A good cannabis simple syrup sweetens coffee, tea, lemonade and mocktails with a dose you can count by the teaspoon. The catch: simmering flower in sugar water barely works. Here's why, plus two methods that do.
Why plain sugar water falls short
| Liquid | Does THC dissolve in it? |
|---|---|
| Water | Barely: about 2.8 mg per liter |
| Alcohol | Readily |
| Oils and fats | Readily |
| Glycerin | Yes, and glycerin mixes with water |
So simmered sugar water leaves most of the THC in the plant matter you strain out, while glycerin carries THC into a water-based syrup.
How to dose cannabis simple syrup
Divide the total THC by the teaspoons of syrup. For the glycerin method, 1.75 grams of 20% flower holds at most 350 mg; in about 2 cups (96 teaspoons) that's under 4 mg per teaspoon, and real numbers run lower. With a tincture, use the label: 100 mg in 1 1/2 cups (72 teaspoons) is about 1.4 mg per teaspoon. Shake before each use, start with one teaspoon and wait 2 hours.
Two methods that work
Glycerin method
Along with sugar and water, you need food-grade vegetable glycerin and decarbed flower (how to decarb). Warm the flower in the glycerin over very low heat for 2 to 3 hours without letting it simmer. Strain, then stir the infused glycerin into cooled syrup.
Tincture method
Make the syrup, let it cool completely, and whisk in a measured amount of THC tincture. Alcohol- and glycerin-based tinctures blend in; oil-based ones float. Our tincture guide explains the types, and you can check your store's menu for options, since selection varies by store.
Storage and labeling
Bottle the syrup, label it with the date and estimated mg per teaspoon, and refrigerate it where kids and pets can't reach. Poison control is 1-800-222-1222.
Ways to use it
Stir a measured teaspoon into coffee, iced tea or our strawberry canna-nade. Blend it into slushies, or add a counted number of teaspoons to a popsicle base and divide by the molds, as in our infused popsicles. It can also replace part of the sugar syrup in homemade marshmallows cut into equal squares.
For adults 21 and older. Enjoy it responsibly.
