Review: Dancing Pines Chai Liqueur
Believe it or not, Dancing Pines is not the first chai tea liqueur we’ve reviewed. That honor goes to Voyant, a cream-based liqueur so nice we named it our favorite liqueur of 2010.
Dancing Pines is not cream-inclusive — it’s a straight, syrupy, brownish liqueur — and that alone is a curiosity. Chai — as it is commonly served in the west — is sweetened, spiced tea with milk, and taking the dairy out of the equation is a bit odd for us unaccustomed to “straight” chai. Sure, you can add milk or half & half to Dancing Pines to replicate the Indian bevereage, but Voyant’s approach I find is on the whole a bit more appealing.
The flavors in the Colorado-based Dancing Pines are rich and authentic. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves — the whole baking spice cupboard, really — with modest tea leaf undertones. Very spicy, and extremely sweet. The body is very thick and syrupy, to the point where tippling on Dancing Pines is like sipping Grand Marnier: Some may find this sticky sweetness appealing; others will be put off after a few overpowering sips.
60 proof.
B / $52 [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS]
Dancing Pines Chai Liqueur
$52
