Another Kava drink to try, this one concentrated and blended with ginger, citrus, and spices to mimic a liquor that you can mix cocktails with; and intriguing idea.
First off, I decided to try a serving (45ml) neat out of my Glencairn. Smell is heavy ginger with lemon and subtle kava underneath. The taste is sweet and tart with flavors of simple syrup, lemonade, ginger beer, and subtle earthy kava. The finish has a moderate burn from the ginger, featuring notes of black pepper, lemon zest, a touch of peppermint, and numbing earthy kava. Overall, it’s not bad, perhaps a bit sweet but not cloying in my opinion. The ginger, sweet, and sour flavors work well to accentuate and attenuate the flavors of the kava, instead of hiding it and the end result is quite intriguing. Effects set in quickly, providing a sense of relaxed mild sedation.
Next I tried the suggested cocktail on the bottle, one serving mixed with ice and ginger ale. Smells essentially the same: ginger, citrus, and kava. The taste is sweet and spicy with flavors of lemonade, ginger, and subtle kava on a creamy effervescent body. The finish is long with a light ginger burn, featuring notes of ginger, lemon, faint peppermint, and kava. Overall the flavor of the Kavahol is just brightened by the ginger ale, but the flavors are all pretty much the same. That said, this is a fantastic drink that could easily replace a cocktail or two at night and I feel the Kavahol itself would mix well with pretty much any tiki cocktail, merely requiring adjustments to added sweeteners. Effects of two servings are surprisingly intense and very similar to alcohol.