Rich Simple Syrup

imagine how well it would work with spices or other ingredients. The syrup didn’t have the skunky aroma of the cliche but rather was culinary and herbal enough to change my assumptions.

Critically, Evans provides formulas and guidance to calculate the dosage of the syrup and milligrams per drink of CBD and THC. The effects I experienced from mixing up a Raspberry Rickey, a fizzy lime and raspberry mocktail from the book, were similar to the effects of my usual edibles in the same milligram range. If you have ever had too much, you understand the importance of knowing how much THC you are consuming.

One mistake I made with the infused simple syrup was trying to scale it down and make a quarter batch. The long cooking time crystalized the sugar in such a small volume of liquid, and I was glad that I had created a spreadsheet to calculate the amount of CBD and THC based on Evans’ formulas. I was able to measure and add more water to the syrup and still have a grasp of the dosage.

The drink recipes themselves are appealing, if a little complicated, many with a lot of subrecipes, many of which are the active cannabis infusions that contribute the CBD and THC. The recipes are arranged by style: coffee, tea, juices, shakes, smoothies, nonalcoholic mixed drinks, and cocktails.

Some of the drinks are really creative, such as the Garden of Eden: blended green juice that includes fresh cannabis leaves for those of you who grow at home. One of my favorites was also one of the easiest, the Raspberry Rickey, which is a refreshing mix of lime, raspberries and soda water sweetened with homemade cannabisinfused syrup that adds a light herbal flavor. I made this a few times after testing the recipe as a nice endofday refresher.

I appreciated the fact that the recipes try to 1 cup sugar ½ cup water

Instructions: Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Cool, then refrigerate until ready to use. be as versatile as possible and offer alternative instructions if you prefer to mix them with tinctures instead. The difference in flavor between the Raspberry Rickey made with commercial tincture and the homemade infused simple syrup were subtle, but it’s worth the effort to make your own infusion.

While the drink recipes are fun, what makes this a great book are the instructions, formulas and guidance to create your own cannabisflowerinfused syrups, honey, shrubs and tinctures. You might want to set up a spreadsheet to help you find the sweet spot of THC and CBD you want in your final drink, but even if you don’t, you’ll at least learn how to mix up and enjoy a cannabis beverage.