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Recipes

Three Planets Canna-Punch

Photo by Flickr user Dominic LockyerI’m a huge fan of gin. There are so many different styles. Take London Dry and imagine that bone dry whisper of juniper and a scraping of citrus oil, perhaps some tea leaf and some pine needles. There you have gin. Other varieties bend the realism of floral notes and some even combine the two with cucumbers and roses! I’m a fan of one that hails from Vermont made from raw honey and grain. It tastes just fine in a snifter or when treated to fresh lime juice and a touch of ice. It’s always up to the drinker how they want to enjoy their slurp.

Gin has had a tempestuous history. A thing of the underclass, a cheap drunk and sometimes even a curative. Every sailor knew that the gin he carried on the high seas was made to be enjoyed with a squeeze of lime- it probably wasn’t fresh lime like we have today, but that lime (hence the word limey’s) represented healing. And that healing is why we drink gin up to today.

Because gin represents more than just a mere foil for tonic water, it’s the stuff that keeps you from getting malaria when you’re in the rain forest. See that quinine water is the thing that you take when there are those pesky mosquitos around carrying malaria. And the gin? It keeps your mind numb to the fact that the mosquitos are looking to give you whatever they are carrying. And you don’t want that. Nope.

Gin is here for healing what ails ye. During the Middle Ages, it was said that gin was a powerful curative against the plague. I’d like to believe that gin was purified water with folk healing herbs added.

One very delicious way to enjoy gin is with citrus juices. But instead of just opening the refrigerator and taking out juices of an uncertain demeanor, why not raise the bar and use freshly squeezed juices that have been roasted prior? Roasted? What does that mean? Cooking the fruit juices in the oven with raw sugar or honey is one of life’s simple pleasures. Then as if by magic, the roasted juices are woven into punch with the above mentioned gin of your choosing. And since I’ve been charged with the responsibility for being slightly askew of the norm, I’m going to ask you to use a gin that has been infused with THC.

Since you’ve been following along, or not- let me explain. I wrote a little book, really the first one on the topic- named Cannabis Cocktails and this book teaches a different approach to the enjoyment of gin. Since I teach an alternative method to extracting THC and adding it to craft spirits, this new way is quite simple and therefore intriguing. I was given permission by the kind folks at the Magical Butter Machine company to use their namesake invention. This made my life extremely easy for the infusion part. The decarb part is cumbersome and stinky, but necessary to make your weed active. That means you feel the good stuff happen in your head and in your belly. A craft cocktail that has THC in it. Not CBD (well meaning) or hemp (a money grab), but the real thing. Yes Virginia, you get drunk and stoned and guess what? They are pretty tasty together!

Remember: please, never more than one drink per hour. They tend to cause negativity if you go over this little rule of thumb. If you take too much, suck a few lemons- that seems to work.

Three Planets Punch

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut about four grapefruits in half, with four oranges and four limes, two lemons as well. Place on a non-stick baking sheet. Sprinkle with raw sugar and Angostura Biters. Roast for ½ hour to an hour. Let cool and then juice.

For two persons or more…

  • 8 oz. Botanical Gin infused with the strain of your choice
  • 4 oz. Dry Sherry
  • 4 oz. Roasted Grapefruit
  • 4 oz. Roasted Lime
  • 4 oz. Roasted Orange
  • 2 oz. Roasted Lemon juices
  • 1 bottle Sparkling wine
  • Angostura Bitters
  • Ice

Combine all the juices with the gin and about twenty shakes of Angostura Bitters, add the sherry and stir. Add the sparkling wine and stir again. Taste for bitterness. Adjust with Angostura and stir. Spoon into Victorian Tea Cups and serve.

http://thefreshtoast.com/cannabis/gin-juice-canna-punch/

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Articles Interviews

Pot and Cocktails: The Next Frontier With Prop 64?

Gracias Madre
Gracias Madre
Voters in nine states got to make their opinions known on marijuana last November, and they spoke loudly in favor of it. Eight of the nine ballot initiatives to legalize or deregulate pot passed, officially making cannabis legal for medical use in 28 states and legal for recreational use in nine states, including in our own capitol.

This was far from the first time issues on weed have appeared on ballots, but voters managed to pass a symbolic milestone in 2017. California passed Proposition 64, legalizing the ability for individuals over 21 to use (and grow) marijuana for personal use. Recreational marijuana is now allowed for about 20 percent of the U.S. population, and about three-fifths—nearly 200 million people—have access to legal medical marijuana.

Despite still being banned on a federal level, marijuana is on an inevitable march toward wider societal acceptance and availability via edibles and other weed-based products. And who better to talk to about its growing acceptance than with bartenders, the people who specialize in coming up with clever ways to utilize a different illicit, psychoactive substance? We first covered the question of “where are all of the weed cocktails?” in April of last year, and now that recreational use of pot is inevitable, we’re back to wondering where the two substances together are heading.

