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Events Interviews

Klaus & I were on Heritage Radio!!

http://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/cannabis-cocktails-with-warren-bobrow-and-ryan-sutton-of-eater/

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Events

Mamont Vodka Debuts At Two Of The Hippest Spots In The Hamptons!!

Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer in the U.S. and for New Yorkers that means heading East to escape the city heat and enjoy the historic seaside towns and swanky social scene.  I was ecstatic to go to the Hamptons for the first time this season to partake in the festivities.  One of the weekend’s most coveted events was the AVENUE on the Beach magazine kickoff party where Mamont Vodka made its debut at the hottest new restaurant KOZU, a restaurant by day and nightclub beach house by night.

Guests nibbled on flavorful ceviche and sushi rolls from KOZU’s Japanese/Peruvian menu while mingling to the eclectic tunes on the outdoor patio.  To beat the heat, mixologist Warren Bobrow was busy concocting Siberian Surf specialty cocktails that included Mamont Vodka, Fruitations Grapefruit Syrup, and Pechaud’s Bitters.  I loved the drink’s refreshing aroma and others couldn’t get enough of the Siberian vodka either as they lined up to experience the smooth flavor and admired the massive ice sculpture on display.

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Ceviche at Kozu
Ceviche at Kuzu

Also on hand at the event was Blushington, the professional makeup application service, which was offering attendees fresh makeup touchups to ensure they looked picture perfect for the occasion.

After the bash at Kozu, I headed to the northern tip of Long Island in Montauk where trendsetters gathered to celebrate the holiday weekend at another hotspot, The Surf Lodge where New York City nightclub Goldbar had its pop up bar located. The venue was jam packed with gorgeous models in boho chic fringy dresses and sky-high wedges, while the men had button down shirts and shorts reminiscent of Polo ads.

To create even more of a summer atmosphere, beach scenes were projected on a large indoor screen of one of my favorite childhood comedy films, Back to the Beach with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. Outdoors, patrons took in the views of the coastline and enjoyed the evening while sipping on Mamont Vodka’s Siberian Surf cocktails, one of the sole sponsors of the event.

The collaboration between the vodka and the venue will continue throughout the summer during key holiday weekends, including 4th of July and Labor Day.

SurfLodge
Siberian Surf Signature Cocktail

 

 

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Miscellaneous Recipes

Tips for Substituting Ingredients Behind the Bar

https://talesofthecocktail.com/techniques/tips-substituting-ingredients-behind-bar

Mark Vierthaler (@Cocktails_365)
Bottles on a shelf.
Photo via iStock/Lisa-Blue.
When you reach for a bottle to find that it’s empty, it’s important to be ready to improvise.

Whether it’s fruit that’s out of season, that bottle of super rare aperitif that you’re dying to mix up, or you’ve simply run out of one of your bar staples in the middle of a rush, it’s important to have effective substitutions ready to take center stage.

Below you’ll find some handy suggestions on substitutions that could easily bail you out the next time you’re in a pinch.

1. Substitute fresh juices

Warren Bobrow, author of “Apothecary Cocktails, Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails, Whiskey Cocktails,” and “Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, and Tonics” relies on Fruitations Craft Soda and Cocktail Mixers when you need a quick — but still flavorful — stand in for fresh fruit juices.

Fruitations is currently available in three varieties — cranberry, grapefruit, and tangerine.

“It’s brilliant stuff,” Bobrow said.

2. Make your own liqueurs

Sometimes it’s harder than it should be to get your hands on a specific liqueur. Sometimes, it’s just cheaper to make them yourself.

Mike McSorley, Head Distiller and Brand Ambassador at Island Distillers, has a handful of quick fixes when behind the bar.

Cointreau substitute

  • 750 ml 100 proof vodka
  • Zest of 2 oranges
  • Steep for 24 hours
  • 187 ml rich simple syrup

St. Germain substitute

  • D’arbo elderflower syrup
  • 100 proof vodka
  • Small pinch citric acid

3. When you need to MacGyver it

Sometimes it’s simply a matter of being put in a tough spot in the middle of a rushed service.

Izzy Ramos Foster, owner of Mixotica Cocktail Design, has had to make a handful of fast decisions in her time.

“For a Sidecar, using Tuaca and/or Licor 43 as a substitute when your orange liqueur unexpectedly runs out has worked every time,” Foster said. “Sometimes it works in a Margarita, depending the tequila. I’ve never had a complaint!”

