Aloha 65 a taste of the Caribbean in a bottle

Stuck at home surfing the net not being able to surf the waves or fly to exotic locations such as the Caribbean due to Covid 19? I discovered Aloha an exotic Caribbean drink to wash away my worries.

On a courtesy basis I was kindly gifted a bottle of Aloha botanical spirit and hot sauce to enjoy at home.

Aloha 65

Back in the 90’s Aloha 65 was born by British ex-pat Stephen Thorp’s whom run a popular U.S. surf bar which was vibrant, eclectic, and full of character. It became famous for Stephen’s hand-made signature sundowners which he would make and give away as a thank you to his loyal customers. He experimented with various fruit infusions, naming them after local surfers. One in particular proved very popular of a carefully balanced blend made from tropical fruits and a kick of spice. It became such a winner Stephen decided to bottle it. It took him 65 recipes to perfect, but here it is Aloha 65.

Aloha 65 is a complex infused spirit that is beautifully, naturally and carefully made over a month using six fresh, raw ingredients including fresh pineapple, lemon, ginger, scotch bonnet chilli and two other carefully selected herbs and spices. No colourants, flavourings or refined sugar are used in the production process.  The fresh ingredients are macerated and then simply steeped lazily in a neutral grain spirit in separate containers and slowly infuse the alcohol until the flavours are just so.  After a month or so, when nature has done her work, the six distillates are blended together to create the beautifully balanced finished product.  Aloha 65 is all-natural, vegan and 27% ABV.

Aloha 65 is so different and bold making it perfect as a shot, a refreshing long-drink, or within cocktails, unforgettable.

Just chill, shake, serve and share!

Plus Aloha 65 produce Aloha 65 Hot Sauce which is vegan friendly and hand-made in the UK. It consists of pineapple, white wine vinegar, brown sugar, lemon juice, coriander, fresh ginger, scotch bonnet chilli, cornflour, salt, ground cumin and nutmeg and the spirit of Aloha 65 but minus the alcohol. No dried or powdered flavourings or powdered ingredients are used, resulting in a highly versatile and top-quality sauce.

Perfect on anything, dip, dunk or dollop it.

Taste of the Caribbean, Aloha

Upon receiving my bottle of Aloha I was immediately saying Aloha to the beautiful tropical looking bottle which comes in a striking blue design and has a quirky image of a female surfer, like adverts from the 1960’s.

Opening the bottle I was immediately hit by notes of pineapple, ginger and spices and it started to make me think of happy memories from the many Caribbean islands I have visited.

The drink is refreshing with fruity notes, hint of ginger and chilli, and suffused with lingering herbaceous tones. It is truly packed full of flavour and sunshine, Aloha.

The beauty though about Aloha 65 is that it can be enjoyed in many different ways from shots to cocktails. So I decided to recreate a few of their cocktails from some of their recipes which can be found online.

Aloha Colada

Ingredients (serves 1):

• Ice
• 60ml Aloha 65
• 50ml coconut milk (full fat)
• 75ml fresh pineapple juice
• 1 tbsp sugar syrup (2 parts white sugar to 1 part water)
• Juice of ½ lime
• Slice of pineapple and cocktail umbrella to garnish

Load a blender with all the ingredients and blitz for a few seconds. Pour into a chilled glass. Sit back, relax and soak up the sun.

This drink tasted very much like a Pina Colada but with that extra kick due to Aloha 65 chilli, ginger and spices. It was refreshing and summery.

Aloha Matata

Ingredients (serves 1):

• 50ml Aloha 65
• Apple juice
• 4 Lime wedges
• 5-6 Mint leaves
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Ice

Layer ice, lime wedges and mint leaves in a highball glass. Add Aloha 65, top with apple juice, a pinch of cinnamon and stir gently. Easy does it.

This drink is a little like the classic Mojito, fruity, minty but with that added extra hint of spice.

Alohan

Ingredients:

• Aloha 65
• Ginger ale
• Ice
• Lemon and mint to garnish

Pour 1 part Aloha 65 and 2 parts ginger ale into a jug or pitcher. Add loads of ice, lemon slices, mint sprigs and stir gently. Dive in.

The ginger ale certainly brings out the fresh ginger flavours from Aloha 65. A very refreshing, yet simple drink.

Check out all their other recipes via clicking here.

Sweetening it up, Aloha

I love a good drink but I also love sweet stuff and with Aloha 65 being so perfect I thought why not bake with it so I did just that and created some of my own tropical sweet treats with it.

Aloha Coconut Cake

Crust
1 & 1/2 cups crushed digestive biscuits
1 & 1/2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 tspn ground cinnamon
4 tbs butter melted

Filling
6 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
2 large egg yolks
1 can of 14 ounce of sweetened condensed milk full fat
1 tbs Alhoa
2 tspn rum extract
1 can of 8 ounces of crushed pineapple undrained
1 cup sweetened flakes of coconut

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Line an 8″ x 8″ baking pan with foil. Leave an overhang on the sides and coat with a light coating of vegetable oil.

