Who said that not drinking can’t be fun? With new alcohol-free drinks options popping up on the market all the time, there’s never been a better time to embrace the expanding scene of no and low alcohol. And if there’s an alcohol-free drinks range that’ll make you embrace “the joy of not drinking” it’s Caleño Drinks. This post contains items that were gifted to me. For more information please feel free to read my disclaimer and privacy policy.
About Caleño Drinks
Caleño is a non-alcoholic drinks company founded by Ellie Webb. After heading on an alcohol-free night out with some friends, Ellie found herself feeling completely uninspired by the range of alcohol-free options that were available. It raised the question of why should choosing not to drink mean that you can’t have fun and enjoy great drinks on a night out? So, she took it upon herself to start experimenting with her own alcohol-free spirits. Her passion for creating delicious alcohol-free spirits was only further fuelled when she returned from a trip to Colombia completely inspired by her Latin roots. Wanting to bottle the feeling of vibrant colours, tropical flavours and Latin beats, she created Caleño.
Caleño Drinks Non-Alcoholic Spirits
On their website, Caleño have two alcohol-free spirits to choose from: the Light & Zesty and the Dark & Spicy. The two spirits are available in 20cl and 50cl bottles, as well as in a variety of different multipacks. They also have a range of merchandise and bar accessories available on their site. I tried out their Tropical Twin Pack which is a gift set containing a 20cl bottle of both Light & Zesty and Dark & Spicy. As I always do when it comes to reviews, I tried the two spirits both straight and with a mixer of my choosing. Here’s what I thought of them.
Caleño: Dark & Spicy Review
Out of their two spirits, the Dark & Spicy definitely caught my attention just from the name alone. I feel as though dark spirits haven’t been massively explored in the alcohol-free market. There seems to be so many great gin alternatives but a serious lack of dark spirits. As a keen lover of both dark and spiced rum, I was really excited to see how Caleño’s alcohol-free Dark & Spicy would stack up against some of my favourite alcoholic rums. Caleño describes their Dark & Spicy spirit as ‘packed with dark pineapple tropical notes, ginger and kola nut spices’. So, I put it to the taste test.
Firstly…what’s it like straight? Well, it’s absolutely full of spicy flavours. I was really impressed with just how much flavour came from the Dark & Spicy just by itself. Nothing watered down about it at all. The ginger was really coming through as was the slight sweetness from the pineapple. As per Caleño’s recommendation, when it came to choosing my mixer I went for ginger beer for a maximum spice sensation. All I can say is that it was absolutely incredible. The spice from the ginger beer completely elevated the spirit and really brought out the flavours. Sometimes ginger beer can mask the taste of spirit but Dark & Spicy really held it’s own.
For the perfect serve, you’re going to want 50ml Caleño Dark & Spicy, 150ml ginger beer, a slice of lime (and a squeeze of lime juice) and PLENTY of ice. I have to admit that I got through the 20cl bottle pretty quickly. And it’s left me desperate to a) get myself a few more bottles and b) start experimenting with some cocktails! Honestly, all I can think about is how desperate I am to try it out in an alcohol-free spiced mojito.
Caleño: Light & Zesty Review
Next up is their Light & Zesty. Caleño describes their Light & Zesty spirit as a ‘distilled, light and zesty blend of tropical, citrus and spice botanicals’. Which, as a description, I can’t argue with at all. When I tested it out by itself it definitely had light and citrusy flavours. But for me, it tasted a bit too similar to a lime cordial when it was by itself. As is the case for spirits, however they aren’t really supposed to be served by themselves. So I decided to give it a go with a classic light tonic.
For me, the Light & Zesty just didn’t have the same wow factor as the Dark & Spicy. It was just a bit too light for me and a bit too zesty. But at the end of the day, it’s right there in the name; it’s supposed to be light and zesty! I’ll be giving the Light & Zesty another go in some cocktails as I think the strong citrus flavours could really work in something like an alcohol-free French 75.
Caleño’s Dark & Spicy and Light & Zesty spirits are available directly on the Caleño website, Sainsbury’s and Amazon. RRP £18.00 (50cl) and £12.00 (20cl).
Have you tried any of Caleño’s alcohol-free spirits before? Which one do you think would be up your street? And let me know if you’d like to see me test out some cocktails with Caleño Light & Zesty!
Female Original
Looking for more alcohol-free options? Check out Sea Arch Coastal Juniper.
Mm, dark and spicy sounds really good! I honestly thought I would be more for the light and zesty but it sounds like it needs to be mixed in with something to maybe add a little more depth to it and fade out the zesty a bit. I love that so many alcohol free options are popping up, especially because many of the mixes are worth drinking again and again. Thanks so much for sharing another drink made with passion!
I feel as though I’d convinced myself that Light & Zesty would be similar to a non-alcoholic gin (even though it never said it was on the bottle!). The Dark & Spicy blew my mind – it was so so good. Glad you enjoyed reading! 🙂 x
The dark and spicy sounds like one I would really love and bonus that it isn’t alcoholic! Thankyou for sharing x
Oh it’s SO good! Definitely the most flavoursome AF spirit I’ve tried – a great rum alternative 🙂 x
The Dark & Spicy sounds amazing! Seeing that it has ginger beer has me sold. And I’m loving the fact that it is non alcoholic. I enjoy drinking socially but I do not enjoy the taste of alcohol very much. Thanks for sharing!