So what is exactly happening, if anything at all?


The first crucial thing to note about combining marijuana and alcohol is that not unsurprisingly, it’s very illegal to do so commercially. This includes even in states where both substances are legal separately. In Oregon, weed has been fully legalized for a year and a half, but you still absolutely may not consume it in a public place, especially if that place holds a liquor license. “It’s a huge no-no,” says Chris Churilla, lead bartender at popular Portland cocktail joint Bit House Saloon. “We as a bar take a very aggressive stance toward smoking pot anywhere on the premises. I have physically removed people from the premises and threatened to call the police. If I lose my license or furthermore am imprisoned…that is a risk I will never take, nor will I allow someone else to compromise.”

Even those who advocate mixing weed and drinks acknowledge the need to be careful. Warren Bobrow, the longtime drinks writer behind Cannabis Cocktails, perhaps the world’s first book on the topic, advocates what he calls the Thai food principle: “The first time you take someone out for Thai food, you don’t order the five-star spicy dish. You start small and work your way up” he says. “Any idiot can get everyone wasted, but I don’t recommend that.”

That’s the same advice Ry Prichard provides as well. A Denver-based writer, photographer and “cannabusiness” consultant, Prichard has been working in the legal-marijuana industry since 2010 and serves as co-host and resident weed expert for Bong Appetit, a new show on cannabis food and drinks that premiered last month on Viceland. He’s seen folks overdo it, especially if they’ve already been drinking before they consume any marijuana.

The truth is that, like combining any two drugs, mixing alcohol and marijuana can have a synergistic effect and hit drinkers harder than either substance would by itself. But because this is such a new field (and because federal law limits much research on cannabis), there’s not the same level of understanding of how weed affects the body like you have with alcohol. “There’s not an easy answer. It’s just a body chemistry thing,” Prichard says. “There’s not a good test of how impaired someone is by cannabis, and it’s gonna be a big mess trying to figure this out.”


Beyond the legal issues and the Wild West feel of the whole field, a cannabis cocktail culture is starting to come together. And one of the pioneers is Jason Eisner, beverage director for a restaurant group that operates several vegan restaurants in California, including Gracias Madre in Los Angeles. Gracias Madre’s menu includes a trio of cocktails that incorporate cannabidol (CBD), the chemical component of marijuana responsible for many of its anti-anxiety and anti-inflammatory effects, which might make him the first American bartender to ever sell a cannabis cocktail in a licensed bar. “I found a loophole,” Eisner says. He’s currently using a CBD extract called CW Hemp that’s made from hemp—basically the stems but not the flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant—and is perfectly legal in all 5o states. No, really: There are many brands available on Amazon.

Eisner’s been a bartender since the late ‘90s, working everywhere from New York to Malibu, and he launched his CBD cocktails about seven months ago. He tried pot as a teenager, but didn’t really like it until a few years ago when he tried some medical-grade stuff a friend had smuggled in from California. Since then, he’s become an evangelist for pot’s beneficial effects. “With CBD, I still have my wits about me. I can go about my day,” he says. “I started putting it in cocktails because I wanted other people like me to get it too. The people hanging blacklight Cypress Hill posters in their bedrooms don’t need me to introduce them to cannabis.”

The truth is that, like combining any two drugs, mixing alcohol and marijuana can have a synergistic effect and hit drinkers harder than either substance would by itself.

But it’s not just non-psychoactive CBD that’s the subject of drinks experiments. Plenty of folks are also incorporating THC, the chemical in weed that actually gets you high. “Cannabis and alcohol went into everything back in the apothecary days,” Bobrow says. In a previous book, Apothecary Cocktails, he featured recipes for old-timey medicinal tinctures, bitters and cocktails calling for a variety of botanical ingredients, but his publisher wouldn’t let him include marijuana—that was part of the impetus for Cannabis Cocktails. Bobrow likes to take advantage of the savory and citrusy notes pot can bring to drinks, especially those on the more savory side of the spectrum.

Different strains of weed can contribute different flavors: Bobrow says indicas have a “dank, dark” flavor that goes will with brown spirits, while sativas tend to be “light, aromatic and crisp” and go well with lighter-bodied spirits like gin, tequila or mezcal. (Eisner agrees, saying his favorite spirit with CBD oil are agave spirits, which he says also improve mood: “You can’t be sad drinking a Margarita.”)

“In my personal experience, I really like the mix of marijuana and alcohol—not just the physical effects but also the flavor,” Prichard says. “Cannabis by its nature plays toward aromas that pair well with food and drinks.” He’s a fan of using terpenes to incorporate marijuana flavors in drinks without psychoactive effects. Terpenes are aromatic compounds found in a wide range of fruits, flowers and plants, including in high quantities in marijuana. Several companies sell bottled terpenes extracted from different strains of cannabis—basically essential oils—and Prichard frequently uses them on Bong Appetit. (One of his favorites comes from a strain called Lemon Haze, which has a sweet and tangy note he says works well in tiki drinks.) In theory, the terpenes do not have any physical or psychoactive effect on the human body, but on the other hand, Prichard says, “the whole field of aromatherapy is predicated on the idea that these kinds of chemicals can heal.”

