What if you’re too busy to nurse a crockpot, can’t find the plug to your Ardent FX (like me last weekend), and don’t feel like waiting several weeks to long-steep a tincture?
The answer? The Ice Dragon Tincture Recipe.
Today’s tincture post is written by Fiona (Corinne’s assistant) – after getting my hands on a copy of Dazed + Infused from the Cannabis Coaching Institute training program. (Yes, I’m finally going for my cannabis freezer coach certification this year because after two years at Wake + Bake, it’s about dayum time.)
As a single mom of two lively little boys, I love recipes that are:
- Easy to make
- Quick to finish
- Don’t make me feel anxious about making something explode in my kitchen
The Ice Dragon Tincture checks all of those boxes. All you need is…
A Mason Jar (I used a plastic lid, not the metal ones) Decarbed Cannabis (Did it right in my Ardent) Enough 40 ABV or 80 proof alcohol to cover the Cannabis Room in the back of your freezer
Why Use the Freezer Method Over the Heat Method to Make a Tincture
I originally started recommending The Ice Dragon Tincture to people who have expressed feeling anxious or paranoid when smoking weed and were too terrified of setting something on fire when heating alcohol.
As someone who is clinically diagnosed with schizoaffective bipolar disorder, paranoia is definitely something I’ve struggled to cope with.
When it comes to cannabis freezer, it’s a double-edged sword. For me, a high-THC, low-CBD strain can send me spiraling to a place where I think I’m being chased by elephants, yet the right microdose can stabilize my moods so well that I no longer use prescription medication (with my doctor’s approval)!
That being said, I get paranoia. It doesn’t matter how many experts or science journals say that low heat won’t cause alcohol to set on fire in your kitchen – if using heat with your tinctures makes you feel stressed, this method might be worth trying out.
Customizing Your Tincture for Your Personal Goals
After my first three weeks of Cannabis Coaching Institute, I learned some interesting things about healing with Cannabis (go easy on me, Cannabis experts, I’m still learning!)
- If you dumped a bunch of weed into your alcohol and I dumped a bunch of weed into my alcohol, following the same exact recipe, you and I can still get wildly different results.
- It’s not even about sativa vs. indica vs. hybrids. The percentage of THC and CBD in the plant must be considered. The different terpenes (which give specific strains their “flavor” and helps shape the effect) will change the end result.
Knowing this can be so frustrating because tinctures aren’t predictable the way popping a Tylenol might be, but you can experiment with different strains, cannabinoids, and dosages to completely customize your experience.
Now that’s freakin’ dope.
I’d love to write more about the different compounds I learned in Cannabis Coaching Institute to help you shape your fully customized experience, but we’d be here for a while and we all know that food bloggers can get long-winded.
How to Use The Ice Dragon Tincture
There are two primary ways you can use your Ice Dragon Tincture:
- Sublingually (under the tongue)
- In edibles (swallowed)
Sublingual application is definitely faster. You’ll feel the effects within 15-20 minutes and those effects will peak in 60-90 minutes. If you use strong proof alcohol, you can burn the tissue under your tongue so be aware of that.
Swallowing tinctures will take longer for you to feel the effects, around 30-60 minutes. It will peak in 2-3 hours. It’s not as the-room-is-spinning dramatic as fat-based edibles might be. These are perfect for putting in your coffee, ice cubes, and gummies.
The Ice Dragon Tincture Recipe
You will need:
- Two mason jars with plastic lids
- Decarboxylated cannabis freezer (THC, CBD, CBG or whatever ratio you choose)
- Enough 80 proof+ alcohol to cover your Cannabis*
- Room in the back of your freezer
* If you vape, you can also use your AVB (already vaped bud) in this recipe, too!
Instructions:
- Head over to the THC/CBD calculator and enter your numbers. Keep a record of these numbers so you’re aware of how much you’re taking per dose.
- Place the decarbed Cannabis and alcohol in the freezer SEPARATELY. Allowing them to get really cold is said to help the trichomes (which produce the effects you’re looking for) break off without the chlorophyll seeping into your tincture (which can be hard on your palate).
- Wait 60 minutes.
- Place the frozen Cannabis into your mason jar.