It’s so delicious with ginger beer! A great AF alternative to a spiced rum 🙂 x
Oooh! Love that there is a tasty non-alcoholic spirit. I like the idea of the tropical flavor! Zesty sounds delish – perfect for a summer day! It is great that Caleno is affordable. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Caleño’s Dark & Spicy is definitely the strongest flavour of AF spirit that I’ve tried, and it’s absolutely incredible! 🙂 x
This drink looks gorgeous, and a great non-alcoholic choice 🙂 thank you for sharing this review, I love hearing your thoughts on alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks x
Thanks so much! Aw so glad you’re enjoying my reviews. I’d definitely giving Caleño’s drinks a go if you’re looking for some AF alternatives 🙂 x
These sound really good, I’m going to share this with a friend who’s tee total at the moment.
I hope you friends likes the sound of them! 🙂 x
The packaging of this range is actually pulling me in so much haha :’) Most of these sound amazing! And I loved the origin story x
Haha it’s like a party in packaging form isn’t it! Glad you like the sound of their drinks 🙂 x
The dark and spicy drink sounds really good, it’s a shame the light and zesty one wasn’t to your taste! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
I absolutely loved the Dark & Spicy! It’ll be interesting to see how the Light & Zesty turns out in AF cocktails – I’m not giving up on it quite yet haha! x
These both sound great, but I think I would go with closed eyes for Dark and Spicy, sounds too good to pass! Truly love the packaging and colours too, easily catch the eye! Thank you for sharing x
I can confirm that the Dark & Spicy is dreamy! 🙂 x
Oooh dark and spicy sounds delicious! I don’t drink alcohol so I completely understand how boring some drink choices can be when you go out. Sometimes you want the snazziness of alcoholic drinks without the alcohol and most places don’t offer that so I love the sound of these!
Tash – A Girl with a View
The Dark & Spicy is so good! Ahh it must be so frustrating seeing the lack of non-alcoholic drink choices available when you go out. Hopefully bars will start stocking brands like Caleño in the near future! x
I love the story behind this brand! It sounds like their drinks are so delicious and full of flavor too, especially Dark & Spicy! Thanks for sharing your review!
They’re both really flavoursome! Even though the Light & Zesty wasn’t quite my thing I think the citrus flavour will really come through in a cocktail 🙂 x
These look fab, would be great to try them! I haven’t tried many alcohol free alternative most of the time if I’m not drinking I usually have a coke or something. Would be nice to try something new 🙂
It’s only fairly recently that I started exploring the no and low alcohol scene as well, but there are so many great AF options popping up! I hope you enjoy them if you decide to give them a go! x
Well, this flavour definitely sounds like something I can try 🙂
The Dark & Spicy is so delicious! Glad you like the sound of Caleño 🙂 x
I quite like the sound of both, so the twin pack would be ideal for me! I’m a fan of both spicy and super citrusy drinks, so this is totally going on my list. Great post!
Anika | chaptersofmay.com
Oooh sounds like you’ll love the two of them then! I’d definitely recommend trying the Dark & Spicy with ginger beer – it’s so so good 🙂 x
This sounds so fun! I’ve been trying to drink less and less since the hangovers I get these days are unbearable. This sounds like a great way to have a special drink without the consequences.
Glad you like the sound of their drinks! I loved their Dark & Spicy – full of flavour and hangover free haha 🙂 x
I normally turn my nose up at alcohol free alternatives because of the exact reason these ones were created – the vast majority are so boring. Dark & Spicy sounds like it has such depth but I hate ginger so I think it would have to be Light & Zety for me. And I do love a French 75 so that might work out well for me x
I completely agree – it’s crazy to think that not so long ago alcohol free drinks were basically just fruit juices with some sort of colouring in them to make them look special! I’m loving how much the AF scene is growing at the moment. Caleño are a great example of showing that AF can still be fun! I’m looking forward to seeing how Light & Zesty works in a French 75 🙂 x
I haven’t heard or tried this brand before but these look great! I love non-alcoholic options as well. We always have a DD whenever my cousins (we’re all roughly the same age) hit the town and it sucks not being able to have fun with them! Thank you for this review! I’ll have a look x
http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
Non-alcoholic options are getting better by the day! I absolutely loved the Dark & Spicy but because the two spirits are so different there’s definitely something for everyones taste 🙂 x
I haven’t heard of this product before or the brand before. This sounds very interesting. I like that there are more non-alcoholic options. Thank you for sharing.
Lauren – bournemouthgirl.com
Glad I could introduce a new brand to you! The alcohol-free scene is growing so much at the moment which is great 🙂 x
Ayyyyy Caleño is looking so so gooooood! 😍
http://www.fashionradi.com
Glad you like the sound of them! 🙂 x
Thank you for the review. I have been scrolling through all sorts of sites for a full and honest review of alternatives to rum for a tropical vacation. I plan to take some bottles with me to add to the frozen drinks, sans alcohol.
I’m so happy to hear that you found the review helpful, Melody. I hope you enjoy trying out Caleño Dark & Spicy on your trip!
Unfortunately I will not be able to try Caleno for a while as I can not find a way to get in the US. Someday I hope!
Oh no! Hopefully, it’ll be available in the US soon.