Terpenes helped convert Devon Tarby to the marijuana-cocktail cause as well. A bartender in Southern California for nearly a decade, she’s now a partner in and in charge of menu development for Proprietors LLC, which runs several of the country’s top bars, including Death & Co. in New York and The Walker Inn in L.A. She’s also a self-described “mostly daily” cannabis user, but she’d never combined marijuana and alcohol until she got a call from Bong Appetit’s producers to help create cocktails for a video. “The coolest thing was being introduced to terpenes,” she says. “As soon as I figure out where to get them, I want to have them on hand at my bars.” On the show, she created an aperitif cocktail using the bitter gentian liqueur Suze, floral St-Germain and sparkling wine with an oil extracted from a pot strain that smells of fresh pine and lemon.


So where is this all headed? As a society, we’ve had centuries to build up all the rituals and norms associated with drinking in bars, but there’s really no equivalent for marijuana. “In just a few years, we’ve gone from Cheech & Chong to cancer patients or a stressed-out mom with a vape pen,” Prichard says. “But it’s still gonna be a while, if ever, until you can have a beer and smoke a joint at the same bar.”

He cites Initiative 300, passed by voters in the city of Denver in November, which establishes licenses that allow public consumption of cannabis in places like coffee shops, yoga studios and cafes—but, thanks to adjustments to the law quickly adopted by the city, absolutely not anywhere with a liquor license. “We may see the first legal cannabis clubs in America in the next six months,” he says. In the future, Prichard envisions “places separate from the bar scene but with a similar feel to a bar.”

As a society, we’ve had centuries to build up all the rituals and norms associated with drinking in bars, but there’s really no equivalent for marijuana.

If that sounds similar to the “coffee shops” that sell marijuana in Amsterdam, you’re not wrong. That’s the model Tarby thinks will develop in America as well, but she worries the fledgling industry is on unsteady ground. “Everyone is still just scratching the surface,” she says. “The last thing anybody wants is to have people who don’t know how to properly serve cannabis and ruin it for everybody.”

Eisner, for his part, is totally on board with the marijuana revolution. He’s working on a non-alcoholic canned “cocktail” made with CBD called Dope Cannabis Cocktails that he hopes to have on sale by the end of the year, as well as a cannabis cafe concept modeled on Amsterdam coffee houses in California. “This is just the beginning. We’ll even see full-on cannabis restaurants,” he says. “The next generation has made their voices heard on this issue. The federal government won’t be able to continue suppressing cannabis for very long.”

For now, most experiments in combining pot and cocktails remain hidden underground, but we’re witnessing the birth of something brand-new that’s going to change the way we get our mind-altering chemicals. “It’s already a multi-billion-dollar business,” Prichard says. “And it’s definitely not going away.”

http://www.playboy.com/articles/recreational-weed-pot-and-cocktails

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Articles

Five Tips To Simplify The Daily Grind Of A Bartender

If you’re a bartender looking to simplify your daily grind, it’s time to get back to the old fashioned basics. Here are five simple and inexpensive things you can do today to make that behind the bar job shine!

1. Cut with a knife and not with a peeler

Warren Bobrow

As my friend Gary Regan teaches in his “Cocktails in the Country” bartender training – when an orange is presented for use as a garnish, cut with a knife and not with a peeler. You would think that a peeler is faster because on a busy night and you have that orange in your hand and you want to go faster.  A conundrum when you are slammed- at the very least.  But one that is easily solved. Ditch the quick peeler in favor of your trusty companion. What is it? The basic item, your paring knife. It’s an elegant tool and it connects you with the past, the mastery taking your time.  Of conscious bartending. You will learn over time not to let this knife out of your sight, lest it come back with a broken tip, or you see it being used to open thick cardboard boxes. Use this paring knife when you cut all of your citrus.  It’s a bit slower on the peel, but far more rewarding to your guest when you take your time and connect with the zest.  It smells better too for some reason.    

