Many years ago, whilst visiting Spain, I was introduced to an after dinner drink which has been a firm favourite ever since. It involves alcohol, flames and coffee and it usually finds it's way in front of some unsuspecting guests at the end of a long and lazy meal.
Whilst having a bit of unexpected time to experiment in the distillery, it struck me that it would be a great thing if we could create a spirit drink, which could add a bit of theatre to the end of a meal. So we set about creating a drink which after gently warming in a milk pan or similar, can be set alight, ladled and then of course enjoyed.
The result is Calentillo. We created the word from the Spanish "Calentar" which means to "heat or warm" and then added the "illo" to denote "just a little bit" because as well as a little bit of theatre, this is a spirit drink which is best served a little warm.
At it's base it's a relatively sweet liqueur, coming in at 29% proof. The sweetness is enhanced with the addition of a little local honey. Thereafter there are a choice of 3 flavours initially:
- Cafe Caramel, with a hint of Vanilla - this is best warmed along with some lemon zest and a coffee beans
- Chocorange - which is best warmed along with some orange zest
- Lemon and vanilla - which is best warmed along with some orange and lemon zest
When you have an opportunity, give it a try, we think you'll find that it's flaming beautiful!
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