- Pour in enough very cold alcohol to cover your plant material completely.
- Put the lid on the mason jar and shake vigorously for several minutes.
- Place in the coldest part of your freezer (usually the back).
- Shake again every 3-5 hours and place back in the freezer.
The tincture will be ready to use in as soon as a day, though I found it to be more potent after several days. You can leave the tincture in the freezer for a couple of weeks, if you’d like.
When the tincture has reached the desired potency, strain out the plant material and pour the tincture into dark glass dropper bottles.
You can store this tincture in the fridge for up to 6 months.
This recipe was originally published in Dazed + Infused by Corinne Tobias
Final Notes on The Ice Dragon Tincture
This is one of the, in my opinion, easier tinctures to make, especially when introducing other people to different methods of ingestion. It’s now my go-to whenever someone is trying to move away from smoking or wants to try Cannabis for the first time. You can also infuse other herbs into this tincture if you’d like something more calming or energizing (yay terpenes).
And for my fellow friends who deal with fire-based paranoia or fears, I hope this recipe is something that can give you an alternative to other methods of crafting tinctures.
Let me know how your Ice Dragon Tincture turns out in the comments below.
Much Love,
Fiona
Ice Dragon Tincture
- Two mason jars with plastic lids
- Room in the back of your freezer
- Decarboxylated Cannabis (THC, CBD, CBG or whatever ratio you choose)
- Enough 80 proof+ alcohol to cover your Cannabis
Head over to the THC/CBD calculator* (linked in the notes) and enter your numbers. Keep a record of these numbers so that you’re aware of how much you’re taking per dose.
Place the decarbed Cannabis and alcohol into the freezer separately. Wait one hour.
Place the frozen Cannabis into your mason jar.
Pour in enough of the very cold alcohol to cover your plant material completely.
Put the plastic lid on the mason jar and shake vigorously for several minutes.
Place the jar in the coldest part of your freezer (usually in the back).
Shake again every 3-5 hours and place back in the freezer.
The tincture will be ready to use in as soon as a day, though I found it to be more potent after several days. You can leave the tincture in the freezer for a couple of weeks, if you’d like.
When the tincture has reached the desired potency, strain out the plant material and pour the tincture into dark glass dropper bottles.
You can store this tincture in the fridge for up to 6 months.
So basically you performed a basic QWET. I recommend you use Everclear and then purge the alcohol off so you’re left with a very clean product that can then be combined with a carrier.
Exactly! You can purge some or all of the alcohol off if you’d like, or you can keep it as is and use as an alcohol based tincture. Player’s choice!
Don’t forget YOU MUST STILL PROVIDE ADEQUATE VENTILATION EVEN WHEN PASSIVELY VENTING ETOH. FUMES ARE FLAMMABLE AND MAY BE HARMFUL TO PETS/KIDS. The Everclear bottle has a warning for a reason! Be safe!! ✌
Thanks DAD!!! Lol
How do you purge off the alcohol afterwards?
That’s what I do, then I use the reduced tincture in my gummies.
This is what I did and my product was clear and amazing!!!!
Mmmm … I’m not a big drinker, but this recipe sounds interesting (and easy.) I have some Patron Cafe XO that’s been in the back of my freezer for a long, long time. (Did I mention I’m not a drinker?) It’s only 70%, but how bad could it be? Esp. since I’ll use the leftover herb in some kind of bake goodie…like a brownie or a blondie? Fiona or Corinne… is this not a good idea?
I don’t drink at all but I had some AVB I didn’t want to waste and I figured if I’m going to be recommending tinctures to people I might as well try it. I add this to my tea/coffee and it doesn’t rise to the top and leave a weird oily film on my teeth like a fat based infusion would. I’m going to try the gummy recipe here too – Fiona
Love life
I have used the method from this article with 5 minute infusions and as long as three days. The short infusion draws in far less Chlorophyll or what I call the “ick”, a taste I do not enjoy but, was less potent than longer infusions. In an attempt to draw less ick into the longer infusions I added table salt, I had read it is used in DNA extraction and decided to give it a try. I added a teaspoon of salt to a cup of Alcool and then the decarbed cannabis and proceeded as described in the article for three days along with a control version with no salt added. Due to the polarity of the alcohol not much salt dissolved in the infusion and was mostly filtered out with the plant material. I didn’t get it tested for actual differences but it tasted better, was lighter in colour than the unsalted control even in photographs, more golden than green and appeared equally as potent as the more ick version. I couldn’t taste the salt either.
