At this year, every one wants to indulge a bit – here are some fun cocktails to make the season merry and bright
For some, the holiday season is a bit more merry and bright with a little nip of their favorite whiskey. Monks help introduce the world to whiskey over 1000 year ago after. The boom of American-made whiskeys didn’t start until the 1960s, when the U.S. government officially labeled bourbon as the official distilled spirit of the United States. This led to booming sales and production as certain types of whiskey from the Americas became more popular throughout the following decades. While vodka, wine, beer and may be more embraced, whiskey brings a warmth to the soul. To celebrate the season, here are some easy holiday whiskey cocktails.
The American Christmas Tree Association recommends keeping the tree away from heat sources, as well as using low heat Christmas lights.
Christmas trees are a cherished symbol of the holiday season, and the displaying of the real deal instead of a plastic tree is on the rise in North America. According to Statistics Canada, in 2016 over 1,800 farms produced trees for the $77 million dollar market, exporting the evergreens across the world.
The American Christmas Tree Association reports that in 2018 over 95 million homes displayed a tree, with 17.9% of households displaying a real tree. The industry advocacy group has a few pointers on how to keep your Christmas tree fresh and thriving throughout the holiday season.
Water is crucial to keeping a tree green and fresh while displaying it in the home. The NCTA recommends fitting the tree in a traditional stand with a water reservoir that holds at least a quart of water for every inch in tree diameter.
Other tips include making a fresh, half inch cut perpendicular to the axis before setting it in the stand. A fancy V-cut is unnecessary, can make the tree unstable, and actually reduces the tree’s ability to absorb water. Keeping the outer layer of bark intact will also help the tree absorb and retain more water.
Keeping the tree away from heat sources such as fireplaces, heaters, HVAC vents, and direct sunlight is also a good idea, as is using low heat Christmas lights, and monitoring the water level in the stand, ensuring that the water does not go below the base of the tree.
Other safety tips include never leaving decorative lights turned on when away from home, always inspect light sets before using, do not overload electrical circuits, and promptly remove dry trees from the house.
Lastly, never dispose of a Christmas tree by burning it in a fireplace. The small, dry needles can ignite and burn uncontrollably fast, and send sparks all over the house, quickly setting everything in the domicile on fire. The high sap content can burn hot and long enough to set chimney deposits aflame, starting a flue blaze that can spread rapidly. It’s also unnecessary, as many communities have recycling programs available to households.
When life gets busy, it makes it hard to sleep. Here is an easy nighttime drink to help get some Zzzzzzz….
Busy schedules sometimes makes for rough nights. The phrases “I am so tired when I hit the pillow I’m out” doesn’t work for everyone. Chronic stress or busyness increases the risk of insomnia. While episodes of acute stress, can throw sleep out for days, once those episodes pass, sleep usually returns to normal. But sometimes you need a little help. This quick marijuana tea will help you sleep.
Avoid caffeine and go with mint teas, hops teas, chamomile, and other herbs which natural relax the body. During the holiday season, peppermint can help you nod off and sleep for longer, the essential oils in peppermint tea can help relax your muscles, setting the scene for a peaceful night of sleep. Rich in antioxidants, there are lots of other benefits of peppermint tea too. Make a tea blend with precisely the flavors you enjoy with the dose of THC you may have been having anyway.
Quick Nighttime Team
Ingredients:
• 1 teabag or 1 teaspoon loose-leaf tea of your choice
• 1½ cups water
• ¼ teaspoon, or desired amount, of cannabis oil or ticture
• Any other ingredients for flavor such as honey, milk, or sugar
DIY Sleepy Eyes Tea
Danielle Guercio
Blend makes 2 cups of tea
With tincture: 3mg THC per cup estimated
Loose leaf: Omg THC, CBD potential depends on strain
Photos by Maria Penaloza
¼ c rose buds
1 Tbsp lavender
2 Tbsp chamomile
1 Tbsp hops
1 Tbsp dried mint
½ g cannabis and/or 1 tsp cannabis glycerin tincture*
Deciding on your flower/herb ratio is crucial. It’s quite easy to get these flowers online or in most grocery stores, having them on hand can make lots of recipes more special.
It’s also worth keeping these items around, as they are wonderful for garnishing and engaging your sense of smell. For a tea blend, their pleasant flavors help to relax and surround you with their smell, taste, and potentially sleep serenading properties.
Photos by Maria Penaloza
Decide on finely ground decarboxylated cannabis stirred into hot milk as your cannabis dose, or you can use tincture for THC. Both are OK, but don’t forget you won’t get any THC from just pouring water over ground cannabis, though you might get some terpenes and lower on the heat spectrum cannabinoids, and those also have their own sleep magic to them.