Other off-the-cuff substitutions have been a bit more unique.

“I’ve also had to resort to using crushed Altoid breath mint powder (diluted in a bit water and strained) a couple of times when a sudden Mojito craze hit, fresh mint ran very low, but the cocktails needed to go out stat,” she said. “It’s not my proudest ‘professional bartending’ moments but it worked and the party went on!

4. All in the family

When it comes to replacing ingredients, remember that like replaces like.

For example, if you’re short on Cynar, you could easily swap out with a similar potable bitters like Campari (although it’s much fruitier than Cynar), Fernet Branca or Punt è Mes — a dark, bitter Italian vermouth produced by Carpano.

Consider the balance of your drink and its key features, and you can even create some unique cocktails by switching out key ingredients. For example, if you’re short on vodka when dying for a Moscow Mule but happen to have a silver rum in the house, replacing the vodka with rum leads to the heavier, richer Jamaican Mule.

5. Knowledge is your best substitute

Finally, have a working knowledge of how flavors relate to each other — and an even better understanding of what you actually have access to behind your own individual bar.

“Knowledge is key here,” said Matthew Biancaniello, owner of Eat Your Drink, LLC.

Specifically, while behind the bar one night Biancaniello noticed he had suddenly run out of fresh lime juice. What he did have, however, was fresh passion fruit juice.

“Instead of 2 ounces of lime juice, I did 3/4 ounce of passion fruit juice,” he said. “The passion fruit became the citrus in place of the lime juice. By reducing the amount I was able to keep the citrus there without making it painfully obvious that I wasn’t using the usual ingredient.”

The key to quick substitutions behind the bar is a deep knowledge and appreciation of similar flavors, a willingness to play around with different ingredients, and the ability to think on your feet.

Substitution quick tips:

Substitute liquors and liqueurs from the same family. In a pinch, rye can stand in for bourbon.

Take the time to play around with different flavors before you really need to punt. Having a knowledge of parallel flavors will keep your flavors relatively consistent.

Don’t be afraid to play around with different flavor combinations to create something new (so long as your patron knows that you’re being creative).

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Articles Interviews Miscellaneous

Musing on Mamont

I never fully got it about Mamont until I drank it in Moscow. It was there, in the Ministry of Science that I felt the deep inner meaning of Vodka. And I knew at that moment this was one of the worlds best. And I had to share it. 1/2 oz at a time.

Mamont Vodka
Mamont Vodka; Photo by Warren Bobrow.
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Articles Miscellaneous

Product Review: Source Vapes

Product Review:  Source Vapes…

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As Twitter is the arbiter of “leveling the playing field” I bring attention to the plethora of smoking mechanicals that litter the marketplace.  With all due reverence to the companies that make high end products, there are many others that are not up to snuff.  I will not be reviewing those.  Just like when I offer liquor reviews, if your product sucks, I’m not going to write about it. Benign Neglect is what this is called.

So you make what I consider the top in your class?  Well then- not to worry.  I want to say nice things about your craft.  If your product is easy to use- all the better- and if it makes my life easier- well, this is a small victory in life.  Because not everything is easy.  Far from!

I received a lovely little metal box in the mail from Source Vapes.  Not knowing what to expect, and with full disclosure- I use cannabis daily by smoking it (the old fashioned way…) – so my experience level is quite advanced from nearly 40 years of smoking pleasure… Yet I had never used a Source Vape product before.  I had no idea what all the parts did, and with that said, I headed over to their website and I was still quite confused.  What goes into the Source Vape?  Dry herbs?  (NO!!!) Something else? (YES!!!!!!)  but what is that something else.  Evidently you cannot say what goes into it.  Is there a law prohibiting this disclosure?  I doubt it.  But here in my state where I know no one who uses such a contraption, well I had no clue what to do, nor how to do it!

Not that this is bad.  I just didn’t have a good teacher to walk me through the process.

Suggestion to Source Vapes- I’m visually oriented and a good YouTube instructional goes a long way for me.  Show me what goes in it.  How much to use.  What those temperatures mean for each product.  What goes in it?  How do you get that icky water out of that bong looking thing?  And what is that glass globe?  What does that do?

Argh… I guess at 55 I’m just old-school and I have no use for electronics or dare I say, concentrates.  My skill is rolling a joint with one hand like my stepbrother Drew taught me about forty years plus ago.  Electronics?  Nice for the millennials who have no patience.

