Bhang Lassi, cannabis milk shake
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Bhang Lassi is a very popular drink in India both for its aromatic smell and relaxing, spiritual effect. It is an ancient cannabis preparation enriched with seeds, spices, honey and milk which has been used for centuries in this amaing country. In this article we explain you how to easily prepare it at home!
The popularity of this beverage has its origins in the Hindu religion and is associated with the cult of Shiva: the followers of this goddess used - and still use today - to smoke Bhang (which means "cannabis" in Hindi language) in the temples dedicated to Shiva, also charas (which is hashish obtained by rubbing fresh plants with the hands). Without a doubt, sadhus are the most famous among the followers of Shiva, religious "holy men" who wander along the temples with their traditional clay chillums.
Bhang Lassi and other cannabis derivatives have been traditionally used in religious ceremonies to connect men with Shiva and be purified from their sins. But the popularity of Bhang Lassi skyrocketed when the first tourists interested in recreational cannabis visited India (during the 70's and onwards) and discovered the traditional cannabis milk shakes, which is to say, Bhang Lassi.
Since the popularity of this drink throughout the territory is huge, you can find many variations of Bhang Lassi in India. In this way, the recipe we explain here may be adapted according to the ingredients you have at hand or your personal preferences.
Recipe of Bhang Lassi, cannabis milk shake
The most commonly used ingredients to make Bhang Lassi in India are:
- A dozen grams of medium quality cannabis buds (it would be a shame to use top grade nugs for this purpose)
- 2 cups of whole milk (the fatty matter will retain all cannabinoids)
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon of coconut milk (which also contains fatty matter and provides unctuous texture)
- 1-2 tablespoons of seeds: almonds, cashew, pumpkin, melon, cannabis...
- Spices: ginger, garam massala, black pepper, fennel, nutmeg...always depending on your personal taste
- Honey
Preparation of Bhang Lassi
Two hours prior to preparing the recipe, soak the seeds you're going to use in water to rehydrate them and facilitate the extraction of their juice later on.
First, fill a small pot with water and heat it. Add the weed and boil it for 10 minutes to infuse the buds. Once done, you can throw away the water (it mainly contains chlorophyll and small amounts of terpenes). This step allows you to decarb the weed so that all cannabinoids will be active and have an effect in your body (otherwise, the effect would be very mild, if there is any).
Put the weed in a strainer or muslin and let it drain. Then, put it in a pestle with a couple tablespoons of hot milk and use a mortar to crush the mix (you can also use a blender). Thoroughly mix the ingredients and use a muslin to drain it again (this time you'll keep the extracted and filtered liquid).
Remove the weed from the pestle and fill it with the seeds and spices you want to use. Crush the seeds and the spices while adding the milk (and the filtered liquid you got from crushing the weed with the milk) until you get a homogeneous mix. Filter the mix and you're almost done! Now you just have to add some honey (or sugar), coconut milk and some fruits if you want.
CAUTION: As happens with any cannabis edible, it is important to start with small amounts (or low doses) and gradually increase them to meet your personal taste. The effects of ingested cannabis take a bit longer to appear, and are normally more intense and long lasting than smoked buds. It'd be a pity to turn a wonderful, spiritual experience into a bad trip!
Enjoy your drinks!
