How to Make Weed Wine

With public approval of marijuana legalisation at an all-time high, more and more people are incorporating marijuana into their relaxation and socializing routines. While a bottle of wine is a traditional party favor and smoking weed to relax is a common pastime, most people haven’t considered combining vino with their favorite cannabis strain. Weed wine, however, is easy to make—while remaining delicious and potent. Below, we dive into all of the details around this delicious 4/20 cocktail.

First, you need to make sure you have the right tools. While marijuana-infused wine can be made multiple ways, this simple method requires cheesecloth, ⅛ – ¼ ounce high-grade cannabis, a dry wine with bold flavors, foil, a pan, and a pot or punch bowl. When picking your wine, choose a dry variety for maximizing the effectiveness of the infusion. I went with a Columbia Crest merlot in an effort to bring out bold flavors that would complement the marijuana I chose. While white wine works just as well, I favored red for its health benefits and more mild hangovers. (Waking up stoned and hungover is less than pleasant. Most of us aren’t in college anymore.)

Photo courtesy Laura Aebi

Next, we have to activate our weed. Unless you’re buying activated marijuana oil from a dispensary, we have to use the decarboxylation process to activate the THC in our weed. Until the marijuana is heated, it won’t have any psychotropic effects. Start by lining a pan with foil and breaking the buds into slightly smaller pieces. Spread them evenly across the pan and cover them with additional foil. Then, cook the buds at 230 degrees Fahrenheit for 110 minutes. While faster methods will still produce a great product, this slow and low strategy has proven to have the most yield in a 2011 study on the molecular structure of THC. For those who share a ventilation system with your neighbors, keep in mind that this process can be pretty aromatic. Properly sealing the top of your pan with foil will minimize the fragrance—but it’s still pungent.

Then, it’s time to steep. After your timer goes off, pull out the tray and remove the foil: The weed should be slightly less green and a bit drier after proper decarboxylation. After your weed is activated and cooled down, you can grind it up into fine pieces. If you don’t have a marijuana grinder on hand, don’t panic—a mortar and pestle offers a solid replacement. After the decarboxylation process, the weed will be more brittle, so avoid pulverizing the bud. Place the ground marijuana in the center of the cheesecloth and tie the corners together to create secure bags of the decarboxylated weed. Try not to overstuff the bags in order to avoid excess ground weed floating in the final product. Depending on how finely your weed is ground, multiple layers of cheesecloth may be required. Pour the wine into your pot or bowl and place the marijuana cheesecloth bags inside. Cover the dish with cellophane and place it in the fridge to chill. For the next 24-48 hours, let the mixture steep—stirring occasionally to disrupt the settled marijuana.

Photo courtesy Laura Aebi

Finally, we’re ready to enjoy. Remove the dish from the fridge and pull out the bags of decarboxylated marijuana. Be sure to strain the wine for any fine weed that may have escaped the cheesecloth before serving—this can be done with any excess cheesecloth, if you have some left over. If not, a sieve will work just fine. The synergy between marijuana and wine create a formidable adult beverage that will leave the drinker feeling both sauced and stoned. Keep in mind that eating marijuana can be a much more potent experience, and cooking with weed can make dosing difficult.

While the chilling method is one of the easiest ways to make marijuana wine, it’s far from the only option. One alternative is cooking the wine on low in a Crock-Pot or stock pot for two hours with the cheesecloth-wrapped decarboxylated marijuana. This can be even more effective in creating a great product, but risks overheating the marijuana and burning the THC—which renders it unusable. Check the pot frequently, looking for red flags such as too much wine being cooked away or the boil exceeding a slow roll. This method can be also personalized with spices and other fragrant ingredients. For inspiration, you can always look to traditional mulled wine: Nutmeg, orange peel, cinnamon, maple syrup, and cloves are just a few things you can use to enhance your wine’s natural flavors while fortifying it with the marijuana THC.

In conclusion, weed wine is an easy-to-make, potent alternative to regular vino, but it packs a serious punch. A glass or two of potent weed wine on a Friday evening will have you waking up stoned on Saturday morning. If you’re concerned that the wine is too potent, try adding orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, and triple sec to make a diluted sangria. This method provides an excellent alternative to smoking the herb, and (after being rebottled) can make an excellent party favor or housewarming gift.

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Ben’s Chili Bowl Serves Up DC’s Sloppy Dog and Offbeat History

The story surrounding how a simple sausage creation became a beloved Washington staple may vary, nevertheless, the spicy frank left an enduring imprint on locals. The district simply would not taste the same if Ben’s Chili Bowl never dropped its immaculately spiced chili on a half beef, half pork breakfast sausage. But for locals, Ben’s is more than a hot joint; it’s one of many Washington memorials.

The hot dog shrine has a 60-year track record of being the city’s favorite late-night spot on Washington’s famed U Street corridor. When you mention Ben’s in the district, Washingtonians will make an impassioned case for the fundamental, yet often forgotten importance of Ben’s place in history. Since the late ‘50s, African-American heroes roamed into “The Bowl”—it wouldn’t be uncommon to spot Duke Ellington, Martin Luther King Jr., Miles Davis, or Ella Fitzgerald parked at the white Formica countertop throughout Ben’s long history.

