Introduction

Margaritas are a drink of celebration. They’re amazing paired with tacos, guacamole, and cannabis, of course! We’ve provided a few of our favorite elevated cocktail recipes for you to re-create. Dust off the margarita glasses and get ready to party with some yummy, dairy-free summer cocktails.

Ingredients

8 ounces silver tequila*
3 ounces orange liqueur
4 ounces fresh lime juice
1 oz Grand Marnier or Anejo Rum (as a float)
4 lime wheels
4 cups of ice

*Use mezcal instead for a smoky flavor or OJ to make it non-alcoholic. Skip the float if you’re substituting.

You’ll also need…
1 NOVA Lift
1 High-powered blender
1/4 gram starting material**

**See our dosing guide so you can decide how much cannabis to add to your batch of margaritas. You’ll notice you don’t need much! Start low, around 10mg or less per serving.

Warning: Mixing alcohol and cannabis needs to be done carefully and safely. We recommend starting with a very small dose. You can always have another drink, but you can’t have less! Never drive or operate machinery after having an infused cocktail. And wait until you feel the effects before you have another round (it may take longer than you think).

Directions

Difficulty level: Easy
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Makes 4 drinks
** Extra time needed for activation and infusion. See our infusion guide*

1. Activate your cannabis in the NOVA Lift.
2. Remove your activated material and grind into fine powder. Set aside.
3. Add the silver tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice and ice to your blender. Blend until slushy, adding more ice if you need.
4. Add activated, ground bud and blend another 30 seconds.
5. Pour immediately into 4 glasses (salt rim optional), adding your Grand Marnier or Anejo Rum “float” to the top of each drink. Garnish with lime wedges and enjoy!

Seeking a snack for movie night? Look no further. This potcorn recipe uses buttery and delicious infused ghee to elevate a classic snack. Ghee is shelf stable, so you can infuse a big batch to enjoy marijuana potcorn on demand. (Note: You can also absolutely use cannabutter! Ghee offers a bit more flexibility and is lactose free, too.)

Here’s How to Make Weed Popcorn

While there are many ways to pop corn, from the microwave to the air popper, we love the stove top method for a rich, buttery bowl. By using plenty of oil to fry the kernels, you end up with a super crunchy and flavorful bite. They also are less prone to sogginess, and stay fresher longer than other methods. No styrofoam texture here! Let’s get on and learn how to make weed popcorn to die for!

Potcorn Recipe Details

Difficulty level: Easy
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
** Extra time needed for activation and infusion. See our infusion guide*

Marijuana Popcorn Recipe Ingredients

½ cup Popcorn kernels
3 Tbsp. Oil (neutral, such as canola, sunflower, safflower)
3 Tbsp. Infused Ghee
Salt
Optional toppings such as nutritional yeast, grated cheese, spices
Serves 4

You’ll also need…
½ gram starting material**
NOVA Lift
Large pot with lid (ideally a dutch oven, something with good heat conductivity and a heavy lid and plenty of room for the popped corn)
*See our dosing guide so you can decide how much cannabis to add to the infusion.

Directions to make Weed Popcorn

1. Activate your flower in the NOVA Lift. Remove your activated material and slide the infusion sleeve into NOVA Lift’s inner canister. Place your ghee and activated cannabis into the sleeve and run it for a second cycle to infuse. You’ll want to use about ¼ cup of ghee to make enough for this recipe.
2. Once the infusion cycle is complete, strain the ghee. You’ll end up with about 3 tablespoons, enough for this recipe, since some of the fat is absorbed by the plant material.
3. Before you make the popcorn, melt your infused ghee and add some sea salt to taste. Set aside — this will be used to coat the popcorn.
4. Put your large pot over medium heat. Add your oil, 3 kernels and cover. These kernels will be the alarm, telling us when the oil is ready. Once you hear the testers start to pop, add the rest of the half cup of kernels and stir, making sure they’re covered in oil. Return the lid and wait a minute or two.
5. Once you start to hear the rest of the batch pop, carefully start shaking the covered pot around, with the burner still on (be sure to use oven mitts or potholders!). This will circulate the kernels so they pop evenly. When you are hearing fewer and fewer pops, turn off the heat and crack the lid slightly so steam can escape.
6. Pour the popcorn into a very large bowl (or onto a baking sheet) and quickly coat with the melted ghee. Mix around so each piece is glossy. Next, you can add any toppings you like! The ghee will act as glue. This is delicious with just some simple salting, but we also love nutritional yeast, chili pepper, grated aged cheese, and other spice blends to make our THC popcorn taste amazing. Have fun and experiment!