2. Ice is nice.  Pretty simple, right?  

I’m convinced in my time working in the liquor industry that there is good ice, but more often than not, there is lousy ice.  I think that the use of quarter cubes is taking advantage of the guest by diluting their drink.  The quarter cube should only be used in a water glass.  Cocktails just look and taste better with a larger cube of ice, preferably a round or a square shape instead of a slice.  I am an intellect with ice- it’s important to me.  Ice is the most important ingredient in a craft cocktail.  Ice can make or break that event of dining out so don’t give your guests a glass of diluted top shelf liquor for their hard earned money.  Encourage your bar-back to use silicone trays to make large ice cubes to show off your expensive, top shelf whiskies.  The guest remembers how impressive this looks in their glass and will tell everyone about their ice experience.  If the sky is the limit, consider having Glace Ice in your bar.  They make perfect rounds and cubes.  I’ve rarely seen anything like them.  If you are in NYC, I’m told that Hundredweight is the way to go.  Out here on the perimeter we have ice companies, I’d ask for a 50-pound block and ask (nicely) if they would consider cutting 1 pound chunks out of the block.  You can train your staff to hand cut ice for a drink.  It’s a class act to be seen cutting your own ice.

3. Natural and Organic

Now more than ever with the utter explosion of natural and organic foods, the attention is poised towards the liquor industry.  How do you make a product that tastes delicious and captures the consumer’s interest in eating (and drinking) more healthfully?  Fortunately, there is a green colored label that appears on the liquor bottle that shows that the product is certified Organic.  It reads USDA Certified Organic.  To drum up sales, side by side tastings can be organized for your guests.  Organic vs. non-Organic liquors (and beers) will drive sales, it’s well proven. Certainly the conversation that includes craft liquors made from organically grown ingredients couldn’t hurt from the standpoint of more sales.  Your guests are already doing their shopping at Whole Foods, so you know they are eating better, why not drink better too?   An organic liquor like a vodka may start an entire pathway of liquid driven education for your guest.  Then you can start juicing all your citrus fresh. (We can always hope).  And that’s not even scratching the surface of Biodynamic and Organic wine production.  There is a lifetime of spirits education available to your guests that costs absolutely nothing and makes your bar staff the go/to for learning of all kinds.  Which of course adds to sales and your bottom line.  Make it fun!   

4. Bartenders need something to do, everyone should have some sort of side-work

Bar staff should be always cleaning glasses, doing something with their hands, instead of tapping at their phones.  If you are like me, having started in the food industry as a lowly pot-scrubber/dish washer back in the mid-1980’s (way before cell-phones), I’m pretty particular about caring for fine glassware. Certainly the modern equipment is more sophisticated now in this era of fast and casual dining. The new mechanized technology certainly does a better job with clarity due to modern chemicals and judicious applications of heat.  I like to offer an old-fashioned approach that is very effective for putting an extra shine on the glassware.  Add a few capfuls of regular white vinegar to a spray bottle with plain tap water.  Spray inside the glasses with this mixture and wipe with a lint free cloth.  The finish will be sparkling and the white vinegar neutralizes any remaining odors that sometimes linger inside the dish machine.  Clean all the liquor and the wine bottles that are around the bar with this mixture.  I like to use a colorful French style kitchen towel.  It’s fun. 

5. Punch!

Make a punch of the day.  It’s easy and inexpensive.  One of the great ways to get rid of products that are at the bottom of the bottle is by making a punch of the day.  And since this is the end of many bottles, you should always use the very best juices available.  This makes the use of the end of the bottle impossible to detect.     

There is nothing wrong with doing things simply and with love. A smile goes a long way.  Remember the guest is coming to see you, it’s just not the other way around. Don’t ever forget that!

https://totalfood.com/five-tips-simplify-daily-grind-bartender/

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Articles Interviews

Legal Cannabis Sales Threaten Liquor Industry

By  January 30, 2017

The alcohol industry organization, the Wholesale Spirits and Wine Association (WSWA) is unhappy about legalized cannabis. At their recent 72nd meeting, a seminar entitled, “Everything You Need to Know about Marijuana Legalization,” took place in a packed room with an invite list filled with names from the government and the cannabis industry there to discuss the explosion of legal cannabis and what they can do about it.Alcohol wholesalers attended this seminar because they can no longer ignore the fact that cannabis legalization is sweeping the country, and their long-held dominance over the world of intoxicants will be changing in the future.Their anxiety over legal cannabis sales threatening liquor industry profits isn’t unfounded, as early metrics point to that specific market effect in states like Colorado, where adults voted for the right to choose marijuana as a safer alternative.Recent articles in the Mark Brown newsletter show beer sales in certain markets have been adversely impacted by the legal sales of cannabis, and the Cowen Insight states, “In adult use cannabis markets, there are clear signs that cannabis is weighing on beer category trends, with CO, WA and OR underperforming the overall beer market by ~260 bps, YTD. Mainstream beers are the biggest drag, while craft is also slowing.”On January 12, Institutional Cannabis Investors held a gathering of investors at Cowen and Company in NYC, a 100-year-old Wall Street investment banking house who recently initiated coverage for the cannabis market. This groundbreaking event means that legal cannabis is now a big enough money-maker for traditionally conservative Wall Street to use as an investment vehicle.New risk factors have been placed on stalwart liquor companies such as Molson Coors, Constellation Brands and Brown Forman, according to an article on Bloomberg that quotes Cowen analyst Vivien Azer saying: “The rise of marijuana is affecting many large companies in the alcohol industry, making it critical to study the topic.”

