Try This Holiday Cannabis Punch To Smooth Out Year-End Angst

Mixologist Warren Brobow shares a recipe for Saka Holiday Punch.

Surely, there is no better time to smooth out the rough edges than the holiday season. Cocktailing through awkward moments is a key year-end tradition in many a household, but in this day and age there is no reason to stick to the booze during trying family reunions — or lack thereof.

For proof, there’s this cannabis punch recipe brought to you by mixologist, Forbes contributor, and book author Warren “Cocktail Whisperer” Bobrow, who has recently made the shift to creating his own cannabis concoctions. Brobow says the idea for the transition came to him in a dream while attending New Orleans’ Tales of the Cocktail event. “One in color,” to be exact — a notion he says was related to his attendance of “dozens and dozens” of Grateful Dead shows. Bobrow also attributes his passion for weed drinks to respect for the millennia-old tradition of using cannabis for healing purposes.

This particular Bobrow tipple features Saka, an alcohol-free beverage made with Napa Valley grapes and cannabis — a combination not likely to be seen elsewhere, given the county’s recent decision to ban cannabis. The drink’s marijuana has been optimized through “nano-emulsion” technology so that your body can feel the effects within 5-15 minutes. That means there will be minimal drag time on feeling the effects of your cocktail, should you need herbal relief, and fast. Another plus for Saka? The luxurious packaging will be a nice tool in convincing any retro-minded loved ones that marijuana has entered a new cultural epoch.

Saka Holiday Punch Ingredients:

• Chilled burgundy glass
• 3 oz. fresh orange juice
• 1 oz. fresh lime juice
• .25 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz botanical (alcohol-free) gin
• 3 oz. Saka
• 2 shakes of Angostura Bitters
• Large cube of ice
• Orange slice
• Fresh mint

Preparation:

1. Pre-chill burgundy glass
2. Rub inside with freshly slapped mint (this will release its oils)
3. Add ice
4. Add orange slice
5. Fill a Boston Shaker 3/4 with ice
6. Add the juices and cap. Shake hard
7. Pour over ice
8. Top with Saka
9. Dot with Angostura
10. Float the gin on top and sip through

By Caitlin Donohue