Caleno Dark and Spicy
Summary
Drink – Caleno Dark and Spicy
Type – non-alcoholic lager
Alcohol content – 0.0%
Rating– 78/100
Review – Hats off to Ellie, the creator of Caleno. She’s managed to create a unique and tasty alcohol-free spirit that certainly has a place on MyDryBar. Full of characterful flavours and one to please those who enjoy fruity and sweet alcohol-free cocktails, non alcoholic Dark and Spicy is a deserved award winner.
Drum roll please … this is my 50th alcohol-free drink review so here’s hoping it’s a good one. Let me introduce you to Caleno Dark and Spicy non alcoholic spirit.
Caleño is an interesting company that came about thanks to their founder Ellie who decided (after an inspirational trip to Colombia) that the alcohol-free options in her city were substandard … so decided to create her own. After much hard graft Ellie and her team have gone on to create two non-alcoholic spirits – ‘Light and Tasty’ and the Caleño’s Dark and Spicy, an alcohol-free rum.
To recreate the fun and exotic flavours of South America Caleño distils a great range of tropical ingredients and spices (including pineapple, coconut, ginger, black cardamom, vanilla and kola nut) and lets them mature in stainless steel drums for a fortnight before bottling begins. It was recommended that I have the dark and spicy along with a mixer so I added a shot of the spirit to a glass, added a bottle of Freez’s lemon and ginger drink and plenty of ice.
So was Caleño’s award-winning Dark and Spicy a fiesta in a glass or a damp squib? Well, you’ll just need to read the review below to find out.
Is Caleno Dark and Spicy any good?
Taste
Well, this was a refreshing surprise. When I first took a sip I thought I was drinking a pina colada! Completely threw me off guard as generally pina colada’s are light and creamy and not the colour of the Dark and Spicy. You can certainly taste all the fruits and spices that have gone into this alcohol-free spirit, especially the pineapple and coconut; interestingly although it was quite sweet it contains no sugar. The mixer I added also helped to complement and balance the flavours and overall it was one of the freshest and tastiest AF cocktails I’ve drunk.
Aroma & Appearance
Dark and Spicy smells just like it tastes. You can certainly pick out the pineapple and coconut with a fiery backdrop of the ginger. In the glass, it had a golden amber look which diffused when I added the mixer.
Bonus points
This alcohol-free spirit is certainly going to please a lot of people as it has zero alcohol, zero sugar, is suitable for vegans and is gluten-free. I also really like the design that has an air of art-deco chic to it. Thankfully this drink is fairly easy to find at both supermarkets and online specialists.
CALENO’S Light and zesty
Since writing this review I’ve also gone on to try Caleno’s Light and Zesty non-alcoholic spirit. Check out the review
Buy Caleno Dark and Spicy
There are a number of places you can procure this alcohol-free rum including Sainsbury’s and Caleño’s own site. You can also check out the following online specialists who stock it too.
Wise Bartender is a very well-respected alcohol-free retailer with a great selection of booze-free drinks and an easy-to-use site.
Drizly is one of the USA’s leading online alcohol retailers with a large selection of alcohol-free products to choose from.
COST (at time of publication) – $33
Key information
– per 100ml
Creators – Caleño
Country – UK
Alcohol content – 0%
Calories – 45
Ingredients –
Water, Glycerine, Botanical Distillates and Extracts including Pineapple, Coconut, Kola Nut, Black Cardamom, Natural Flavourings
Vegan friendly? – yes
Gluten-free? – yes
Availability UK / EU – medium
Availability US / CAN – hard
“Always do sober what you said you’d do when you were drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.“
-Ernest Hemingway, 1899 – 1961