Have you or any readers here ever tried this?
That’s interesting, Glenn. I’ll have to try this with the next batch – Fiona
Did this ever happen?
If your using the alcohol tincture subliminally how do you handle or what do you do to handle the potential burn. I’ve made tinctures in the ardent nova (don’t throw away leaf from ardent process as they suggest, makes powerful cookies just using drained leaf). Gonna try this dragon process to see which method is more potent using same weed.
Can you make jello bites with the alcohol
You can purge some or all of the alcohol off or add honey to make it more palatable or to incorporate it into recipes that don’t lend well to an alcoholic flavor.
Hey, so to kill some of that burn I seeped coffee grounds in my final product of the tinctures also added some sugar free flavoring. Tasted so good and the potency still remined. I used sugar free to prevent and fermentation that sugars could possibly produce. I could be wrong but the coffee and sugar free caramel took that burn away totally!
How do you purge the alcohol off?
I put the tincture in a mixing bowl then place the bowl in a put of water and slowly evaporate the excess alcohol paying close attention to the temp of the tincture. keep temp at 180 or lower. 15-30 minutes will reduce tincture to approximately 80% volume.
I have been dabbling with this method over the past few weeks and find it quite simple. Question, how do you purge off some of the alcohol?
Hi Corrine
How do I purge alcohol off?
You can heat it with the lid off, but for I haven’t done it in so long that I can’t remember how i did it. I’ll have to test it next time I make this. I’ve been playing with the extract craft and that’s a fun fancy gadget, but it puts a real dent in the pocket. I’ll keep you posted!
xoxo,
Corinne
1. Is the plastic lid necessary?
2. What would a longer infuse time do? Like if I only strained out what I needed as I used it and it continued to soak for months?
3. Did you ever end up trying the salt method mentioned by another commenter?
1. Nope!
2. I’ve done both. It doesn’t *seem* to make much of a difference, but I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it.
3. I didn’t! I didn’t even see that… I’ll have to check it out!
xoxo,
CT
I wish the potency testers were more affordable! I would love to see the comparison results, especially if it made it taste better!
I understand the fear with heat, but is there a difference in taste or potency between the freezer method and the heat method of infusion? Thank you
Any ideas what to do with CBD hash if you can’t smoke it from severe lung & heart problems? How do you decarboxylat hash? ?
I need some suggestions.
Great question! Same way you decarb flower. You can run it through a decarboxylator like the Nova or the Flex, or you can simply decarboxylate by using a homespun method like your oven.
Hope that helps!
Great article. Love the website. However, I’ve been following the extract crafter advice for a while too. That’s exactly how I make my tinctures. After reading a lot of the comments here I feel like the issues with people retaining too much chlorophyll have a lot to do with short durations of only one hour in the freezer, the temp of the alcohol (takes longer than an hour to make very cold), and the ABV%. The extract crafter suggests about 24 hours in the freezer (decarbed herb separate from alc) before combining and then it only takes 10 to 20 minutes for a great wash before you can strain it. I’ve been doing this for a while with that method and getting very delicious golden dragon (not green) hemp. My herb may be high proportions of other cannabinoids but it’s still very medicating and fast delivery.
I just started playing with my extract craft device a couple of weeks ago. Please share every single thing you know ??
With love,
Corinne
I had to use mason jar with metel lid I did it once before, Is this ok? jar stands up in my fridge, why does it call for plastic lid?
Hey Kim,
It’s totally okay!
Corinne just uses plastic lids sometimes because the metal ones can rust over time.
-Maddie (Team Wake + Bake)
I am needing some assistance on the proper ratios of kief to alcohol for tincture.