For the crust in a food processor, pulverise the digestive biscuits, into a fine crumb, add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Pulse to blend.  Place into a medium sized bowl and mix in the melted butter. Press the mixture evenly into prepared baking pan, being sure to press firmly. Bake crust for 10 minutes.

For the filling in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on high until smooth. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, scraping down the sides as necessary. Beat in sweetened condensed milk and Aloha and rum extracts. Add the can of undrained crushed pineapple and 2/3 cup of the flake coconut and mix on low speed until combined.

Pour filling onto crust, sprinkle remaining flake coconut on top, and bake for 43-45 minutes. Edges and flake coconut should just start to brown and middle should no longer be jiggly. Allow pan to cool at room temperature on a wire rack. When completely cool, chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

When completely chilled, lift out of the pan using the foil overhang. It can be stored covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Thinking of the Caribbean and coconuts that line the beaches this is what inspired me to make a coconut cake with an added twist of the Aloha 65 spirit. A fruity and coconut explosion.

Aloha Cheesecake Pineapple Sundae

Ingredients
50g digestive biscuits
50g amaretto biscuits
30g Country Life butter, melted
150g cream cheese
200g Crème Fraîche
Squeeze of half a lime
60ml Aloha botantical spirit
15g caster sugar
Pineapple slices

Instructions

Crush the digestive biscuits in a food processor and add half the butter until well blended. Crush the amaretto biscuit and add the rest of the butter and blend.

Whisk the cream cheese and Crème Fraîche until thick and smooth then whisk in the lime juice, Aloha and sugar.

Spoon in a layer of digestive biscuits in a tall glass or Sundae glass and top a large spoon full of with the cream mixture on top then some pineapple pieces, then add a layer of cream, then amaretto biscuits, pineapple and then cream and digestive biscuits, followed by pineapple, then cream and a mix of digestive biscuits and amaretto biscuits for top layer. Chill until ready to eat and decorate with a cocktail umbrella.

My idea behind this dessert was to make it look like a sundae but have the taste of a tropical cheesecake which it did with the biscuit layers and cream cheese. The pineapples and spirit of Aloha gave it that extra fruitiness and zing.

Aloha Panna Cotta

Ingredients

Panna Cotta base
1 leave of gelatine
120ml semi skimmed milk
50ml Aloha65
100ml double cream
35g caster sugar
Pineapple topping
Half a leaf of gelatine
One pineapple ring blitzed
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp water

Soak the gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Put the milk, Aloha65, cream and sugar in a pan over a low heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then take off the heat. Squeeze the water from the gelatine, add to the pan and mix until dissolved.

Ladle the mixture into two glasses or small moulds, then carefully transfer to the fridge for 6 hours or until set.

For the pineapple topping soak the gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Add the blitzed pineapple, lemon juice and water in a pan. Simmer for a few minutes then add in gelatine, stir to dissolve. Leave to cool slightly before topping your base of your panna cotta with a thin layer of the pineapple mix. Then leave again for an hour or so until set.

Aloha 65 Hot Sauce

Aloha 65 also produces a hot sauce which is perfect on about anything, but especially good with anything that has cheese in it such as cheese toasties, pizza and equally amazing as a marinade for chicken or sauce for burgers, chips or baked potatoes.

I decided to enjoy with my piece of gammon so time for to dip, drunk and dollop.

This hot sauce is punchy with pineapple and has a hit of heat. Very unique, and intriguing in flavours, beautifully balanced with the sweetness of the pineapple working with the scotch bonnet chilli and other herbs creating a winning taste experience.

So if you are looking for something that slightly different as a hot sauce look no further than Aloha 65 Hot Sauce for all your dousing, dipping, and dunking needs.

Verdict

Aloha 65 is like nothing else. It doesn’t fit neatly into boxes marked gin or vodka. This unique punchy, fruity and yet spicy drink is delicious and refreshing by itself or as a mixer.

Aloha 65 Hot Sauce is also very unique. It is a tropical sensation with explosions of punchy pineapple along with a hit of heat and spice from the chillies and spices mixed within it.

I would highly recommend Aloha 65 drink and sauce to anyone who loves pineapple, chillies and spices as you will not be disappointed by either.

Aloha 65 order now

Aloha 65 HQ
15-19 Great Titchfield Street
London
W1W 8AZ

Aloha 65 doesn’t fit neatly into boxes marked gin or vodka. It’s a spirit drink infused with fresh pineapple, lemon, ginger, scotch-bonnet chillies and carefully selected herbs and spices. A delicious shot, a refreshing long-drink, or a unique heart of a great cocktail, Aloha 65 is all-natural, vegan, and lower in alcohol than many of the usual suspects.

Buy yours now:
Aloha 65 Spirit
Aloha 65 Hot Sauce
Aloha Gift Box
Plus much more

Thank you Aloha 65 for the delicious punchy pineapple explosion of taste. All views are my own honest opinion.