How to prepare Bhang Lassi, cannabis milk shake from India?

Bhang Lassi is a very popular drink in India for its aromatic scent and relaxing, spiritual effects. It is an ancient hemp preparation enriched with seeds, spices, honey and milk that has been used in this amazing country for centuries. In this article, we’ll explain how to easily prepare it at home!

The popularity of this drink has its origins in the Hindu religion and is linked to the cult of Shiva: worshippers of this goddess smoked – and still use – bhang (“cannabis” in Hindi), also charas (which is hashish obtained by rubbing fresh plants with the hands), in temples dedicated to Shiva. Among Shiva worshippers, the most famous are undoubtedly the sadhus, the religious ‘holy men’ who wander along the temples with their traditional clay chillums.

Bhang Lassi and other cannabis derivatives are traditionally used in religious ceremonies to connect people with Shiva and cleanse them of their sins. However, the popularity of Bhang Lassi skyrocketed when the first tourists interested in recreational cannabis visited India (in the 1970s and later) and discovered traditional cannabis milkshakes, i.e. Bhang Lassi.

As the popularity of this drink throughout the territory is huge, you can find many variations of Bhang Lassi in India. You can adapt the recipe we explain here to the ingredients you have on hand or to your personal preferences.

Recipe for Bhang Lassi, cannabis milk shake

The following ingredients are most commonly used to prepare Bhang Lassi in India:

• A dozen grams of medium quality cannabis flowers (it would be a shame to use the highest quality flowers for this purpose).
• 2 cups of whole milk (the fatty mass will retain all the cannabinoids)
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tablespoon coconut milk (which also contains fatty substances and provides a non-sticky texture)
• 1-2 tablespoons of seeds: almond, cashew, pumpkin, watermelon, hemp…
• Spices: ginger, garam massala, black pepper, fennel, nutmeg… It always depends on your personal taste.
• Honey

Preparation of Bhang Lassi

Two hours before preparing the recipe, soak the seeds you are going to use in water to rehydrate them and make it easier to extract the juice later.

First, fill a small pot with water and heat it. Add the grass and boil it for 10 minutes so that the buds will leach out. You can discard the water when you’re done (it contains mainly chlorophyll and a small amount of terpenes). This step will allow you to decarb the weed so that all the cannabinoids will be active and have an effect in your body (otherwise the effect would be very weak, if any).

Put the weed in a strainer or muslin and let it drain. Then put it in a mortar with a few tablespoons of hot milk and crush the mixture (you can also use a blender). Mix the ingredients thoroughly and use the muslin to strain them again (this time keeping the strained and filtered liquid).

Remove the weed from the mortar and fill it with the seeds and spices you want to use. Crush the seeds and spices while adding the milk (and the filtered liquid you got by crushing the weed with the milk) until you get a homogeneous mixture. Strain the mixture and you’re almost done! Now you just need to add a little honey (or sugar), coconut milk, and fruit if desired.

NOTE: As with all cannabis edibles, it’s important to start with small amounts (or low doses) and gradually increase them to your own taste. The effects of ingested cannabis take a little longer to take effect and are usually more intense and long-lasting than smoked bud. It would be a shame to turn a wonderful, spiritual experience into a bad trip! If you want to try this recipe with our varieties, check our cannabis seeds offer.

Enjoy your drink!