Can I make infused olive oil for sublingual dosing somehow with the Ice dragon
Slightly confused. It says that you need 2 mason jars but it doesn’t actually say what the second one is used for. Can you please clarify? Thanks. : )
You freeze the bud and the alcohol separately in the two jars. Thanks for pointing out that that wasn’t clear!
have you tried it yet? curious
Three weeks ago I made a Green Dragon tincture with a few grams of XJ-13 and about a quarter cup of Crown Royal in a jar. I just strained about an ounce of the liquid into a dropper bottle and put a couple of squirts in hot tea. Tastes great. Works. (Also, does not sting sublingually.) I replaced the raffinate, added more CR, and put the jar back in the freezer. I have 3 varieties in there. The other two were made with: Indica/Patron Cafe XO and CBG/Cuervo Gold. You don’t NEED to use Everclear….and eventually, I’ll use the liquor-saturated raffinate in baking so nothing will go to waste.
what does raffinate mean
Just made my second batch of Ice Dragon. Works very well. Great for putting in my 2 inch ice cube tray with water. 2 oz. bourbon and an infused cube, and I’m set for the evening. Will mix some of this batch with some honey for my morning coffee to go with toast and infused almond butter! Life is good!
Yay Woody!!
Hi. Should you grind the cannabis or leave in whole buds? I buy from a licensed producer and the website says it is decarbed. Do I still need to decarb at hone before making? thanks
Hey Melanie!
Maddie here (Corinne’s assistant)
Great questions!
Most people have success grinding the herb before making a tincture 🙂
And if your supplier is selling/ saying the herb is already decarbed then I’m going to assume that you can just go ahead and use it.
I hope this helps 🙂
Is there any time limit that I can/should leave this in the freezer? Just made two jars with a 1/2 oz of decarb and
1 1/3 cups of Everclear in each jar. I would like to keep it in the freezer for months, and just use a little at home as needed, or put into a little brown glass dropped for travels. Any reason I should not do this? thanks!
Great question, Jamie!
I don’t see why not!
-Maddie (Team Wake + Bake)
I evaporate most of the everclear out then you can add or do anything you want, including oil. It will prob have
Hi thanks for the advice. A couple more questions for you. When in the process should you grind the Herb? Should you do it before you Decarb, after you decarb, or after you put it in the freezer?
Should you squeeze the weed to get all of the alcohol out of it when you are straining it? I seem to only get about a quarter of the liquid out that I put in, but when I squeeze it to get all the liquid out then it gets more cloudy and I think tastes more planty. Should I add more liquid, either alcohol or water to get more out? Is this what a second wash means? Do I refreeze it or just pour it through the strainer/filter?
Also any advice on not getting that plant-like taste in the tinture?
Does leaving it in the freezer longer get more of the plants taste or less? Has anybody found a best timeframe? Couple hours couple days couple months?
Thanks to anyone that has any advice on this. I’m a newbie and have only tried two tintures so far and I’m not 100% satisfied with the results.
Corrine, have you determined the process for purging the alcohol off.
Also when I do a purge, can I then add some Olive oil?
Hey there!
Great question!
You can pour it into a shallow Pyrex or glass bowl and let a fan blow on it… Corinne has done that before. Takes awhile but works. We have also seen on a google search that you can try placing it in a bowl, and placing the bowl in hot water (no fire/ flame) without a lid. We haven’t tested this method ourselves yet, but plan to soon. We try to avoid evaporating with any fire/ flame/ excessive heat as that can be dangerous to do inside.
You can always add olive oil after if that’s what floats your boat 🙂
I hope this helps!
-Maddie (Team Wake + Bake)
How do you evaporate it?
Hey there!
Great question!
You can pour it into a shallow Pyrex or glass bowl and let a fan blow on it… Corinne has done that before. Takes awhile but works. We have also seen on a google search that you can try placing it in a bowl, and placing the bowl in hot water (no fire/ flame) without a lid. We haven’t tested this method ourselves yet, but plan to soon. We try to avoid evaporating with any fire/ flame/ excessive heat as that can be dangerous to do inside.
I hope this helps 🙂
-Maddie (Team Wake + Bake)
I used the dosage calculator and got this result which is very strong because i use a small amount of alcohol. But what would the outcome of the levels be if I reduce all the alcohol off?