Check out an infused popcorn recipe by Ardent community member Peter Cardoz:

How did your Edible Potcorn Turn Out?

How did you like our edible popcorn? Let us know in the comments how it tasted!

This roasty, tangy Mediterranean dip is perfect for your next mezze night.

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants
2 tablespoons infused olive oil, divided
⅓ cup tahini
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon za’atar spice
Salt and Pepper to taste

You’ll also need…
1 food processor or high powered blender
1 NOVA Lift
1 gram starting material* (cannabis)

 

Directions

Difficulty level: Easy
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
** Extra time needed for activation and infusion. See our infusion guide*

1. Activate your material in the NOVA Lift.
2. Remove your activated material and slide the infusion sleeve into the NOVA Lift’s inner canister.
3. Pour 2 ½ tablespoons of olive oil into the infusion sleeve. Add your activated material to the oil and run it for a second cycle in the NOVA Lift to infuse. Strain the oil — now it’s ready to use!
4. Poke your eggplants 6-8 times with a fork and place on baking sheet. Roast at 400F for an hour, turning over about halfway through. Once the skin is charred and eggplant looks “deflated,” remove from oven and let them rest. Once they’re cool enough to handle, remove the flesh and set in a colander for about 20 minutes to drain.
5. Place the eggplant and all other ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, reserving a little chopped parsley, za’atar spice and pomegranate molasses as a garnish. Blend for a minute until everything is well combined.
6. Transfer to a small bowl and garnish with molasses, za’atar and parsley. Serve alongside pita and sliced cucumber.

Hummus: it’s a favorite snacking staple and your new favorite edible. With the Nova Lift’s capabilities as both a precision activator and an infuser, we thought we’d highlight both uses in this one versatile dish. A za’atar spice blend and infused olive oil drizzle bring this dip to the next level; you can use both or simply choose one. For accurate dosing, see our guide.

This is a simple recipe to make from scratch; let your food processor do the work. If you’re tight on time, though, you can also use store-bought hummus. A note on flavor profiles: hummus has nuttiness from tahini and brightness from lemon, which makes it a dream to pair with cannabis. You can choose an earthy, woodsy strain to bring out the richness of the sesame, or a more sour strain to highlight the citrus.

Difficulty level: Easy
Ready in: 30 minutes
** Extra time needed for activation and infusion. See our infusion guide**
Makes about 2 cups of hummus

For the Infused Olive Oil:

This will be used as a drizzle over the hummus.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ gram cannabis*, activated

Directions:

Pour the oil into our silicone infusion sleeve. Add activated cannabis and put inside NOVA for a second infusion cycle. Strain and set aside.
*See our dosing guide so you can decide how much cannabis to add to the infusion.

For the elevated Za’atar Spice Blend:

This is a traditional Middle Eastern finishing spice that’s bright, savory and is the perfect final touch for hummus. You can make it yourself or buy a premade blend at your local spice shop. This is a bigger batch that you can use for the hummus with some left over for other things like eggplant, toasted pita, and roasted chicken.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground sumac
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon dried time (or oregano)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Optional: 1 tablespoon Aleppo Pepper, Urfa Pepper, or other ground spicy pepper
1 gram (or desired amount) activated cannabis flower, finely ground or a bit of activated kief (blends wonderfully into the spice blend – try using our silicone infusion sleeve to activate kief)

Directions:

1. Add desired amount of flower or kief into the NOVA Lift. Activate one cycle. If using flower, grind finely once it’s finished.
2. Place all dried spices and ground cannabis into a bowl and mix well. Set aside. Keeps well in a sealed container.

For the Hummus:

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
¼ cup tahini
¼ olive oil
1 garlic clove (smashed)
2 tsp. Kosher salt
Juice of 1 lemon

Directions:

1. Add chickpeas, garlic, salt and lemon juice to a food processor. Combine until cohesive, then scrape down sides.
2. Add olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the reserved liquid and combine until very smooth. You can add more chickpea liquid/olive oil until desired smoothness achieved.
3. You can also add other flavors, such as roasted red pepper or oil cured olives, by adding into food processor, or chopping finely and folding into the hummus with a spatula.

The hummus may be quite warm after processing. You can refrigerate it in a bowl until you’re ready to serve.

Put hummus in a serving dish and give an artistic swirl to the top, leaving little valleys for the oil and spices to settle. If you’re using the infused olive oil, drizzle generously over the top (otherwise, substitute with plain olive oil). Give a generous sprinkle of the za’atar spice. Serve with crudites, pita chips, or warmed crusty bread.