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Trejo's Spirits Tequila Alternative
About Trejo's Spirits Tequila Alternative
Trejo’s Spirits Tequila Alternative is produced by Trejo’s Spirits – a California based non-alcoholic spirits brand first launched in 2023, and owned by actor Danny Trejo. As a brand, they aim to create great tasting options for non-alcoholic drinks, and promote a healthy and positive lifestyle.
Each of their zero proof spirits is made using all natural flavor essences, distillates, and extracts, which are blended together to create the final spirit. The preservative used is potassium sorbate. All of their expressions are vegan and gluten-free. This particular bottle of Tequila Alternative does not disclose the specific extracts used, but the brand advertises notes of citrus, roasted agave, and a peppery finish.
Bottle Specs
❖ ABV: 0%
❖ Facility: undisclosed (Los Angeles, CA)
❖ Aging: N/A
❖ Price Point: upper moderate price
My Tasting notes
I took a whiff, and there was an aroma strongly similar to overripe bananas. As I continued to sniff, there were also soft spice notes, and something grassy in the background.
To preface my tasting notes, I should mention that Trejo’s seems to be one of the only non-alcoholic spirit brands that doesn’t tell people not to drink their product without mixers, which I found very interesting. In fact, the website even lists “on the rocks” as a way to drink this NA tequila. If you follow the blog, you know that I always taste zero proof spirits straight anyways, as I find it interesting and helpful for comparison, even though I wouldn’t drink it like that normally.
I took my first sip, and there were notes of overripe banana in the front, followed by some sort of peppery spice. I was immediately impressed with how the mouthfeel mimics the heat of alcohol. Though most non-alcoholic spirits use some sort of spicy note to do this, this is by far the most effective mimicry that I’ve experienced out of the NA spirits that I’ve reviewed. The hot pepper lights up my mouth and throat, yet the actual flavor of the pepper is muted somehow.
Mocktail
Virgin Batanga
Ingredients
- 2oz non-alcoholic tequila
- 1/2oz lime juice
- 4oz coca cola
- coarse salt (for rim)
Instructions
- wet the rim of a glass with a lime wedge, and create a salt rim
- add lots of ice
- add the lime juice and tequila
- top with Coca Cola
- gently stir with the knife you used to cut the limes
Inside of a mocktail, I really enjoyed this zero proof tequila. The pepper notes and mouthfeel worked well against the sweet soda and sourness of the lime. Although I didn’t notice specific agave notes, the banana-like notes added a nice depth of flavor.
Bottom Line
RATING: 5/5
At the end of the day, I was very impressed with this bottle of Trejo’s Spirits Tequila Alternative. I think it captured the spirit of tequila in a way that none of the zero proof options I have tried so far can match. As I mentioned above, there is a hot pepper note that is more apparent in the mouthfeel than the actual flavor. I found it to be more effective than other brands at mimicking the heat of alcohol, as others often rely on a discernible and pronounced spice flavor such as cayenne pepper. In addition, I thought the flavor of the spirit was delicious, and added depth and interest to a mocktail.
Although the price point is a little more elevated compared to the other NA spirits I have tried, I think it does provide a better value, especially in a market where the pricing of non-alcoholic bottles is always a sticky subject. This is the first time I’ve tried a zero proof option that felt like it was doing something a little more refined with its flavor extracts. I will definitely be recommending it as much as I can, and I also look forward to trying out the non-alcoholic Mezcal that is mentioned on the brand’s website as being in the works, but not released yet. It’s clear that Trejo’s puts care and attention into the products they create, and I feel good about supporting them.
As always, drink responsibly.
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