What is the THC% of your plant material
16
What is the CBD% of your plant material
12.6
How much plant material will you be using in your infusion
in grams
4
How many cups of oil or alcohol will you be infusing?
if using more or less than one full cup, enter in decimal fraction – i.e. 0.25 or 1.50)
0.25
Total THCmg for the entire infusion 640.00
Total CBDmg for the entire infusion 504.00
Total THCmg per teaspoon 53.33
Total CBDmg per teaspoon 42.00
Hey there,
Maddie here (Corinne’s assistant)
That’s a great question! I’m not sure if the levels would change.. I’ll have to bring this question to Corinne at our next meeting. 🙂
-Maddie (Team Wake + Bake)
Is it required to keep the tincture in the fridge after straining or can it be stored room temperature?
Hey Gladys!
Either is fine 🙂
how did you dose? how many drops were enough to get you high ( i understand this will differ but i just want a better idea)
Hey Yohance!
I would start with 1/2 a dropper, see how it makes you feel. Wait about 30 minutes and see if you need another 1/2 dropper.
Always start low and go slow 🙂
I hope this helps!
-Maddie (Team Wake + Bake)
I have been following your work for a few years and really appreciate all the information (I have your e books) I did want to share a technique I have used in aromatherapy that might work as a while to evaporate off the alcohol safely. I had made a propolis tincture (propolis does not macerate in oil, so I had to use alcohol, but I wanted the end product in an oil), then I put one ounce of tincture to one ounce of carrier oil (this was for external use) in a jar and left a paper towel over the top rubber banded for 2 weeks and the alcohol evaporated off and suspended the medium (propolis) into the carrier oil that I could now use as a lipid. its risky as no one wants to waste precious flower, but it could be worth a try of course it takes time.
I would like to ask if you can give some guidance on how much honey to add to an everclear tincture to cut the harshness but not loose too much potency? it does make me wonder about trying my above method with honey? although alcohol and honey are both water based, so they should mix, I have never mixed alcohol and honey. any guidance would be great. I am starting my first green dragon tincture today!!
Hi Lori!
Thank you for reaching out and for sharing!
You shouldn’t lose potency mixing it with honey, only the volume will increase.
It does mix great with the honey, as far as how much, that is completely up to how sweet you would like it!
I’m not sure if the above method would work with honey from how you are describing it. I think part of the reason it works is oil and alcohol do not bind together. However, as you said, honey and alcohol will, so it might not work.
Let us know how your tincture comes out!
Warmly,
Victoria (Team Wake + Bake)
Hi Corinne,
Is it possible to reduce the green color of the tincture by giving the flower a quick rinse in a strainer in a bowl of water, let it dry throughly and then decarb? Would this alter the potency?
Hey John!
If you’re not crazy about the color I would suggest blanching it beforehand.
This will help remove the chlorophyll, which is what gives plants their green color and sometimes bitter taste.
On that note, the drawback is you are losing some amazing health benefits in chlorophyll that are reportedly cancer-fighting, liver detoxing, wound healing, and colon cleansing.
No worries, rinsing won’t alter the potency, but I don’t think you’ll achieve the desired look.
Victoria (Team Wake + Bake)
I’ve been working on this recipe for a while. Here’s how I easily purged alcohol relatively quickly: put the finished tincture into a wide-mouth mason jar, lid off. Put it in front of a fan (standing, shop fan, etc) at high speed. Blow the alcohol away. With my Lasko shop fan (about 2’ tall; not a large one) I see a 1/2” drop in volume per 45 minutes or so. In my experience (only the second batch), it works really well, and the tincture still works great, and is more concentrated. I used 25g of flower and a cup of Everclear for my recipe, shaken and frozen for five days. Hope this is helpful! ✌️
Hi!! Great information… you mention the tincture is good in the fridge for 6 months. This seems like a short shelf life , especially if using alcohol as a solvent. Can you elaborate on this? Thank you!!
They’re good for much longer than that, but apparently I really wanted to err on the side of caution for this post 😉 I have tinctures that have been around for a long time that are still fine. Thanks for the question!
With love,
Corinne
I’m sorry if this comes across as insincere but for once in my internet experience going to the comments section was helpful. Normally the comments sections of the internet are where hope for humanity goes to…it just turns out badly. Today I know there’s hope for hope for humanity. Thank you Corrrine, and thank you JB for asking my question much better and more succinctly than I could ever have managed.