Photos by Maria Penaloza
Use either the proportions above, or prepare a blend to your liking of lightly chopped flowers. You can leave them whole for prettiness if you wish. Anything that is good for sleep can go in this blend. If using ground cannabis add to the blend, make sure it’s very finely ground and has been heated as if you were making cannabutter. Divide the tea blend into two portions or put into a classic teapot. Pour over water and allow to brew for 5 minutes before adding sweetener and sipping. If using tincture add now.
Alternatively, you can prepare a milky tea concentrate in the style of an Indian chai latte or Middle Eastern rose tea. Add aromatics and cannabis to a saucepan with milk, and some honey, simmer for 5-10 minutes, strain, serve with sweeteners and add hot water. This will get you a bit more cannabinoids, and if you simmer longer you’ll eventually get THC as well. Always use care with milk on a stovetop.
Photos by Maria Penaloza
*Cannabis Glycerin Tincture
Decarboxylate 3.5g of finely ground cannabis at 225 degrees for 20 minutes in a tightly sealed, oven safe container. Put cannabis in lidded mason jar or vacuum sealed bag with cannabis and ½ cup vegetable glycerin. Heat in water bath just under boiling for at least 1 hour. Strain and chill to use in recipes Get to sleep faster when you have a busy day ahead, and if you’re trying to keep the bedroom smoke free but need that helper, this way is an excellent choice. You can make the dry herb blend in big batches, if you like it, and either add tincture for a medicated sweetener or steamed milk to wake up the lower cannabinoids.
Nothing sets the mood better than music – and Yacht Rock is still a star
The anthem is Come Sail Away by Styx is the perfect anthem for a dark, cold winter night. Dreams of a beach, a boat, and escaping helps some survive the winter. Well, Yacht Rock pairs perfect with cocktails in the summer and evening. Yacht rock is unique music style and aesthetic commonly associated with soft rock, one of the most commercially successful genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. Millennials to boomers have savored the sounds while enjoying drink.
Typified by artists like Christopher Cross, Rupert Holmes, and Pablo Cruise, Yacht Rock is highlight the casual approach to love, life and a laid back life. Despite being a un-pc, the stuff is irresistible on days you are craving escape. It reeks of sunshine and laziness.
Yacht Rock is nuanced and usually one of the key themes. They are finding the love of your life, having a memorable one-night stand or doing something nautical. Jimmy Buffet and the beach focus is not usually in the genre.
“Yacht rock is the new hipster music. We have a yacht rock playlist at one of our restaurants, Huckleberry Square and we constantly get comments from all generations about how great the music is. At another one of our places, the notorious dove diner The 5 Point Cafe, when the music switches from the usual punk and metal, to yacht rock, people think it’s amazing, like something they’ve never heard. It’s chill nostalgic and fun goes great with cocktails, what more can you ask for?” shares David Meinert, owner of several successful Seattle bars and restaurants.
“The Pina Colada Song” is arguably the most perfect embodiment of yacht rock, fulfilling, as it does, all three of the qualifications cited above. Holmes sings about making love in the dunes, attempts to cheat on his wife, then ultimately, rediscovers that his “old lady” is actually the love he’s been searching for all along. That’s the holy trinity of Yacht Rock themes, all wrapped up in a breezy story of casual adultery.
To set the mood, here is a recipe for the ideal yacht rock drinks
Easy Pina Coloda
Ingredients
1 pound (about 3 cups) frozen pineapple chunks
3 ounces (1/3 cup) white rum
2/3 cup coconut milk
Optional garnishes: fresh pineapple slices, maraschino cherries, cute paper umbrellas
Create
Combine all ingredients together in a blender, and puree until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, feel free to add in extra rum or coconut milk to help it blend.
Serve immediately, topped with your desired garnishes.
Almost 10% of the population suffers from migraines. But maybe marijuana can help
They are incredibly disablitating, migraines occurs most often among people aged 20 – 50 years, and are 3 times more common with women. Roughly 10% of the population will get one. Around 95% of the population will get a headache. The most common headaches include tension-type headaches (must frequent), cluster headaches, and persistent headaches (NDPH). This doesn’t include alcohol and food related headaches. A migraine differed stands out since it is neurological condition causing a variety of symptoms, most notably a throbbing headache on one side of your head. Migraines often get worse with physical activity, lights, sounds or smells. They usually last at least four hours or even days.
