By Warren Bobrow @warrenbobrow
I love the basic cocktails. You know, the ones that are classics because they resonate with history, not just for getting swilled. Sure, they will take to the place of your dreams, but that’s just part of the equation. Back in the day of the early apothecary down in New Orleans, many punches were created to stave off diseases such as scurvy. Citrus was scarce in much of the south and places that saw plenty of shipping traffic, such as New Orleans would attract sailors who, to say the very least, were not drinking a glass of orange juice with their breakfast. The first thing that happens when you have scurvy is your hair falls out. Then all your teeth fall out. Then you take a flying leap off the yardarm. Because the mind is the next thing to go. Of course, scurvy can be prevented by taking citrus. That’s why British sailors were called Limeys for the fresh lime juice they squeezed into their rum cocktails. Only takes a little bit of citrus to make all the difference between sanity and insanity at sea.
The Pharmacy Punch is a sum of several parts, so follow along with me… I think you’ll like the way this drink turns out.
Part 1: Infused Simple Syrup
First Step… Making the Simple Syrup… This is a 1:1 Spring Water to Demerara Sugar simple syrup… Boil water. Add a cup of Demerara Sugar and ½-1 ounce per cup of decarbed cannabis in a cheesecloth pouch. Simmer the cannabis and the sugar/water mixture at 160 degrees for 45 minutes adding a touch of fresh water as needed. Let cool. Place in fridge overnight.
The next morning, remove the cannabis flower pouch from the simple syrup and set aside in the fridge until needed. Should last no more than a week. If the syrup starts jumping around in your fridge and speaking lost languages of the Brazilian rainforest, throw it out immediately…
Part 2: Vietnamese Style Lemonade
I use only freshly squeezed lemons plus the cannabis infused simple syrup… That’s it! You’ll need 2-3 dozen lemons for this part of the recipe… sweetness to taste. Remember the simple syrup has weed in it, so if it gets on your hands, you’re going to get super stoned.
Recipe: New Orleans Style-Fizzy Pharmacy Punch
Ingredients:
- 1 Quart of Vietnamese Style Lemonade
- 1 Cup THC infused Simple Syrup (I do ½-1 oz. of cannabis per cup of simple)
- Coconut Water Ice Cubes- Freeze a tray of coconut water overnight in an ice cube tray, inside two freezer bags- so they won’t smell like your garlic pasta, lurking in the back of the fridge for a month. it’s back there. I know. I can smell it from here in NJ….
- Fresh Mint, well washed and picked over
- Sparkling water
- Pinch of Kosher Salt, and then another pinch.
- Creole Style Bitters, like Peychaud’s
Prep:
- Prepare the Vietnamese Lemonade with the THC infused Simple Syrup and a couple pinches of Kosher Salt
- Add Sparkling Water to taste
- Add the mint and stir gently to combine
- Add the Coconut Water Ice Cubes
- Add about thirty splashes of the Creole/Peychaud’s Bitters
- Stir Again
I love to serve this punch in teacups, preferably with my pinkies out. Do not under any circumstances wash your fingers in this THC laden punch. It’s strictly a sipped punch, not a finger bowl.
This punch can also be served in a punch bowl. Under those exceptional circumstances, may I please suggest freezing a large cube of the coconut water, like a gallon sized milk carton filled with above mentioned coconut water, then frozen overnight. Remove the wrapper and add to a punch bowl. Build the punch around that frozen block of coconut water ice. As it melts, the magic really takes place. Yum.
I estimate this punch won’t let you down. You will get stoned. I promise you that. There is a serious amount of weed in that simple syrup.
For an added kick, might I please suggest a healthy dosage of something medicinal… Craft… potent. I might suggest Foursquare Rum from Barbados. It’s not inexpensive, nor should it be with all the effort that you’ve put into this drink so far. It’s not always that you make lemonade from scratch. Nor do you prepare simple syrup with enough THC to knock down a small village. Ok, maybe not that much, but you get the gist. This is not a weak plonk punch made with uncertain ingredients. It’s a carefully woven story, best told amongst only a couple of like-minded friends who are accustomed to the best things in the world.
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