podcast will fill you in on all the details.