Data suggests marijuana may reduce migraine pain and be the best over the counter relief. More research needs to be done, but early studies show promise. Published in The Journal of Pain, the first study to utilize big data in analyzing the role cannabis plays in managing pain from headaches and migraines. Using archival data from the Strainprint—an app in which patients track their symptoms before and after using medical marijuana—scientists determined inhaled marijuana reduced the severity of self-reported pain 47.3% for headaches and 49.6% for migraines.
“We were motivated to do this study because a substantial number of people say they use cannabis for headache and migraine, but surprisingly few studies had addressed the topic,” said study lead author Carrie Cuttler, an assistant professor of psychology at Washington State University.
Instead of documenting the before and after data points in real time, previous research asked patients to recall how marijuana affected the severity of past headaches. A clinical trial, as Science Daily first reported, found that cannabis could be more effective at reducing headache pain than ibuprofen, though the researchers used nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid drug, in the trial.
Photo by gradyreese/Getty Images
However, in the Washington State study, 1,300 patients who used the app more than 12,200 times submitted information about their headache before and after marijuana use, while 653 patients used the app over 7,400 times to track their changes in migraine pain.
More conventional treatments can cause an “overuse headache,” which can cause patients’ headaches to worsen over time. But researchers found no such result in patients using cannabis. They did, however, find patients consuming more marijuana over time, indicating they may be developing a tolerance to the plant. In addition, the study reported a difference in headache reduction between genders, with significantly more sessions involving men (90%) than women (89.1%).
Patients received no additional benefits when using cannabis strains with higher or lower THC and CBD concentrations. As the plant contains more than 100 cannabinoids outside THC and CBD, researchers believe this indicates other cannabis elements like terpenes could be playing a factor. The study did report concentrates, like oil, elicited stronger decreases in headache severity than marijuana flower.
“I suspect there are some slight overestimates of effectiveness,” Cuttler said. “My hope is this research will motivate researchers to take on the difficult work of conducting placebo-controlled trials. In the meantime, this at least gives medical cannabis patients and their doctors a little more information about what they might expect from using cannabis to manage these conditions.”
For the canna-casual or the canna-newbie, dosage has a huge impact on the journey – here is it simply explained.
California sober, gummies for anxiety, discreet vaping instead of alcohol for weight loss, marijuana use has a whole new consumer population and it is only getting bigger. Even Governor Desantis‘s nanny state of Florida has 70% of the population who want explained marijuana availably. But for those new to using cannabis, understand the strength is key, here is a simple explanation of weed dosage.
Dosage is similar to alcohol proof. While proof is a measure of the alcohol content of a beverage, dosage indicates strength. New users should lean toward the low side to ensure a good journey or relief (depending on why you are consuming).
How you consume can also account for the effect, flower, vapes and edibles all hit you a wee bit different. When you consume an edible, the cannabinoids are processed through the liver and stomach, not the lungs, so pay attention to the guide. It can also take 40-90 minutes to hit, so relax and don’t take more until you have started the trip.
Photo by Ivan-balvan/Getty Images
Here is a general guideline for dosage.
THC Dosage: 1 – 2.5 mg
Mild relief of symptoms including pain, stress, and anxiety; heightened focus and creativity. Great for first-time consumers, or more experienced consumers interested in microdosing.
THC Dosage: 2.5 – 15 mg
tronger relief of symptoms; euphoria; impacted coordination and perception. Great for stubborn symptoms not affected by smaller doses; potential treatment for sleep issues.
THC Dosage: 30 – 50 mg
Strong euphoria; significantly impacted coordination and perception. Great for consumers with a high tolerance for THC, or whose GI systems don’t absorb cannabinoids well.
THC Dosage: 50 – 100 mg
Seriously impacted coordination and perception; possible unpleasant side effects including nausea and increased heart rate. This is considered a high dosage appropriate for treating challenging conditions and symptoms, or for those who have high THC tolerance.
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The rule of thumb as you start out is go low and then grow. This will help you have all the upsides without any unpleasantness.
You trust your local dispensary or your “guy” – but do you know about the marijuana?
Legalization continues to march across the US. Currently, over 50% of citizens have access to approved recreational marijuana and more for medical marijuana. Even in Florida, the DeSantis nanny state, citizens are balking at his cannabis restrictions with over 70% supporting the industry being expanded and available to more people. But do you know where your weed comes from?
A key consumer benefit from federal legalization is the tracking and security of weed and products. Like canned tuna, In-N-Out Burgers, and Stoli Vodka, consumers will not have a worry about how their weed was grown and what was in it – and who is behind it.
