With summer comes a string of barbecues, pool parties and cookouts. You may be deciding on the perfect dish to share that’ll leave your friends raving. But forget about the usual potato salad or slaw. Instead, be the maverick who offers up a fresh and thirst-quenching cannabis-infused cooler made with sparkling water.
If you’re looking to cut down on alcohol, a cannabis-infused beverage makes for a healthy alternative. Not only will it keep your guests feeling festive, but a sparkling cooler will be lighter and contain fewer calories than the usual party beverages like beer, wine or sugary cocktails.
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And in the summer heat, it’s always a good idea to stay hydrated—something alcohol isn’t great at, but a cannabis cooler is.
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So, consider trying out one of these easy and refreshing recipes for your next get-together or hang-out session at home.
Tips for Serving Your Sparkling Cannabis Coolers
An important thing to keep in mind as you prepare and serve cannabis edibles is keeping people informed. A canna-beverage for a happy, steady buzz sounds great, but you’ll want to prep your guests, particularly marijuana newbies, on the experience.
In addition to making sure you tell your guests about the infused drinks, be sure to place a label or sign in front of the bowl or pitcher that contains cannabis. You could also label each cup or use different-colored cups specifically for your cannabis beverages to prevent someone from accidentally drinking another guest’s infused drink.
Most importantly, keep cannabis beverages away from any youngsters at the party.
How We’ll Infuse These Cannabis Coolers
We recommending using marijuana tinctures in your coolers. If you’re worried about guests not wanting to feel high, try a tincture rich in CBD. Tinctures with a greater cannabidiol (CBD) to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) ratio like 18:1 or 30:1 will typically not get folks high, but will rather help relax them and promote a good vibe.
That said, everyone reacts differently to cannabis, so you may have to do some experimenting to find the cannabis tincture and dose that works best with the theme of your party.
Cannabis-Infused Sparkling Watermelon-Basil Water
For many, watermelon is the official flavor of summer. But watermelon doesn’t just taste sweet and refreshing, it has a lot of health advantages, too. For example:
- It keeps you hydrated, as watermelon is made up of 92% water.
- It’s rich in vitamin C, which can act as an antioxidant.
- In animal tests, watermelon seemed to help lower inflammation.
The basil in this beverage gives it a nice herbal kick, and adds magnesium and vitamin A to the drink, too.
Ingredients for Cannabis-Infused Sparkling Watermelon-Basil Water
Serves 4
- 24 oz carbonated water
- 4 cups of watermelon cubes
- 1/4 lemon slice
- Handful of fresh basil, 10–20 leaves
- 20 mg of cannabis tincture (4 droppers so each person gets a 5 mg dose)
- Ice
How to Make Cannabis-Infused Sparkling Watermelon-Basil Water
- Either with a blender or by hand, puree/crush the watermelon (you can leave some watermelon in chunks if you’d like).
- Crush the basil leaves at the bottom of a pitcher.
- Add the pureed watermelon and carbonated water to the pitcher.
- Add the cannabis tincture and squeeze 1/4 of lemon into the pitcher.
- Top off with as much ice as you’d like. Stir and serve.
Cannabis-Infused Sparkling Raspberry-Hibiscus Water
Hibiscus may make you think of Hawaii or a tropical island, but consider enjoying the flower closer to home to reap its benefits. The hibiscus plant:
- Is rich in antioxidants
- Promotes liver health
- Has shown some antibacterial properties
Plus, the strong, tart taste of hibiscus is not only delicious, but is also effective at masking any marijuana taste.
Ingredients for Cannabis-Infused Sparkling Raspberry-Hibiscus Water
Serves 4
- 16 oz hot water
- 4 hibiscus tea bags
- 24 oz carbonated water
- 2 tsp raspberry fruit drops or flavoring
- 20 mg of cannabis tincture (4 droppers so each person gets a 5 mg dose)
- Ice
- Mint stalk garnish (optional)
How to Make Cannabis-Infused Sparkling Raspberry-Hibiscus Water
- Boil the water.
- Steep the tea bags in the boiling water for 5 minutes.
- As you wait, drop 2 tsp of raspberry flavoring and the cannabis tincture into the carbonated water.
- Take out the tea bags. Then, mix the tea and carbonated water together.
- Add as much ice as you’d like. Stir and serve.
Cannabis-Infused Sparkling Chamomile-Nutmeg Water
This recipe’s a bit of a twist. Cookout all winded down but the summer heat making it too hot to enjoy warm tea? Problems with sleep? Try a cold sparkling water mixture using a cannabis tincture targeted for insomnia. The chamomile is good for relaxation and helps promote better sleep.
Meanwhile, the honey also has health benefits of its own, including:
- Promoting immunity
- Soothing sore throats
- Acting as an antibacterial
If you have a little more time to spend on this recipe, you can always use our cannabis-infused honey recipe as the base.
Ingredients for Cannabis-Infused Sparkling Chamomile-Nutmeg Water
Serves 4
- 16 oz hot water
- 4 chamomile tea bags
- 24 oz carbonated water
- 1 dash of ground nutmeg
- 4 tsp of honey
- 20 mg of cannabis tincture (four droppers so each person gets a 5mg dose)
How to Make Cannabis-Infused Sparkling Chamomile-Nutmeg Water
- Boil 16 oz of water.
- Let the tea bags steep in the boiling water for 5 minutes.
- Add the honey and a dash of nutmeg into the hot mixture. Stir.
- Add the cannabis tincture into the carbonated water.
- Take out the teabags and mix the tea and carbonated water together.
- Add as much ice as you see fit. Stir and serve.
These offerings of light and cool beverages with a cannabis kicker (and some medicinal benefits) will have you soaring through the festivities in no time.
Photo credit: Atstock Productions/Shutterstock.com (main photo)
If you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our Cannabis 101 index of articles. And if you have questions about cannabis, ask them and our community will answer.
