Ellie Webb founded Caleño her non-alcoholic spirits after an uninspiring offering of drinks was presented to her one Dry January - so I decided it was time to put her new beverages to the test.
Promoted to be a brand that provides fruity and tropical flavours into alcohol-free gin or rum alternatives, I was certainly curious. As consuming alcohol is considered a taboo within my religious practices, I was determined to find out how Caleño would hold up, and while also giving myself another excuse to conduct another gloriously entertaining taste test (a personal favourite of mine, of course).
Putting on my most comfortable loungewear with no absolute care in the world about my appearance, I decided to head to the kitchen to finally give Caleño a go. Caleño are currently stocking only two spirits: Dark & Spicy and Light and Zesty.
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Light & Zesty is a tropical non-alcoholic gin with a dose of zesty using citrus and spice blends, while Dark & Spicy is a tropical non-alcoholic rum with a spicy twist using pineapples, ginger and kola nut spices. I’ve decided to experiment with the brand making two pairs of cocktails, where one set will be classic cocktails using mixers such as ginger ale and tonic water.
The second set of cocktails will be used to represent more upscale and modern cocktails, with the help of the Caleño website, who served as inspiration for my drinks. As a first-timer, I wanted to get a feel of the spirits within a wider scope and how it would be infused in both a classic and modern cocktail, for a fairer review on the brand.
Below will be breakdown of each cocktail that was made using Caleño, alongside a rating starting from 0 to 10, and what I really thought of them:
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Light & Zesty with Tonic Water
First up, we have Light & Zesty with Tonic Water, where I used Fever-Tree’s Indian Tonic Water, for this classic cocktail.
All you’ll need is:
200ml tonic water
50ml of Caleño Light & Zesty
A squeeze of lime juice
Upon my first sip, I immediately was taken back by how light and refreshing the drink was, as I was initially worried it would be severely strong in taste as what a traditional Gin and Tonic seemed to be.
I was pleasantly surprised by its hints of citrus that made the drink enjoyable, however simple the drink may have been. However, despite bringing a slightly more bitter aftertaste, I was overall pleased with the result and I couldn’t help having another go before trying my next cocktail.
Rating: 8/10
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Dark & Spicy with Ginger Ale
Next up, is the classic rum and ginger ale concoction, using Caleño’s Dark & Spicy as a rum alternative.
For this I used:
50ml Dark & Spicy
200ml Ginger Ale
A squeeze of lime juice
This recipe was said to be a fiesta of flavours and I was intrigued to give it a whirl. Despite not being a fan of ginger ale in the past, I was even advised by the CEO herself, Ellie Webb, to use ginger ale as a perfect mixer for Dark & Spicy.
And boy, was she right. Once I had a sip, or what felt like a long, satisfying, thirst-quenching gulp, I was absolutely sold. I was completely blown away by what came from an extremely easy recipe for lazy bartender amateurs such as myself, as both the spice from the ginger ale and Dark & Spicy elevated my spirit, almost.
Even with plenty of ice cubes that were added into the cocktail, it was far from being watered down and this illustrated how the ingredients were so flavoursome and straight-up delicious.
This glass of sweet and spicy goodness is one for the books, and I am certainly glad this was a recommendation as I guarantee it would not have had a similar impact, when using Coke as a mixer. As much as I adored the simplicity and freshness of Light & Zesty with Tonic, drinking D&S with Ginger Ale installed a little colour into my life, and I’m now officially a believer.
Rating: 8.5/10
Pom Picante
Straight from the Caleño website, I plucked out this fancy recipe that perfectly embodied my meaning of a ‘modern cocktail’.
All you need is:
50ml Caleño Dark & Spicy
10ml pomegranate juice
1/2 lime, juiced
50ml soda water
Thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
1/2 tsp maple syrup
Pomegranate seeds (to garnish)
Lime slices (to garnish)
As I wasn’t able to complete the recipe according to instructions, I swapped some of the ingredients I couldn’t find in order to somewhat meet the criteria of the Pom Picante cocktail. Although pomegranate was a core ingredient, I ultimately had to resort to using raspberries to garnish while purchasing M&S’s Pomegranate and Raspberry Juice to match.
Creating Pom Picante was rather more tedious than I realised, as I needed to ensure that I made the right measures and used the right items to perfectly capture these cocktails- or at least try to.
My hard work definitely wasn’t for nothing as I was over the moon by the results. To summarise: This was effing amazing. Guys, I’m telling you now.
This is the drink of the summer.
I already felt as though I was transported to a holiday resort drinking this while sunbathing peacefully and minding my business. This cocktail truly upped the fruitiness of Dark & Spicy to the next level and the berries gave an additional sweetness to an already tasty liqueur.
Recommend. Recommend. Recommend.
Rating: 9/10
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Passionfruit Party
Last, but not least, I whipped up the Passionfruit Party cocktail, whose recipe was also plucked out from the Caleño site. After the success of the classic, I was eager to try the modern twist of this cocktail, using Mango and Passionfruit syrup.
All you need is:
50ml Light & Zesty
20ml Passionfruit Syrup
20ml Lemon Juice
Top with Tonic Water
In reality, upon trying it out, it underwhelmed my expectations as it left me wanting more and not knowing what was missing at first. I had really hoped the hints of mango and passionfruit would enhance the exciting blend of fruits and berries found in L&Z.
However, as discovered in the first classic cocktail that is already citrusy, I believe the lemon juice had given it a sour edge that knocked away the lightness of the original, which I loved.
Hence why from my understanding, Light & Zesty works best when it’s not overcomplicated by using Tonic Water to mix in order to elevate the drink. It wasn’t appalling, but it could have been better.
Rating: 5.5/10
My final verdict
On the whole, my experience delving into alcohol-free spirit brand, Caleño, was not only educational, but also extremely fun. Whether you're a non-drinker, or would like to swap the booze, using this brand in particular would be a great way to start.
Without hesitation, I would be happy to use both Caleño spirits in any future cocktails I’ll be making, with both flavours being standout hits, in my opinion.
With Ramadan approaching, I’m ecstatic to serve some of the other drinks in store for the whole family after breaking fast, as I’m absolutely sure it will garner a thumbs-up or two.
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