Two big concerns now is the unlicensed dispensaries in NYC and China’s musclinginto the US black market. Both are reasons to be careful if you aren’t buying from a legal dispensary.
Photo by Riccardo Livorni/EyeEm/Getty Images
Mexican cartels have long been the villain of the US drug trade, but with consumer spending soaring, Chinese investors have become the funder and producer of the illegal marijuana production.
From interviews with state law enforcement officials, experts on the international drug trade, economists and lawmakers it seems the number of farms funded by sources traceable back to Chinese investors or owners has skyrocketed. Chinese owners and workers have become a larger presence at illegal grows in Oklahoma, California and Oregon
In Oklahoma, over 40% of licensed marijuana farms have been flagged for suspicious activity by law enforcement over the last year. They. are now being investigated for obtaining their licenses fraudulently and/or for selling into the illicit market, according to Mark Woodward, spokesperson for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.
The major issue is New York City’s unlicensed dispensaries. The NY market is significant and retailers are thought to have almost $500 million in products which are being flipped. It is believed many of these products have fake labeling claiming what is in the product OR are real products illegally shipped from California or other states.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, with an eye on the national stage, has signed a series of laws with the hope of cleaning up some of the state’s mess around the cannabis market. The primary issues is over taxation and zero enforcement of illicit grows. Legal organization have suffered as the states asks for more and more and the black market has boomed.
Do you know where your weed comes from – is it safe, does it support small business and it is the dosage it claims?
The holiday season if full of food, booze and a busy schedule. What is helpful is simple ways to keep fit and chill
The winter weight is lurking around the corner, starting with holiday feasts and then trapped inside during short winter days. A little strain on the pants indicate the change in the body. Studies show that most adults don’t gain as much weight as you might think during the holidays. The average weight gain during this time period is anywhere from 0.8 pounds to just under 2 pounds, according to a research review published in the Journal of Obesity.
To help combat the weight loss, here are winter hacks to get fit while high. Two birds with one stone, help your body and relax the mind.
If you don’t already do yoga, this winter is the time to start. Not after New Year’s for a short, guilt-fueled stint, but from now into spring. Maybe you’ll end up loving it and keeping it year round. Regardless, the breathing techniques matched with minimal amounts of cannabis seem to magnify each other and do wonders for quelling seasonal blues. The strengthening and flexibility factors will have you feeling and looking good, too.
A great way to wake up in the morning is to have a piece of fruit, a glass of water and do a little workout. There’s no need to go crazy, but doing sets of push ups off the wall is an excellent way to strengthen your arms, shoulders and core and is less taxing than the floor version. Do a few reps and then do some squats. Go on YouTube to watch a video on how to squat properly so you don’t hurt yourself and start off with just a few at a time, but at least until you feel a little burn. The after session with a cup of coffee will have your winter days started off on the right foot for sure.
Actively Watch TV and Movies
Photo by franckreporter/Getty Images
If it’s winter and you’re chilling on the couch, even if there’s someone there with you, it’s likely they are family or a very close friend. Instead of Netflix and chill, watch it and kill it by periodically exercising in your seat. Make sure you’re not slouching and throw in some leg lifts between toking on your favorite winter strain. Put a pillow under your back and do the bicycle. Punch the air like you’re Evander Holyfield or simply hold your hands above your head until you really feel it, bring them down for a rest and repeat with a bong hit in between.
Infuse Your Favorite Health Foods
Photo by Yuji Kotani/Getty Images
Just because it’s cookie season doesn’t mean you have to bake sweet treats to enjoy a good edible high. Infuse your favorite carrier oil to make just about any food elevated. Watch your dosage and be careful not to overdo it, but add approximately one half to one gram of flower for each serving. Coconut oil is very healthy to cook with and recipes for its infusion and use abound online. Or simply infuse olive oil, let cool completely, refrigerate it, then create your own balsamic vinaigrette, perfect for a winter beet salad or other such healthy dish.
Spiced Cider Canna-Hot-Shot
Photo by Matthew Henry via Burst
For a healthy, yet buttery treat, use a tablespoon of ghee butter infused with cannabis and drop it into your hot mug of spiced cider. The terpenes from the cannabis will play off the spices and the healthy fats of the clarified and medicated butter will give you a little boost of energy. Gourmet Ghee company has a line of plain and flavored authentic ghee perfect for this drink. (A “hot-shot” of infused ghee is also a perfect cream and sugar replacement in coffee or tea!)