Cowen and Company’s recent 110-page report on the state of the cannabis industry further proves that cannabis sales do take a bite out of liquor sales, a fact that the powerful liquor industry cannot ignore.

Azer authored an article entitled “Legal Cannabis is Weighing Heavily on Beer’s Buzz,” stating “In our initiation on the U.S. Cannabis industry, we asserted that increased use of cannabis presents a risk to alcohol, in particular distilled spirits (that over-index to men) and mainstream/economy beer. Data for Colorado (Denver only), Washington and Oregon support this conclusion.”

The Nielsen (liquor industry) report shows definitively that beer volumes in Denver have fallen specifically because of legal cannabis sales at all levels of the industry, and Cowen and Company’s research further states: “To be sure, admitted annual adult cannabis use of 14% falls well below the 70% that drink alcohol, and the 25% that smoke cigarettes. However, with the category having added at least 10 million consumers over the last 12 years, and with momentum building in terms of popular support and legislation, the cannabis industry is poised to generate meaningful growth. Over the last decade we have seen incidence climb for both alcohol and tobacco, across the total population, though alcohol looks to be under pressure.”

Alan Brochstein, chartered financial analyst from the investment research firm New Cannabis Ventures said, “My own view is that the legalization of cannabis for adults is a long-term issue for the alcohol industry as consumers are allowed to substitute one intoxicant for another. The impact will be slowed to a great degree by the lack of legal social use. This is why I am watching the developments in Denver so closely, as three years after legalization, one still can’t go to a restaurant or bar and enjoy cannabis publicly.”

It would appear that the liquor industry will be paying close attention to cannabis as an unwelcome competitor going forward.

While society should be celebrating the reduction in drunks on the street, fewer car accidents caused by intoxicated drivers, falling rates of domestic abuse and increased productivity due to fewer hung-over workers, it seems that those negative consequences of alcohol abuse must be tolerated as long as the investor class continues to line their pockets with liquor profits—unless, of course, they can co-opt the cannabis market and cash in on that as well.

You can keep up with all of HIGH TIMES’ marijuana news right here.

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Books Interviews

420 Foodie Club!

Warren Bobrow, Master Mixologist/Chef/Author

 

 

Warren is a formidable force in the food and cocktail industry. Aside from being a master mixologist and chef, he is also an accomplished writer for various publications, as well as an author of four acclaimed books, the latest of which is Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails & Tonics: The Art of Spirited Drinks & Buzz-Worthy Libations.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Warren and learning more about creative and entrepreneurial journey:

Can you tell us about your background?

I graduated from college with a degree in film from Emerson University in Boston.  The industry didn’t smile upon me, probably because I had family in the biz and there were strict nepotism rules in the 70’s and 80’s.  So I had to find something to do that wasn’t television and motion pictures.  Fortunately, my parents took me to Europe with them (my late father did international law) over the years and our extensive travel and love of culture rubbed off on me.  We were not hotel room diners, we ate in local places, local food/drink was the basis of my upbringing.  So this influence had a major hold upon my dreams and ambitions.  And growing up on a farm in Morristown, NJ that was my family’s gentleman’s farm- with horses and crops sharing the fields- certainly influenced my future endeavors.  I was encouraged strongly to learn about farming, especially organic and Biodynamic techniques.

I learned to cook at the knee of Estelle Ellis, who was our family cook when I was a boy.  I’ve also taken ACF and Sommelier’s classes and attended Johnson/Wales when it was located in Charleston, SC.  I’ve spent time in kitchens all over starting as a pot scrubber then graduating to a dishwasher.   I’m trained professionally as a saucier, soups- stocks- sauces.

How did you get into mixology?

I’ve been mixing only since 2011 or so. Mixology is new to me.  I started as a bar back at 50 years old!  No jobs for bartenders without experience, so again I started at the bottom and worked my way upwards.

How did you transition into making cannabis infused cocktails?

I’ve always enjoyed weed, since 14 or so when I smoked it at a concert at Madison Square Garden. I’ve also cooked with it.  Made brownies.  Got really stoned.  I transferred my interest and passion for ingredients to Cannabis and my talent in the cocktail arena.  The Cocktail Whisperer is my moniker.

How have your family and friends reacted to your involvement in the cannabis field?

My father was so disturbed when he learned of my 4th book that he disowned me.  I have friends who appreciate what I’ve accomplished but in the broader reach the liquor people are concerned about weed and the weed people are concerned about liquor.

What challenges have you encountered starting out? And what challenges do you still encounter now?

Being poor.  Unable to make a living.  Going into bankruptcy…that sort of thing.  But finding my way and hopefully making myself a success on my own and with my own talent.  Challenges?  Drugs are BAD!