But even if you don’t know the name, you should know that the restaurant pioneered a new way of serving sausages. Ben’s Chili Bowl is often credited for the chili half-smoke you can now buy at almost every hot dog stand in the district.

Half-smoke with chili, Ben’s Chili Bowl

During segregation, U Street was called “Black Broadway” and the black community in Washington and migrants from the South unified there around theatre and jazz. The jazz clubs and after-hours clubs made U Street a perfect location for a late-night eatery. In 1958, Trinidadian immigrant Ben Ali and his wife, Virginia Ali, invested $5000 to turn a silent film cinema into a cultural landmark.

Co-owner of Ben’s Chili Bowl, Kamal Ben Ali, said his dad (now deceased) spotted a gap in the market. One-too-many hamburger spots in Washington led his parents to opening Ben’s. In the process of converting a theatre into a hot dog eatery, Kamal said his dad accidentally invented a new way of eating a popular breakfast sausage.

“Washingtonians don’t really eat hot dogs, they eat a slightly spicier version of a normal frank that you can literally find at every hot dog stand in the district,” says Kamal. Many in the Washington-Maryland region say  the sausage with mustard, chopped onions, and homemade chili on a hot dog bun is Kamal’s dad’s invention. Founder Ben Ali put a breakfast sausage on a bun, with chili, and called it a chili half-smoke.

“He turned the sausage into a sandwich, for lunch and dinner and late-night. You can only find it in the D.C., Baltimore area. If you go to other cities and ask for a half-smoke, they don’t really know what you’re talking about,” says Ali.

Ben Ali, Ben’s Chili Bowl

It’s sort of a smoked sausage or red hot frank, and if you like sloppy dogs, it’s immensely satisfying while you’re on the go, or gorging on junk food after late night partying.

Kamal said Ben’s signature sandwich has pretty much stayed the same since its start: “Eating habits have changed and people are eating more exotic things, but there’s still room for chili cheese smokes and chili cheese fries.”

Aside from half-smokes and the retro ambiance (that has also stayed the same since Ben’s opened), the restaurant has remained a favorite gathering place for politicians like President Barack Obama, athletes, and movies stars.

According to Kamal everyone that passes through Washington comes to The Chili Bowl. “We’re reflective of everything that happens in Washington. U Street is a place that people come to and flock to for some reason…after or before, no matter what is going on,” he says. “Gay rights, civil rights, human rights, or whatever’s happening in town, we get a piece of that at The Chili Bowl.”

Ben’s Chili Bowl, Steve Snodgrass/flickr

It’s interesting to see that Ben’s has been on the cutting edge of so many nationwide political shifts, and it’s because the diner is reflective of all that happens in Washington, according to Kamal. Indeed, six decades later, 83-year-old Virginia Ali, her son Kamal Ben Ali, and his brothers, can still be found celebrating U Street’s rich heritage. You will find the family bringing the city together for cultural excursions, political gatherings, and community events at the diner.

The family says Ben’s Chili Bowl is open to everyone, and they invite all to come and explore Washington’s offbeat history.

More Historically Delicious Spots

Politicians and Their Palates: Where to Spot Lawmakers in DC

14 Iconic Chicago Hot Dog Stands

How the World’s Largest Drive-In Restaurant Has Operated for Nearly a Century

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How a Carolina Reaper Sent One Man to the Hospital

Here’s some seriously spicy news. After eating the world’s hottest pepper in a chili-eating contest, a man ended up in the hospital with extremely painful headaches. Just one Carolina Reaper chili induced the pain days later. This may seem like an unsurprising result, but according to the journal BMJ Case Reports, this is the first reported incident of chili-associated “thunderclap” headaches.

For those unaware, Carolina Reapers were officially designated the world’s hottest pepper by Guinness World Records in 2013.  The average Reaper delivers 1,569,300 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). To give a sense of its spicy scope, jalapeños pale in comparison and only pack about 2,500 to 8,000 SHU. And to many, those taste like a mouth full of fire!

After competing in the contest, the man experienced dry heaves, but it wasn’t until hours later that he felt severe neck pains. The aforementioned thunderclap headaches soon followed. Thunderclap headaches are caused by the sudden constriction of vessels that supply blood to the brain. The condition is scientifically known as reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCSV) and it’s a major medical issue.

Luckily his symptoms cleared up and within five weeks and a CT scan revealed that his arteries returned to their normal size. While chilis have never been associated with an incident quite this extreme, cayenne pepper has previously been linked to sudden coronary constriction and heart attacks. So be careful the next time you reach for the hot sauce.

In an interview with the BBC, Dr Kulothungan Gunasekaran, the doctor who wrote the case report, had these wise words to say: “We would not advise against eating Carolina Reaper at this time, but we would recommend the general public be cautious about these adverse effects and we advise that they should seek medical attention immediately if they develop sudden onset headache after eating hot peppers.” We’ll be sure to heed that advice.

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8 Recipes to Celebrate Asparagus this Spring

One of the first green veggies to pop up in the spring is asparagus. Granted, we can buy it at the super market year round, but it really does taste sweetest in spring, when it’s in season.

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