Get Blazed and Read Up
Photo by Christin Hume via Unsplash
Keeping fit means keeping sharp! The noggin needs its nourishment, too, and there’s only so many times you can rewatch that favorite viral series or so long you should stare into the abyss of your smartphone. Open up a good old fashioned book, be it fiction, biographical, historical, classic or a page turning best seller. Choose a nice sativa dominant cultivar, such as Super Lemon Haze or Jack Herer, and take a deep dive into your mind and the written word.
Like the yoga mat, having hand and ankle weights around, especially the kind that strap on with hefty velcro, is an excellent idea. Even two pound weights will add a little resistance to your step when walking around the house. And every once in a while it’s good to stand up, take a good stretch, hit the joint with one weighted hand and then bring the other one in and put the hand with the joint back straight out to the side. Repeat at least ten times per sesh and watch that pesky arm flab start to melt away while you also elevate your senses with weed.
Spotify’s reigning King of Streaming, Bad Bunny is a music giant – but does he just kick back and chill?
For three years Bad Bunny has been the global money maker for Spotify, but he was recently dethroned by the juggernaut of Taylor Swift. So while the Swiftees have changed the top spot, he still reigns at the King of Streaming. His appeal spans borders and languages with fans going wild at performances. With all the excitement, pressure and creativity, does Bad Bunny use weed and just kick back and chill?
The Puerto Rican was born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio in 1994, he started by singing in the choir. A good boy who liked being home with his family, music became absorbed into his system. He started writing and creating his own interpretations at the age of 14. In 2016, his song “Diles” caught the attention of DJ Luian from SoundCloud. who signed him to his record label, Hear this Music. He has gone on to success after success.
Living in the spotlight, Bad Bunny has had his share of good and negative headlines. But he has used his fame for good. He criticized the lack of humanitarian aid in the wake of Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island of Puerto Rico. He established the Good Bunny Foundation, which distributes toys to children living in poverty in Puerto Rico. In 2019, he was nominated for Telemundo’s inaugural Premios Tu Música Urbano, in the category of “Humanitarian Award of the Year.”
Bad Bunny’s first radio hit in 2017 was “Krippy Kush” which is essentially about smoking weed and sharing it with women. Bad Bunny’s “Hoy Cobré” pays a little homage to Snoop Dogg. While vaping enter a store with a no-smoking policy, Bad Bunny puts up a fight and the security guard arrives played by Snoop Dogg.
So does Bad Bunny use weed? It is reported he doesn’t use cannabis as often as he once did, He continues to have songs where he has mentions or alludes to cannabis, like Soy Peor, La Noche de Anoche, I Like It, Callaita, La Cartera, and more. Back in the day while rising to pop star fame, he was just as likely to be consuming weed as composing, playing video games or painting his nails. There can be a whiff of marijuana around him and his crew and local dispensaries benefit from his concert visits.
Turns out man’s best friend provides a HUGE benefit for women!
Dogs are the number one pet with over 25% of the global population having owned a dog at some point. In fact Argentina (82%), Mexico (81%) and Brazil (76%) have the highest rates of pet ownership – with dogs being at the top of the list. Bet did you know data has shown it seems women who share their bed with a dog get the best sleep.
There are multiple benefits not only. do they provide companionship, they provide other benefits. Dogs keep you active, help you become calmer and make you more social. The improve the lives of kids and older individuals. A portion of pet owners sleep with their pets. Exploring the realm of sleep and pet owners, researchers to discover the data if it has effects on humans.
Scientists from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York found the answer, publishing their findings in Anthrozoös, a journal studying human-animal interactions. While it’s known sleeping next to humans provides some positive and negative effects, much less is known about the benefits and hazards of sleeping with your pet. Until now.
Photo by Adrianna Calvo via Pexels
The researchers surveyed over 962 women who reside in the U.S., gathering data on their sleeping patterns and partners, specifically looking for information regarding the relationship between pet ownership and sleep. More than half, 57 percent, of participants slept with humans, 55 percent of them with dogs, and 31 percent of them with cats. Dog owners demonstrated earlier bed times and earlier wake up times, surprising everyone but dog owners, because we’ve all been awoken by a stray paw in the face just before your alarm clock rings.
Compared to human partners, dogs provided more security and comfort, and also disturbed women less as they slept. Sorry boyfriends and girlfriends, dogs are cuter and also quiet. Cats got the worst end of the deal, with the study finding them just as disruptive as human partners and less comforting than any other companion.
Science now supports the fact that there are no better cuddlers than a sleepy dog. Dog owners have known this all along, now they just have the chance to show it off to their germaphobe friends, proving to them that there’s a reason why they’re always covered in hair.
To set the mood, here is a recipe for the ideal yacht rock drinks