Ok… With that said, the Source Vape, when I finally figured out myself, what went where and when is a well-built contraption.  I imagine that those in the healing cannabis world will find it very ingenious… no burning flame is even necessary! But I am a bit concerned about the high heat settings.  There really is no explanation for this.  Practice is not good enough when you have limited supplies and less patience.

The globe?  Fragile.  Strange design (for me) I’m not comfortable with it- the globe gives an amazing hit- but it may be too strong for me.  Maybe the temp is too high?  No idea and no one to ask.  Sure they have customer service, but I could not determine anything from the conversation and I got frustrated immediately.

The bubbler?  Very fragile.  Glass is not metal, it’s pretty enough, but without good instructions- well- you know that story already.  Fill the tube with some water.  Add your concentrate (which one? I have no clue…) and hit the button five times… (why five times?  Never explained fully…. Why not just once or twice?  But FIVE TIMES?)

Ok.. so I did that.  The hit was pretty flavorless.  Lots of vapor, but no real taste.

Am I doing something wrong?

Am I using the wrong type of concentrate?

Why can’t I figure this out?

(no one to ask is a good start)

Not a bad product.  Seems to be in the mid-range on price (about $150)

Would I recommend it?  Probably yes- I’d say the operation is quite advanced.

For me, it’s way beyond my comprehension…

I’ll pass until I figure out how to use it better.

Because I cannot easily find what goes in it… What goes in it?   (again. no idea because this is not explained at all and I know there are so many different types of concentrates on the market)

From a visual standpoint, the machine is lovely.  Looks like the key to a very expensive automobile.  But I’d never leave the house with it.  Way too difficult to fill in any wind.

The Source Vape is not easy to clean.  Bits of my (limited supplies) …of…concentrate fell out of the ‘bowl’ and were impossible to get out because the space between the ‘bowl’ and the glass is very tight- and that ‘bowl’ gets extremely hot… (read: burnt fingers)

Better instructions for those of us who are old and infirmed. (far from, but you get the gist)

My advice?

Buy one.  You already know what to do with it.  Carry on.  It’s probably the best one of its type on the market, I couldn’t figure it out easily- but that’s just me.

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Articles Recipes

Crafted Taste has included my Thai Spiced Ginger Beer recipe!

https://www.craftedtaste.com/pages/featured-kit

Thai_Spiced_Ginger_Beer_2

JUNE: THAI SPICED GINGER BEER

 

Listen up, folks. The Cocktail Whisperer, Warren Bobrow, is here with an earthy, refreshing, well-balanced summer cocktail that’s utterly unique. Introducing: the Thai-Spiced Ginger Beer, with flavors of root beer, mint, and ginger.

Warren Bobrow is an award-winning author, mixologist, cocktail journalist, spirits judge, and all-around industry heavyweight. Bobrow’s newest book, Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, & Tonics, promotes the homeopathic values of cannabis and explores such benefits when paired with cocktails. To celebrate this month’s book release, we’re featuring a virgin version of Bobrow’s Thai-Spiced Ginger Beer. 

For your cocktail, Art in the Age Organic Root Liqueur (think premium root beer taste) will mix with freshly brewed mint tea and spicy Q Ginger Beer. Hudson & Lee‘s Honey Simple Syrup provides sweetness, while the Bitter End‘s Jamaican Jerk Bitters offers just a hint of spice. Pour over lemon zest ice cubes and be refreshed.

For more summertime refreshment, we’ll show you how to use your AITA Root Liqueur for boozy root beer floats too!

FYI – The original Thai-Spiced Ginger Beer recipe calls for a “medicated simple syrup”, which infuses cannabis in a homemade honey simple syrup.Sorry – we can’t ship cannabis in our cocktail kits. However, for those subscribers that have legal access in their state, our kit will provide Bobrow’s recipe for medicated simple syrup. Each kit will also include a special discount code for purchase of the Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, & Tonics through Quarto Publishing.

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Events Miscellaneous

Day Trip to New York City!

c2
Paulus Hook Ferry Terminal

seaport district2b71fc6a-48ca-4f04-9582-5602cdea44de

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Articles Miscellaneous

10 Bar Cart Essentials By Tyler Wisler

The hottest home accessory I can think of right now is a bar cart! It’s all the rage! Why? Because everyone loves a cocktail, and everyone loves an easily accessible cocktail. This functional piece of furniture allows you to proudly display your collection of liquor and glasses, and everything is presented in a way that makes you feel like you’re living in a suite at The Plaza.