“It would be nice to see the day when I don’t have to worry about getting arrested for my craft.”  

Who are your favorite chefs?

Martha Lou of Martha Lou’s Kitchen in Charleston, SC and Marco Pierre White– the youngest three Michelin star chef in the world.  Such passion!  Bar influencers, I’d say, Jerry Thomas, Chris James,  Gaz Regan, Francis Schott, and Dale DeGroff.

How do you make a great cocktail?

[Use] the best craft spirits money can buy…  spirits not tainted by caramel coloring, added sugar, glycol, you know- garbage spirits- I don’t use them.  I suggest you don’t either.  It makes sense to use craft spirits, because what I do is the highest form of craft.

What is your signature drink?

They are seasonal of course, but for the winter- I love a Bourbon Milk Punch made with Barrell Bourbon  that has been infused with Cherry Pie ( a strain of Cannabis) with vanilla, heavy cream, Demerara syrup and milk with ice and Angostura Bitters.   I’m also thrilled by the Mezan Guyana Rum with Fruitations Tangerine Soda and Cocktail Syrup finished with bitters infused with THC.

“The weed world is an intellectual one.” 

What advice can you give to chefs/mixologists who want to get into this industry? 

Be prepared to be under the influence of Cannabis and have to explain things.  What kind of things?  Hmmmm.  just let your creativity show.  And don’t cut off your fingertips while talking.  Knife skills are so very important.

Remember, in most places in the country, cannabis is illegal.  You must NEVER bring cannabis infused liquors into establishments with liquor licenses.  Why?   That should be pretty clear.  Follow my instructions, experiment and by all means test the results on yourself- not on your friends!

 

Books:

Apothecary Cocktails: Restorative Drinks from Yesterday and Today (2013)

Whiskey Cocktails: Rediscovered Classics and Contemporary Craft Drinks (2014)

Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails: Restorative Vintage Cocktails, Mocktails & Elixirs (2015)

Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails & Tonics: The Art of Spirited Drinks & Buzz-Worthy Libations (2016)

Categories
Articles Books Interviews
Photograph: Glenn Scott 
My name is Warren Bobrow.  I have a successful career as a brand ambassador for a boutique rum brand, so why would I go and write a book about Cannabis?  Quite possibly because no one has written a book like this prior. And I really enjoy Cannabis- perhaps even more than drinking- my career is in drinking, so go figure…
And because I was able to convince my publisher that drinking Cannabis is far preferable to smoking or eating it, we went ahead and published this brand new book.

My first book, Apothecary Cocktails offered my view of the type of ‘cocktails’ that may have been enjoyed in the early apothecary.
And in full disclosure, no!!! I’m not a doctor.  Nope. But what I am is a celebrated mixologist and former trained chef who is fascinated by flavor.

So indulge me for a moment while I let you know that Cannabis appeared in the early pharmacy, not as the much vilified Snake Oil- but- quite possibly the only ingredient that actually cured anything?  I’m not sure- because again, I’m not a doctor- I don’t even play one on television.  But I do know that Cannabis has been used in the healing arts for many thousands of years.  Way before this is your brain on drugs.  (I saw this commercial again the other night.. funny!)

I wrote Cannabis Cocktails to play with flavor.  It gives the whole bagel recipe.  You shall have the ability to decarb, to infuse and to create some pretty fun drinks.  Or if you don’t want to use alcohol with your Cannabis, there are some Mock-Tails, like my Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Cannabis Infused Condensed Milk… (the perfect medium is high fat condensed milk… try it!)

There are no edibles in the book.  And I will say this and say it again.  Know your raw ingredients.  Use tested Cannabis… Remember what you learned about eating spicy Thai food.  Start slow.  Don’t have more than one cocktail per hour or more!

I’ll be sharing with you some of my creations and hope you enjoy trying them.   Meanwhile, this is how you can order my book(s).

I can be reached on Twitter: @warrenbobrow1

Cannabis Cocktails… Available on Amazon!

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Events

Rum + Rye; Event for Central Ohio Rum Society!

Tuesday February 7, 2017 @6:00 p.m. 495 S 4th Street, Columbus Ohio 43206

CORS in February should be all about the love between two spirits, right?  This month we showcase rum’s amazing ability to embrace others… Spirits, that is. In fact, rum and its many styles integrate beautifully in a cocktail glass with its cousins, from bourbon and rye to mezcal.  Join us Tuesday 2/7 at 6:00 p.m. as we continue to celebrate the versatility of rum. Meet the brilliant Warren Bobrow, the renowned Cocktail Whisperer, traveling from the Garden State to share his wealth of boozy knowledge and unbridled enthusiasm with Central Ohio Rummers!

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Articles Books Reviews

The New Smoker says

Puff, Puff, Drink…

When getting intoxicated in only one way isn’t enough!

