About Dancing Pines Chai Liqueur
Dancing Pines Chai Liqueur, which is based on Naslund's wife's recipe, is made from whole-leaf black tea and a secret recipe of five herbs and spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Naslund sources only organic ingredients, and purchases from local farmers whenever possible. "All of our ingredients are whole products, meaning we don't use any extracts or artificial flavoring to make our liqueurs," he says.
After purchasing the whole-leaf black tea, herbs and spices, Naslund makes a corn-based distillate using proprietary strains of yeast. He infuses the distillate with the tea, herbs and spices inside his hand-hammered, traditional copper alembic pot still that he nicknamed "Paso Doble." (
Paso Doble, meaning "double step," is a type of music that is typically played during Spanish bullfights.) "We balance the flavors from the tea and spices carefully," Naslund adds, "because we want to create a rich and authentic chai flavor."
After distillation, Naslund discards the heads and tails of the liqueur and brings the hearts to proof using pure Rocky Mountain snowmelt. Each bottle of chai liqueur is then filled and individually numbered with its batch and bottle number.
Dancing Pines Chai Liqueur has an aroma of fresh, authentic chai, along with hints of cardamom and pepper. The palate opens up to sweet notes of cinnamon and nutmeg which are nicely balanced by subtle undertones of spicy tea and clove. The finish is long and slightly sweet, but ends with a kick.
Dancing Pines Chai Liqueur earned the Double Gold Medal at the 2011 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and earned a score of 96 points from
Wine Enthusiast. Pick up a bottle today!
About Dancing Pines
Situated in a nondescript warehouse in the foothills of Colorado's Front Range Mountains, Dancing Pines Distillery is the brainchild of Kristian and Kimberly Naslund. Prior to founding the distillery, Naslund was a paramedic and an amateur home brewer and distiller. "I brought a three-liter test still from Portugal back to the United States and started making spirits," says Naslund, about his first experience with distillation. At the time, "I didn't know it was illegal, but a lot of people were doing it anyway."
Dancing Pines Black Walnut Bourbon Liqueur is crafted by first distilling a batch of Dancing Pines Bourbon. The bourbon is made from a mash of corn, rye and malted barley, which are fermented and distilled at Naslund's distillery. "We take pride in mashing, fermenting and distilling our own whiskeys," says Naslund. Following distillation, the bourbon is aged in American white oak casks for just under four years.
About Liqueur
This typical aperitif has its origins in 13th century Italy where it was used for medicinal purposes. The liqueur is produced worldwide and can have all sorts of flavor profiles, from fruit, spices, nuts, and even cream, and has a low proof of 15 to 30% ABV.
Liqueur can be enjoyed in many different fashions, from drinking neat, in cocktails, served with coffee, or even used for cooking.
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