For this month’s episode of Easily Baked with Ardent, our free monthly cooking show that teaches beginner-level, from-scratch, infused recipes with the aid of Ardent technology right on Instagram Live, we tackled the easiest FX in-unit apple cider!
In case you missed out on the fun, we’re recapping it right here:
How to Get Started
The infusion base of these recipes, along with plenty of other infused beverages, is cannasugar.
To make cannasugar, you’ll need to make a cold infusion with a strong grain alcohol like Everclear. Simply decarb your plant material in the Ardent Nova or FX, then toss your activated material into an airtight container, and fully submerge it in the alcohol. This jar can be stored in a cool, dark place such as a pantry for as little as 24 hours, or as long as you like. Agitate the infusion by shaking the jar here and there. To make your cannasugar stronger, infuse your grain alcohol with concentrate, instead.
Strain out the spent material using the Ardent Frainer, if you infused with flower or other plant parts, and pour 1 part infusion (or “green dragon”) to 2 parts sugar. Let it air dry overnight in a well-ventilated room, and use in place of sugar in recipes of all kinds.
The following recipe gives you plenty of room to play with the amount of sugar. You can also infuse other crystallized sugar alternatives such as erythritol or stevia using the same methodology.
Lastly, if you want a touch of alcohol in your beverage as well, you can add a tincture or two full of green dragon on its own to your glass AFTER it’s been removed from the device. As a reminder, alcohol never goes inside your Ardent device, as it’s dangerous and will void your warranty.
Equipment Needed
- Ardent Nova or FX
- Ardent FX Infusion Press and/or a cheesecloth
- Glass or jar for serving
Ingredients
- 1 Granny Smith apple
- 1 honeycrisp apple
- ½ blood orange
- ½ - 1 inch knob of ginger, grated
- 1 - 2 cups of filtered water
- Pumpkin pie spice, to taste
- Sprinkle of cannasalt
- 2 - 4 cinnamon sticks
- Small handful of whole cloves
- 2 - 4 tablespoons cannasugar
- 1 tincture full of green dragon (optional to make the drink alcoholic)
How to Make Cannabis Infused Apple Cider
- Chop apples small and place them inside the FX.
- Add ½ a blood orange to the FX.
- Grate ginger inside the FX.
- Pour filtered water over the apples, ginger, and oranges in-unit, and pour filtered water over top, being careful to not surpass the full line.
- Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, and pumpkin pie spice to taste, along with a sprinkle of cannasalt.
- Place the FX on the A2 setting and allow it to cook for the entire cycle.
- Open the unit, gently push the fruit down beneath the liquid, and run a second A2 cycle.
- Once the cycle is complete, replace the FX lid with the Infusion Press, push the lever down, and pour the cider out of the easy pour spout and into a glass.
- Add cannasugar to taste.