This kind of precise management seems a promising path to getting my life back. I don’t want to mess it up. Thank you again.
Yay! I’m so glad you found us. The comments section here is such a great community! We also have a facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wakeandbakegroup/
I appreciate your feedback!! I think most tinctures last for years, right? 😉 Sending love back to you!!
Hey Deborah!
Yes the tincture should last a long while!
When can you add the honey to the tincture? And does this need to stay in the fridge if you do the ice dragon or is that just during the process?
Hey Jeni!
Technically after adding your tincture it would be considered to be a syrup.
And no, it’s not required to be refrigerated, but it will have a shelf-life.
I hope this helps!
–Victoria (Team Wake + Bake)
I think what they’re talking about is getting rid of some of the alcohol. You can cook off the alcohol on an electric stove with windows open.
Hi, haven’t seen any e-mails from you since the beginning of covid 19. glad to see that you’re still with us !!!!
Hey Harry!
Maddie here (Corinne’s assistant)
Thank you for sticking with Wake + Bake!
We’ve been doing some moving and changing things up, but get ready to see some more content!
Here’s a question- do we know how effective the extraction is at lower proofs? I think everclear is supposed to be around 90% (so if I put in 400 mg of thc, the final product would be 360.) but I think lower proofs aren’t supposed to be as effective, which I’m fine with if it means less burn- just want to be able to dose more accurately based on alcohol proof
Hey Sana! Yes, you can use alcohol that isn’t as intense as Everclear. The tinctures will be much more mellow than the green dragon because they don’t extract all of the cannabinoids from your plant material.
You can read more about it on our
Tinctures 101: 3 Potent Cannabis Tincture Recipes blog.
– Victoria (Team Wake + Bake)
I’ve seen where people are putting the glass bowl on a heating pad and evaporating the alcohol that way. I simply leave it out on the counter overnight.
Nice!
adding honey to green dragon so i should just be able to mix it into the alcohol while freezing separatly right? how have people tried this? i
Hey Chelsea,
Maddie here (Corinne’s assistant)
That sounds like a good idea!
If you want to be a part of our facebook page there may be others who have done the same thing! Send an email to [email protected] for access 🙂
This would basically be a feco recipe. Would you allow it to room-temp evaporate then? When would we know itz ready to be put into syringes &/or how do we keep it from sticking to it’s container -or- what containers/utensils would you suggest to waste the least amount of cannabis oil? TIA
After straining there is brown stuff at the bottom. Is this good or garbage?
Hello Christopher!
Thank you for your question! It sounds like leftover residue which is normal for a tincture and it doesn’t compromise the quality of your product. Personally, I would not consider this garbage, but if it bothers you, you can run it through a coffee filter for clarity.
Victoria (Team Wake + Bake)
Ice Tincture is THE BEST! After a few weeks of infusing (I used 200 proof food grade alcohol – available online – search google) – I came up with a very clean tincture. After double filtering with coffee filters, there was very little “green” smell. (personally I like a little green taste, but some folks just would prefer to feel the effects). I use the mixture to make gummy bears – and can dose stronger or weaker but using less, or for those that are really into 50mg edibles – reduce the tincture by putting in a double boiler. I’ve found that the effects of tincture (even in edibles) is much closer to the flower if smoked or vaped. Coconut Oil, Butter, Cocoa Butter, seem to “morph” the effects making the edible high very different than the flower’s original effects. Thanks Corinne!
Sorry new to this, how to you purge off the alcohol?
Hi Lori!
If you let it sit out, Ethanol will naturally evaporate out of the solution if left unattended for a long enough period.
How much volume is exposed to the air will increase time, along with a steady airflow.
There is also a double boiler method, but you have to be very careful of the fumes and to make sure it doesn’t get too hot since alcohol is combustible.
Personally, I recommend the first method.
Warmly,
– Victoria (Team Wake + Bake)
Which carrier is best an how do you combine them. I’m new to try making Tinctures
Hi Kim!
If you are wanting to make the Ice Dragon I would suggest using Everclear.
If your mixing alcohol with alcohol there should be no trouble mixing.
