Try it with a splash of OJ for an out of this world mimosa!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 gram cured cannabis flowers, broken up
1/4 cup dried or fresh lavender flowers
1 tsp vegetable glycerin (available at health-food stores)
16 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 bottle Champagne
Garnishes such as lemon peel twirls, lemon wedges, or lavender sprigs White wine glasses
Fine-mesh strainer
Cheesecloth
Instructions:
1. To make a simple syrup, heat water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Stir in cannabis. Let simmer on medium-high heat for 20 minutes, covered.
2. Add lavender and vegetable glycerin to syrup. Boil another 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Line strainer with cheesecloth and pour simple syrup through to strain out cannabis and lavender solids. Squeeze cheesecloth and compost plant matter.
4. For the cocktail, combine 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons infused lavender simple syrup into an 8- to 12-ounce white wine glass. Fill the rest of the glass with your favorite champagne.
5. Garnish with a lemon peel twirl or a lemon wedge and lavender sprig.
Floral, bright, and bubbly, Gutierrez’s summertime Champagne cocktail makes any occasion a celebration. Gutierrez makes a cannabis and lavender simple syrup by breaking up cured cannabis flowers with her hands (she leaves the stems) and combining them with sugar, water, lavender, and vegetable glycerin, a sugar alcohol used to extract botanicals. Gutierrez stirs together the simple syrup with fresh lemon juice and quality champagne for a mildly potent cocktail that’s perfect for weddings and garden parties. You can use a half to three-quarters of a gram of cured cannabis flowers instead of a full gram for the simple syrup to make the cocktails less potent; Gutierrez warns that making the simple syrup with more than two grams will ruin your party. She infuses the simple syrup with an uplifting sativa for brunch and a potent indica for an end-of-the-day refresher. As enticing as lavender can be, resist the temptation to use more than the recipe calls for. Too much lavender makes the cocktail taste soapy.