Sure you like to get high, and you like to get drunk. But if what you really want to do is get drunkly high or highly drunk with style, then the book Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails & Tonics by perma-happy mixologist Warren Bobrow, is the book for you.

Warren Bobrow (Author)

Some say alcohol and cannabis don’t mix. Those people are just doing it wrong. Booze before Bud, head hits thud… but Bud before Booze is a breezy cruise. And Both blended together can be badass.

Bobrow’s book is a collection of 75 recipes of cannabis influenced cocktails and drinks designed to bring the buzz. But beyond cocktails, you can create special tonics, syrups, shrubs, bitters, compound butter and exotic infused oil to use in any drink, or to start your own Apothecary in the 1890s.

Begin your day with coffee, tea, and milk-based cannabis beverages to bring in a super Sunday hanging around the house listening to aaallll of Sting before heading to your local Broga class (Bro yoga: for dudes only). Or get an afternoon pick-me-up with gut healing shrubs and mood enhancing syrups before chowing down on Mickey D’s on your “cheat day” cuz the cravings are craaaazy today. Make cooling lemonades and sparking herbal infusions to soothe the fevered brow after that big fight with your boyfriend about who didn’t soak the dishes enough. Then have an after dinner herbal-based cannabis drink for relaxation at the end of a crazy high day cuz you didn’t realize you didn’t have to try all the recipes in one day. The options are intoxicatingly endless with Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails & Tonics.

http://thenewsmoker.com/cannabis-cocktails-mocktails-tonics/

Categories
Recipes

Wrap Yourself In The Warmth Of These Cannabis Cocktails

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I love the winter. Just in someone else’s dream. You see, I’m less fond of the slop and the slipping on the ice leading to a fall…or worse! It gives me something to complain about. When a truck splashes a pedestrian — speaking in the first person of course — well, it makes me want to drink. Or at least to make a drink.

When I’m weaving tales of woe, the last thing I want to be is thirsty. But not being a heavy drinker has its benefits and failures. I would have to explain how I came to use weed and liquor in the first place and unless you were in New Orleans at the Pharmacy Museum, you’d never know.

So it stands to reason that if the weather is cold outside, I want to get warm. And the best way to do that is with drink and a fine Indica Strain. I want couchlock. I want to feel like a warm cashmere blanket is bathing my bones in thick heat. There is much to be said for this feeling and it is all good.

The Difficulty of Winter Walking is more than a metaphor; it is the name of this cocktail:

The Difficulty of Winter Walking

Warren Bobrow with DOWW

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz. Cannabis Infused Aged Jamaican Rum (I used OG Kush-decarbed at 240 degrees for 45 minutes- for my Cannabis, then infused for a period of time).

For the rum element, I like my rum to be funky from the use of a Dunder. What is a Dunder? It’s a wild yeast that lives in the dunder or muck pit. Sort of like a sourdough only much funkier. No way do you ever want to see one. But the rum? It’s salubrious!

  • 4 oz. Grilled Pineapple Juice- Grill slices of Pineapple on a grill and cool, then juice. Charred is great!
  • ½ oz. Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
  • ½ oz. Raw Honey Simple Syrup
  • 2 oz. Sparkling Water
  • Pinch of Sea Salt, like Maldon (flaky)
  • Coconut Water Ice — just like it sounds: freeze a tray of coconut water into ice. Do it now!
  • Angostura Bitters

Prep:

To a Collins Glass: Add the Coconut Water Ice. Add the OG Kush infused Jamaican Rum to a mixing glass with the 2-3 cubes of regular ice- save the coconut water ice for the cocktail. Add the Grilled Pineapple Juice. Add the Lemon Juice. Add the Raw Honey Simple syrup (1 cup raw honey to 1 cup of hot, not boiling, water. let cool.). Stir until chilled. Add the Coconut water ice to the Collins Glasses. Top with your mixture of rum, pineapple and honey/lemon juices. Finish with a splash of Sparkling Water and the Angostura Bitters. Top with a puff of Sea Salt and serve.

Now, for my next trick…

Here’s a punch I named after my most favorite bar in Miami Beach, (so far anyhow): The Broken Shaker.

The back story is my family owned a home on Hibiscus Island in Miami Beach. And it was a grand Spanish style home that sprawled over several acres of land, which is a lot for anyplace in this area. The Broken Shaker is located in the Freehand Hotel and the designer of the original property designed my grandparent’s home. It’s uncanny for me to enter this hotel/hostel because from the moment that I entered the door of the Broken Shaker Bar, I felt right at home. I’ll name this punch after the name of my grandparent’s home: Shangri-La.

Shangri-La Punch. The tour boats still go in front of the mansion today saying it was the home of the founder of Geritol and Serutan. But no more. Too bad, but time goes on.