The Rosalind Tea Cart is one of my favorite options right now…the perfect marriage of form, finish and function.

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So once you have that perfect bar cart for your space, what exactly should you have on it? What are the essentials? Well, I asked my good friend, Warren Bobrow – a critically acclaimed mixologist and author of several amazing cocktail books – to chime in on the subject.

For a well-rounded bar, he suggests having the following supplies on hand :

  1. A London dry gin, like Boodles.
  2. A botanical gin, like Hendrick’s.
  3. A rye whiskey.
  4. A bourbon for mixing, like Four Roses.
  5. A vodka, like the new Mamont from Siberia.
  6. A bottle of dry vermouth, like Dolin, and sweet vermouth, like Carpano – be sure to refrigerate.
  7. For rum, get a blend, like Mezan XO, and a single batch, like the Mezan Panama 2006.
  8. An orange-flavored cordial, so you can use it in margaritas or gin, vodka and even bourbon-based cocktails.
  9. A fine tequila (and if you’re super esoteric, a bottle of Mescal. No worms though! That just isn’t done.)
  10. A bottle of single malt scotch from India or Japan as a refreshing counterpart to your basic scotch whiskey.

Blog_Apr 2 Whiskey

A selection of cane sugar sodas, tonic – sweet and dry – and some shrub syrups are fun, too. There are also plenty of funky bitters that come in all sizes and shapes and have droppers.

One wild card ingredient is balsamic vinegar! Bobrow confesses that he loves making cocktails with it. He says it adds a certain twang to the drink. A white balsamic can also sit on the bar, as it doesn’t need to be refrigerated.

So now that your bar cart is stocked, what to make? Well, let’s impress your guests with a yummy Manhattan recipe!

  • Fill three quarters of a cocktail glass with ice
  • Add 3-5 oz of bourbon whiskey
  • Add 1 tbsp of white balsamic vinegar
  • Add 1/2 oz of Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
  • Stir 40 times…
  • Strain into a pre-chilled martini glass that has a couple drops of orange bitters, and garnish your drink with a cherry

Now that you have the best cocktails and decor, your home will be the new hot spot in no time. Cheers!

http://blog.livingspaces.com/blog/10-bar-cart-essentials/

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Articles Recipes

Spring Cocktails With A Story

http://totalfood.com/spring-cocktails-with-a-story/

Flavor is such a personal thing.  Now add color to the equation.  Are you a bartender who finds that their darker spirits seem to sell better than those lighter ones?  I hope you don’t find me presumptuous when I tell you that you’re fooling your clientele.  What?  Dark doesn’t always mean old, just as flavor is not always a good determinate to freshness. 

We have to do better for our guests.  Fresh juices and high quality spirits is my mantra.  I have a philosophical difficulty with caramel coloring in spirits under the pretense of being old.  At the recent Miami Rum Fest, I represented Mezan Rum.  It’s easy to speak of Mezan because of what they don’t do to it.  No caramel.  No chill-filtering.  No sugar added.  No glycerin (for mouthfeel…) minimally pad filtered to remove the black stuff from the ex-bourbon oak casks.  Bourbon whiskey casks by law can only be used one time.  Then they leave the rick houses and spill their contents into the bottles that are on the shelf.. that’s Bourbon.  These wet casks make their way to the Caribbean (or Mexico for aging Tequila, or Scotland for Scotch Whisky…) the list goes on and on where Bourbon casks go.  But one thing is for certain, this wet wood will do well to house a portion of fine rum.

So these casks will house all sorts of spirits.  And the really fine ones.  The ones that you never see in your favorite liquor store will make their way around the Rhumb Line in the globe.  If you know someone who travels, they probably have something authentic in their bar…  Seek out this kind of friendship, especially if they share because you’re never going to taste anything like this again- whatever it is.  Rum, straight out of the cask, cut to 80 proof is one of life’s simple pleasures.  The Terroir is island specific.  And even distillery specific because of the yeast.  If the distillery uses a wild yeast, well- you can taste it.  There is a funky quality to this liquid.

Bobrow_0686

Rum or Rhum?  I’m a huge fan of Martinique Rhum.  The stuff that says Agricole gets my attention.  To be fair, I don’t currently represent an Agricole so I hope that my words resonate on a personal level.  I love Agricole because it’s authentic.  No, I’m not from the islands- I’ve sailed all over and tasted many different rums and RHUMS.. from many, many places.  As much as I call myself a well-traveled man, there are always more well-traveled folks.  I’m fortunate to have spent time on our family yacht where drinking well was a true metaphor for living well. 

