Dry January is a popular practice where those participating swap out drinking alcohol for healthier alternatives for just the month of January. It might sound like a punishment for New Year’s Eve festivities, but it can have lots of benefits, like renewed sleep, a body detox and a different perspective around drinking. It lowers your tolerance—you’ll be a cheap date in February. Overall, it’s just a good way to mix things up at the start of a new year.
And speaking of mixing things up, one of the best ways to take the edge off your Dry January endeavor is with cannabis mocktails and drinks. Not only are these fun to make (you’ll be calling yourself a mixologist after trying a few recipes), they can be a great option for switching gears after a long day, instead of that glass of wine. You’ll wake up with no sign of a hangover, and might even feel more rested!
How to Trade the Booze for Infused
Making a cannabis drink is simple—just grab yourself a premade THC tincture and add your desired dose to any drink recipe. You can also make your own out of raw cannabis flower. If you’re new to the sticky green stuff, make sure you calculate how much THC is going in each drink. The recommended starting point for the average user is 10mg at once, so if you’ve never partaken, start with 5mg.
Also, keep in mind that the effects of cannabis will take longer to hit you when you consume it orally rather than smoke or vape it, so give it at least an hour before you go in for more. On the same note, the effects of a cannabis drink will also last a lot longer than a bong hit, even three times as long or more.
Feel free to experiment with any drink recipe you want, but these are just a few of our favorites if you can’t decide. In the spirit of starting a healthy 2024, we’ve selected some energizing and detoxing recipes to help you achieve all your New Year’s resolutions. Cheers to cannabis!
Cannabis Drink Recipes
Cannabis Lavender Latte
We all love something cozy for snowy January days at home. Try this frothy, floral latte (spiked with your THC or CBD) for calming yet stimulating effects.
Pro tip: You can also purchase premade cannabis energy drinks, either with THC, CBD or both, depending on how lit you want to be. Cannabis energy drinks balance out the potential laziness or fogginess that THC can bring, but still allow for the uplifting and calming effects.
Ingredients:
- espresso
- your milk of choice
- lavender syrup
- desired dose of cannabis tincture*
Directions:
- Prep espresso. If you’re using an espresso maker, you’ll need to grind your beans and rake and tamp grounds so you can make the espresso right after steaming the milk. Add the lavender syrup if using to your mug so it’s ready to go.
- Steam milk. When you are making a latte, you want just a touch of thicker foam, but most velvety smooth steamed milk. The microbubbles can be made by creating a whirlpool effect by holding the steam wand into the milk pitcher at an angle. Be careful to not foam too much milk at the surface of the milk (this creates a stiffer foam like we use in a cappuccino), you want the wand submerged.
- Brew espresso. Once your milk is steamed, you’ll want to quickly brew your shots of espresso. You can brew it in a shot glass or right into your mug.
- Assemble latte. Holding cup at an angle, slowly pour milk into mug over espresso. Finish with the thin layer of foam.
Check out the full recipe on My Everyday Table
Cannabis-Infused Orange Ginger Detox Smoothie
If you’re looking for something to brighten up these dark winter days, spike this deliciously detoxing orange ginger smoothie with your cannabis tincture. With so many fruits and veggies out of season this time of year, citrus fruits are always readily available and perfect for boosting winter immunities, too!
Ingredients:
- 1 large orange (seedless, peeled)
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 tablespoons Bob's Red Mill Flax Seeds (or flax seed meal)
- 3 inch piece ginger (thinly sliced)
- ⅔ cup Bob’s Red Mill protein powder (any flavor)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup water
- ice to taste
- desired dose of cannabis tincture*
Directions:
- Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and puree until smooth. Add more ice to thicken until you've reached the desired consistency.
Check out the full recipe on The Lemon Bowl.
Cannabis Hot Toddy
If you want to capitalize on the great sleep you’ll get just by doing Dry January, try a soothing cannabis-infused tea drink before bed. The classic hot toddy is also said to alleviate cold and flu symptoms, so if you caught the post-holiday bug, this one is for you.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces water
- 1/2 whole mandarin orange washed, sliced thick, seeds removed
- 4" sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon honey
- desired dose of cannabis tincture*
Directions:
- Bring 8 ounces of water to just near boiling in a tea kettle or other vessel.
- Add the thick mandarin orange slices, a sprig of fresh rosemary, and cannabis tincture to the bottom of your favorite mug. Muddle the ingredients together. When muddling, you want to make sure you extract the oils from the orange peel, but you also do not want to pulverize the orange slice. A light, gentle, muddle is good.
- Pour in the near-boiling water and allow the ingredients to steep for 5 minutes. Remove the citrus slices and rosemary if desired.
- Stir in the honey and enjoy.
Check out the full recipe on Emily Kyle Nutrition.
*Added by Ooze
Infusion Made Easy with a Dry Herb Vape
If you're a frequent flower smoker, we highly recommend trying out a dry herb vaporizer this month! The leftover brown, toasty leaves are perfect for infusing into your drinks! Plus, our C-Core flower vapes both fit up to 0.5g in the chamber, so it won't take too long to build up a stash to make your tincture.