The use of Fruitations Tangerine Soda Syrup is brilliant because the second you open the top, the punch is absolute perfection because of the utter quality of the ingredients.

Shangri-La/Broken Shaker-style-Roasted Fruit and Rum Punch

  • 1 bottle Jamaican Rum infused with the strain of your choice
  • 4 bananas
  • 2 pineapple
  • 4 pink grapefruit
  • 1 orange
  • 1 bottle Fruitations Tangerine Soda and Cocktail Syrup
  • 1 Bottle Seltzer water
  • Angostura Bitters
  • Couple pinches of sea salt, like Maldon
  • Fresh Thyme

Prep:

Pre-heat an oven to 350.

On a silicone oven proof tray, add slices of the bananas, pink grapefruit slices, the pineapple (peeled and cored and sliced) and the orange. Roast for 30 minutes, let cool and then muddle into a punch bowl, try to get as much juice into the punch as you are able. Augment when necessary with freshly squeezed juices (they don’t appear in the recipe- so add as needed, depending on how many you are serving)

Add the Fruitations Tangerine Soda and Cocktail Syrup. Add the Seltzer and the Angostura Bitters. Top with the sea salt and a bit of fresh thyme- no wood. It’s bitter!

Never more than one per hour please!

– See more at: http://thefreshtoast.com/drink/wrap-yourself-in-the-warmth-of-these-cannabis-cocktails/#sthash.zSFlGsfd.dpuf

http://thefreshtoast.com/drink/wrap-yourself-in-the-warmth-of-these-cannabis-cocktails/

Categories
Recipes

Winter Rum Drinks

Homemade Hot Buttered Rum for the Holidays

Very few spirits offer the diversity of rum. Rum can be served in a variety of ways. Hot, cold and at room temperature without diminishing the flavor or potency! Some of my most favorite methods of serving rum drinks during the holidays in a hand held form. A hot toddy for instance is the perfect way to introduce your guests to the pleasures of rum. If they are not careful, a hot toddy will also introduce them to a pillow faster than you can say sleepy-time!

Some toddy-style cocktails that speak of the season…

The Apple Rum Bake

Prepared to get baked after drinking a couple of these hot cocktails

Ingredients:

Calvados
Dark Rum
Hot spiced tea
Butter

Preparation:

Heat a pot of spiced Indian tea
For two blisteringly strong drinks:
Add: 6 oz. of Rum to the pot of spiced tea along with 2 oz of Calvados
Pour into pre-heated mugs and top with a pat of sweet butter
Sip to la la land.

Enjoy these boozy concoctions!

The Peppermint Dream Cocktail

Peppermint, hot chocolate and rum are one of these cocktails. There are three different kinds of chocolate, dark, sweet and white. Melted into your cup with the addition of peppermint oil and dark rum, your guests won’t know why they are floating on a cloud before the evening is over. Freshly whipped cream (never that stuff in a can) propels this hot toddy into dessert infamy.
Ingredients for a large punch bowl of relaxation:

Ingredients:

3 different types of melted chocolate (white, dark bitter and sweet) enough for 12 cups
1 teaspoon of concentrated peppermint oil
1 bottle of dark rum (Barbados or Jamaican come to mind)
4 cups of the 1/2 condensed milk, 1/2 whole milk mixture

Process:

Warmed sweetened condensed milk & regular milk in 50/50 proportions
Melt chocolate and add warmed milk mixture to thin out for your mug of goodness
Add 2 oz. of dark rum to each mug
Stir with a peppermint stick

The Sailor’s Dilemma

The next drink is savory in nature. It involves Beef Bullion. You serve this toddy as a welcoming tot by the front door of your home.

Ingredients:

1 Gallon of strong beef bullion in a brightly polished copper pot set over a flame
1 bottle of dark rum
½ bottle of overproof rum (140 proof)
Freshly cracked pepper

Process:

Combine ingredients and gently heat to just below a simmer

Sip VERY carefully….

The Red Shirt Cocktail

The next drink is perfect for enjoying amongst your friends… I use maple syrup, dark rum, seltzer and Sweet Vermouth.

Ingredients for two rather stiff slurps

Amber Rum- Find a Rhum Agricole from Martinique
Grade B Maple Syrup (DARK Amber)
Sweet Vermouth like Carpano Antica or Atsby “Armadillo Cake” Vermouth
Large cubes of ice 3×3
Bitter End Curry Bitters

Preparation:

To a Boston Shaker, fill ¾ with ice
Add:
4 Tablespoons of the Grade B Syrup
Add 4 oz. Rhum Agricole
Add 1 oz. Sweet Vermouth
Shake Shake Shake shake
Strain over the 3×3 ice cubes in a rocks glass
Add 2 drops of the Bitter End Curry Bitters over the top

http://drinkwire.liquor.com/post/winter-rum-drinks#gs.NWwqa14