You cannot punish me for authenticity.  Nor can you go wrong by experimenting with Rhum Agricole.  I like mine very simply.  Cane sugar syrup, Fresh lime with the skin (essential) and a hundred proof or more Rhum Agricole.  Of course in my forthcoming book, Cannabis Cocktails, I infused a vinegar laden shrub into the lime and added a touch of ginger syrup- not traditional, but I did write the first book on the topic- so it certainly can be anything I want it to be.  Right? And that means I added a dosage of THC.Not in this recipe, but you get the gist. 

Make your Ti-Punch as you desire.  My intellect is somewhat swayed by being out at sea.  If you haven’t done it before, don’t.  It’s not like being out on a cruise ship.  Far from.   You might actually have to… sail. 

Martinique to me is not a place that you go to soak up the sun on beaches- although I’m sure that activity is available to you- especially the area that experienced volcanic activity.  The beaches are gorgeous and the ocean a blue that reminds me of royalty.  When the sun is just right and the language is swirling in the background you could be on Cloud Nine.  Martinique is that kind of place.  I couldn’t imagine working in the cane fields.  I wouldn’t last a day.

Now I understand why Rhum placated the worker.  It’s rough out there. Razor sharp machetes flying into inches thick cane.. sharp fronds.  Syrup that sticks and attracts biting insects.  The heat.

What does this have to do with Rhum?

It’s the base.. The soul. 

When you drink Rhum Agricole- you drink passion.

So this spring I suggest that you make for your guests a new (but very old) cocktail.  The Ti- Punch.

Ti Punch

Ingredients:

½ lime, cut into small chunks

1 oz. Cane Sugar Simple Syrup- it’s available commercially

3 oz. Rhum Agricole of your choice..  I love the ones that Ed Hamilton is bringing in..

Authentic!

Prep:

Add the lime chunks to a clean glass

Muddle with a splash or four of the Cane Sugar Syrup

Add a bit of Rhum Agricole (I use the 100 proof blanche)

Decide early how much Rhum you will use because you are “Choosing your own Death” if you make it too strong in the hot sun of the French Caribbean. 

Bobrow_0060

Mezan Panama and Mexican Cola

The Mezan Panama Rum is a magnificent beast.  Especially with a full bodied Mexican Cola and Chocolate Bitters

Ingredients:

2 oz. Mezan Panama 2006

6 oz. Mexican Coke – Cane Sugar

2-4 dashes Bitter End Mexican Mole’ Bitters (a bit spicy, these are.. really!)

Prep:

To a Collins Glass- add cube ice

Add the Mexican Cola

Pour Over the Mezan Panama 2006

Dot with the Mexican Mole’ Bitters

Serve with a smile!

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Interviews Recipes

How to Craft a Cannabis Cocktail

Mezzrole_Cocktail_blog_title
Image courtesy of Warren Borrow: The Mezzrole Cocktail from his new book Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails and Tonics: The Art of Spirited Drinks and Buzz-Worthy Libations

http://www.hopegrown.org/blog/how-to-craft-a-cannabis-cocktail

Drinking healing cannabis concoctions dates back thousands of years.

As early as 1000 BC, a beverage called bhang was prepared in India: a combination of cannabis, ghee (clarified butter), milk and spices, used as an anesthetic and anti-phlegmatic.

Fast-forward to 1839 when W.B. O’Shaughnessy, the first Western physician to take an interest in cannabis, published a report stating that he had found a tincture of hemp (a solution of cannabis in alcohol, taken orally) to be an effective analgesic. He also touted this tincture to be “an anticonvulsant remedy of the greatest value.”

Now, Warren Bobrow, a modern mixologist and author of 4 fabulous cocktail books, has decided to “unleash the power of the early apothecary” in his latest recipe book: Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails and Tonics, on sale June 1st.

