Kalamancello takes calamansi to star status

MANILA, Philippines - Calamansi is poised to hit the big time and shoot to star status, and no one is more excited than partners Tierry Garcia Jr. and Martin Tarnate of Kalamancello Enterprises. Long relegated to being a mere spritzer or dipping sauce, calamansi now joins its more celebrated citrus cousins —lemon, grapefruit, and orange — in the limelight.

Kalamancello came about accidentally. After a particularly profuse harvest on the calamansi farm that Martin was overseeing, it was then that Tierry had his eureka moment to mix the calamansi concentrate with lambanog.

Tierry and Martin envision Kalamancello as the national drink. Filipino farmers handcraft Kalamancello in Batangas, using fruits grown locally. This bottled cocktail is a testament not only to Filipino ingenuity and creativity but also to camaraderie, as Kalamancello Enterprises provides our farmers with a continued livelihood that spans our fickle seasons.

The calamansi farm occupies 10 hectares of a bigger farm that spans nine barangays in Batangas surrounding the picturesque Taal Lake. Kalamancello Enterprises supports other farmers in the area, especially during harvest season when the price of calamansi plummets due to a glut in the market, by buying as much of the produce as they can and freezing the juices. Quite picky, literally, Martin, who is in charge of production, says they choose calamansi that have ripened on the bush, or what is called hinog sa puno. “These fruits are the juiciest and sweetest,” he explains.

Kalamancello also helps boost the production of lambanog or distilled coconut wine, sometimes called “Philippine vodka” as it is the other main ingredient in the artisanal drink. The partners are contracting the manggagarits (coconut pickers) of Quezon province to stabilize the supply as Kalamancello goes nationwide — and prepares to go global.

Kalamancello is organic and all-natural, which means it has no preservatives, no additives, and that no chemicals were used to produce it. Calamansi, like other zesty fruits, contains flavonoids and powerful antioxidants known to reduce free radical damage, help prevent and fight diseases like scurvy and cancer, lower stroke risk in blood clot-related strokes, and also prevent obesity.

This ready-to-drink cocktail is a product of Kalamancello Enterprises. It is available at Balete at Kamias, Tierry’s resto-bar and events place, Kamias Road, Quezon City. For more information, call 0917-756-5708 or email tierryg@gmail.com.