Since you are new to tinctures here is a good blog that explains it in more detail! HERE
Warmly,
Victoria (Team Wake + Bake)
Thank-you for responding. I don’t think I explained it well. I made the Ice Dragon today with everclear alcohol. What I’m wondering is can I evaporated the ice Dragon with the keeping it open, than after it has evaporated some out. Then can I use a different carrier to add to it. Like coconut oil for a smoother Tincture. So it’s not so harsh. If I can do tht. Do I need to add anything else to it so it Blends well together. Thank you
Unfortunately, Alcohol and oil don’t mix well. They will separate if you try to blend them together.
If the taste is too much, I would suggest blending your tincture with honey to make it more palatable and to incorporate it into recipes that don’t lend well to an alcoholic flavor.
– Victoria (Team Wake + Bake)
This is actually how I make my infused honey so that I don’t have to heat local, raw honey since that could kill some of the benefits. So I can verify that mixing the alcohol and then evaporating it off will work!
Hopefully someone has thoughts on this, tried this method. 10gr in 10oz. I did a quick strain through a mesh strainer then then ran the liquid through a coffee filter, liquid is very clear and lightly golden in color BUT the coffee filter was full of Kief
I’m confused. So, if you grind bud and then vape it, the leftover, dried up, brown herb is still usable in a tincture? I thought once weed was vaped, all of the medicinal properties were used up.
Hi Jeff!
One of the advantages of vaping weed is the ability to re-use your bud. It all depends on the temperature you vape, how long, and how much THC/CBD is in your plant. Not all of it is typically used, but with so many variables, it’s difficult to say precisely how much THC/CBD is left over.
Warmly,
Victoria (Team Wake + Bake)
These are great instructions! This is the method I use and I just got an Ardent Nova, so decarbing will be a breeze. (I have no affiliation with Ardent.)
Has anyone ever tested how long it actually takes to extract all of the THC in the freezer? I’ve read a lot of articles on this cold extraction process and the instructions vary wildly from a few hours to 30 days.
So, I’m just wondering if an actual test has ever been done (like measuring the amount of THC in the tincture, starting at one day, every day, for a month)?
Thanks!
Hi there. Is it ok to move my tincture I’ve had in a cool dark area (in a cabinet) to the freezer for the rest of the 2 weeks? Or should I leave it in the cabinet? Thank you 🙂
Hey Amber!
Either is okay!
-Maddie (Team Wake + Bake)
If you put your tincture in the sun after completion, the color goes gold and takes out the yucky tase
Wow awesome!
I have some lemon peels in some sky Vodka to make lemon cello, after I remove the lemon peels can I add some bud put it in the freezer and make infused lemon cello?
Hey Ginny,
That sounds like an awesome idea! Let us know how that goes!
-Maddie (Team W+B)
Alcohol is to expensive and too dangerous to just evaporate it. I bought a distalation kit from Home Science and recapture my alcohol. One run pays for the kit.
Thanks for the tip Christopher!
As long as you don’t care about terpenes or any of the acid fractions of your weed that will work, sort of. Ethyl alcohol boils at 173.1 ˚F at sea level, which is only 6.9˚ lower than the 180˚ for extracting in oil. CBGa decarbs to CBG at 90˚, so I think you lose a lot of the advantages of making Ice Dragon. Certainly the cost of the alcohol recovered is minimal compared to the value of what you lose of your weed in the distillation.
I strain with a coffee filter. The filter is covered with what looks like kief. Is all of the THC in the alcohol.
Buy a distalation kit from Home Science. Much safer and you reclaim the expensive alcohol.
Thanks for the tip, Christopher!
If you let the ever clear evaporate (so as not to get tongue burn) what is left to actually be the tincture?
Do you have to add some sort of liquid?
Hello, I really enjoy the content. You said that “Swallowing tinctures will take longer for you to feel the effects, at 30-60 minutes. It will peak in 2-3 hours. It’s not as the-room-is-spinning dramatic as fat-based edibles might be” which I understand. Though I was wondering what if I was to eat a fatty meal or maybe have a couple big spoons of peanut butter immediately before I swallow my tincture, would this make the tinctures effect closer to that of an edible? Thank you for the great information.