Warren treated us to a sneak preview of a recipe for The Mezzrole Cocktail from his upcoming book. Here’s an excerpt from the book where Warren gives a little background on this particular cannabis concoction:

“I’m a huge fan of Manhattan-style cocktails; they make great aperitifs. This one is named after Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, a jazz musician who lived in Harlem in the 1920s. And, as Mezz himself would have known, the term for a well-rolled cannabis cigarette was a “mezzrole”—so I just had to commemorate both man and medicine in this elegant cocktail. It combines cannabis-infused sweet vermouth, handmade cocktail cherries, and quality bourbon into a small, but well-formed, libation that’s deeply healing. When you’re infusing your vermouth, consider choosing a Sativa-Indica hybrid strain called Cherry Pie. It’s redolent of sweet and sour cherries, and it complements the toasty, oaky flavors inherent in the liquors. As for making crushed ice, it’s best to place the ice in a Lewis bag—a heavy canvas bag that’s made for the job—before whacking it with a wooden mallet or rolling pin.”

How to make The Mezzrole Cocktail:

Ingredients:

• 4-6 Greenish Cocktail Cherries (see page 45) 

• 1/2 ounce (15 ml) cannabis-infused vermouth, such as Uncouth Vermouth’s Seasonal Wildflower Blend

• Handful of crushed ice 

• 1 ounce (30 ml) bourbon whiskey 

• Aromatic bitters

Directions:

Muddle the Greenish Cocktail Cherries with a wooden muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon, then top with the vermouth. Continue to muddle for 30 seconds to combine the flavors. Cover with the crushed ice. Top with the bourbon, then dot with aromatic bitters. Don’t have two: one should be more than enough.

The goal is to enjoy a healing, relaxing beverage, not to get wasted. As Warren puts it, “the terminology in this book is healing, not ‘obliteration’.” If you do end up overindulging in tasty cannabis tinctures, Warren swears by this one weird trick: chug a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade and chew on three or four black peppercorns. “I don’t know how it works,” Warren admits, “but it works.”

Bonus Recipes!

If you’re excited to make The Mezzrole Cocktail at home and don’t want to wait until June 1st, Warren has generously provided two more recipes and a method for getting the most out of your cannabis (decarbing) ensuring you have everything you need to make this cannabis cocktail tonight. (Or as soon as you’ve got all the ingredients, if you don’t already.)

How to infuse your vermouth:

(excerpt from Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails and Tonics)

To make a cannabis infusion, add 7 grams—or the dosage recommended by your caregiver—of ground, decarbed cannabis to 250 ml (about 1 cup) of a liquor of your choice (in this case, vermouth) in a heat-proof mason jar. Do not seal the jar, it could burst. Place the jar in the top of a double boiler on a hot plate or electric stove top.

(Never, ever use a gas stove or an open flame.) Fill the top of the double boiler with enough water to cover the mason jar halfway.

Simmer lightly at around 160ºF (71°C) for 30 to 60 minutes. Use a digital thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature. Alcohol flames just over 170ºF (77°C), so pay close attention to the job at hand, and don’t go running out for a pizza. Plus, a low heat will keep evaporation to a minimum.

Let the mixture cool, strain it through a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth, then funnel it back into the empty liquor bottle. Top up the bottle with the remaining un-infused liquor until it’s back to a volume of 750 ml. This ensures that the THC will be dispersed throughout the infusion. Your infusion is now ready to use in your handcrafted cocktails.

How to decarb your cannabis:

“Decarbing” (short for “decarboxylating”) your cannabis is essential prior to infusing your alcohol if you want to experience the psychoactive effects of the THC and not just the flavor of the herb. If you’ve cooked with cannabis before, you may already be familiar with this technique. Warren’s go-to method involves wrapping your broken up buds in a heat-safe turkey roasting bag (to preserve aroma and flavor), and giving it three 1.5-minute nukes in the microwave, though other methods for decarboxylating include running it through a toaster oven at 240 degrees for about an hour.

How to make Greenish Cocktail Cherries:

(excerpt from Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails and Tonics)

I’m a bit of an evangelist when it comes to homemade cocktail cherries. They’re far, far superior to those red things that come in jars.

Ingredients

• 1 bottle (750 ml) of bourbon whiskey

• 8 grams of decarbed cannabis

• 2 pounds (910 g) pitted fresh cherries

Infuse the whiskey with the cannabis following the instructions on page 34. Place the pitted cherries in a large mason jar, then cover with the infused whiskey. Store the jar in a cool, dark place, such as a cellar or refrigerator, for 1 month, shaking the jar daily. Don’t be afraid to store these outside the fridge at cellar temperature: nothing bad will happen if you do. Use as called for in cocktails and mocktails.

Enjoy!