How to make weed wine at home

AN ANTIQUE PRACTICE

This concept actually goes back to ancient times, around 2nd century BCE during the Eastern Han Dynasty. A surgeon named Hua Tuo (or Hua-t'o) thought it would be a splendid idea to add some cannabis resin to wine. Soon, it became common practice among ancient Greeks and Christians during some of their rituals.

In modern times, a few handfuls of winemakers from sunny California have already been adapting this method of consumption, even before medical cannabis was legalized in the state in 1996.

INFUSE YOUR WINE WITH CANNABIS

Now that you have a little backstory of how weed-infused wine became a thing, we’ll get into the process of making your very own batch of weed wine.

Here’s what you’ll need:

INGREDIENTS

28 grams of trim and stems
1 orange
Bottle of red wine
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. cardamom
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
4 cloves

HARDWARE

Saucepan or large crockpot
Cheesecloth

PROCEDURE

1. Pour the wine into the pot and place it on the stove.

2. Mix in all the spices, fruit, and cannabis, then bring to a boil. Allow it to lightly roll for two hours.

3. You will need to regularly check on this mixture to avoid too much evaporation of the liquid. Once the time has elapsed, use the cheesecloth as a strainer. Discard everything but the liquid.

4. The wine is now ready for everyone to enjoy. This recipe in particular is meant to enhance the flavors of both the wine and herb at the same time.

BREW YOUR OWN WEED WINE

But what if you wanted to brew your very own cannabis wine? Here’s how to do it:

INGREDIENTS

At least 120 grams of cannabis trim
2–3 oranges
1 lemon
3.5 litres of water
1.4 kilos of white sugar
Wine yeast or fresh yeast cake

HARDWARE

Hydrometer
Airtight bottles sealable by cork
2x 5-litre brewing demijohn bottles
A meter-long siphoning tube
Brewing airlock
Thermometer
Muslin or any lightweight cotton cloth
Large pot

PROCEDURE

1. Grind the cannabis and place it into one of the demijohns.

2. Juice the fruits, then mix them in with the ground-up weed.

3. Pour all the water into the pot and bring to a boil. Dissolve the sugar into the boiling water. Take off heat.

4. Mix sugar water with the fruit juice and cannabis in the demijohn.

5. Next up is the yeast. Dissolve it into warm water, around 20°C (68°F).

6. Allow mixture in the demijohn to cool before adding in the yeast. When this is done, it’s time to top up the bottle with water.

7. Time to store the bottle. Situate in a dark, warm area of your house, such as a closet.

8. The key factor in the fermentation process is the yeast. It must be kept at a temperature that is neither too high to kill it, nor too low to impede the process.

9. As the yeast ferments, the mixture will slowly turn into an alcoholic beverage, which can be seen through the fizzing and bubbles that develop. After about a day, seal the demijohn bottle with the airlock. Doing so will keep oxygen from entering the mix, while allowing CO₂ to escape.

10. Give the fermentation at least two weeks, and four weeks at most. Check up on the mix regularly throughout this period. You will be able to ascertain that the process is over when there is no more bubbling. As soon as the airlock is taken out, push down all the trimmings that surface back into the mixture. A hydrometer will now allow you to measure the potential alcohol content.

BOTTLING

1. Siphon the wine mixture through the muslin from the filled demijohn into the other, clean demijohn. Once the transfer process is done, seal this second bottle with an airlock. Be sure that you are operating in a clean working space.

2. Leave the new demijohn in the dark space for one month, undisturbed.

3. Now it’s time to bottle. Take the demijohn from the storage space, but make sure not to rattle it too much and cause the sediment to surface. If this does happen, wait about an hour, or until the sediment has settled back down at the bottom.

4. Next, place the muslin on top of your wine bottles as the wine is siphoned into them using the tube. After filling all bottles, seal them with a cork or cap immediately. If you can, make use of airtight seals.

5. Now, you are ready to enjoy your handiwork and drink up! But if you prefer your canna wine to be a little more aged and flavourful, bring it back inside the storage space for another six months.