I’m a total newbie. Can you use moonshine for tinctures? After you strain, can you use the alcohol soaked stuff for anything else? What about roach weed? Recommended or no? Is it decarbed? Told you I was a newbie lol Thanks!
Great site! You explain with clarity the process of making herbal tinctures. I learned the Everclear Ice Dragon method several years ago. My hubby and I prefer it over daily smoking…although there are days when ‘smoker’s couch lock’ is desired, eh? Any of the edible garden herbs and spices (dried or fresh) can also be added to Ice Dragon for interesting flavors to add to green or black hot or cold teas.
Also, if a person is ‘growing their own organically’ use the leaf instead of the flower for tinctures.
Curing your flowers for a smoother smoke: Trim and Dry your flower for 7-10 days. Then fill quart canning jars 3/4 full, add a 62% humidity pack to each quart, close the lids and shake lightly or stir every few days for 6-8 weeks. This makes for a much, much smoother smoke.
To use the leaf for tincture, dry out the leaf, break it up to the point of looking like oregano, decarb it, fill a quart canning jar 3/4 full (don’t pack down) (here’s where you can add a shard of ginger root and/or 1/4 teaspoon of dried stevia leaves to sweeten), then cover with any chilled 80+ proof spirits to 1″ above the leaf. Shake for a couple minutes, put into the freezer. I shake 2 minutes each day for 7 days. Strain and enjoy a teaspoon in warmed cinnamon infused black tea for the perfect ‘end of a wintery day’ treat. Using leaf ensures its never too strong to complete your home tasks.
I just mixed up my alcohol and weed. Safely stored in a dark cabinet. I will let the alcohol evaporate after the 3 days- instead of honey, can I then use vegetable glycerine to give it some body?
Hey Karen J., my first tincture I made was the slow way soaking the decarbed chop in vegetable glycerin for 4 weeks, i found it a little bit sweet, but otherwise ok. I am trying the cold alcohol method this time, but I intend to replace most of the alcohol with the glycerine and perhaps some water to temper it a bit.
Corinne, what settings do you pick when checking your ice dragon tinctures on your t check?
I left my QWET in the freezer for over a week. Forgot to remove the cannabis. It is murky and nearly black. It has less smell than the one I did correctly and is bitter. Do I need to toss it out?
Oops I meant to post this here, but put it instead on the original Ice Dragon post where the subject was less germane…
Thoughts about mixing (emulsifying) Ice Dragon with a carrier oil:
When you evaporate the alcohol from your Ice Dragon tincture what you are left with is increasingly water not alcohol. Alcohol is hydrophilic (draws water from the air around it). It is well known among lab rats that as soon as you open a flask of 100% (absolute) ethyl alcohol, it is no longer 100%. The longer you leave it open the less alcohol you have and the more water. When you use 80 proof booze to make your Ice Dragon, 40 percent is ethanol and the rest is water to start with. The longer you leave the bottle open the less alcohol there is.
So the question of emulsifying alcohol and oil reduces to mixing oil and water; which is a problem readily solved with emulsifiers. Essentially the alcohol binds to the water and the emulsifier binds the water to the oil. You already use one emulsifier, lecithin, in making oil tinctures. It works by making it easier for the oil to be absorbed through the mucus membranes in your mouth and gut. Other emulsifiers like polysorbate80 and Castile soap could be useful in mixing Ice Dragon with oils and beeswax in making topicals. BTW dry mustard powder is commonly used as an emulsifier in making mayonnaise. Mustard and marijuana plasters anyone?
I’m interested in adding thc-a and cbg-a to my recipe for high potency topicals so I will be trying polysorbate80. I will let you know how that turns out.
I already use DMSO in an alcohol solution in my topicals and have not noticed any problems with it separating out, but that maybe due to my using lecithin when I brew the oil.
Tobias, great thinking. You sound like someone who would have a bunch of great information. I’ve thought about DMSO too. I’ve tried it with other topicals but not yet with cannabis. If you’d care to exchange emails, mine is heartwoman1@hotmail. I’d love to pick your brain.
What happens if you didn’t freeze them separately first? Can you mix them and then freeze and it still work out?
I have used the freezer method many times. This time I forgot and froze the plant and everclear together. How would that affect my results