Take one sip of the Colorado-made spirit Tingala and you’ll understand why it’s unlike anything else currently available on the market.
The sensory experience starts with a bouquet of cinnamon and allspice in the aroma, and at first those are the dominant flavors on the palate, too. But soon, spicy notes give way to tingling sensations that build and build until the whole tongue feels numb, almost like it’s vibrating. Stick with it for just a couple of brave moments and the experience will peak before mellowing out and returning your mouth back to normalcy.
Phew, you made it through the rollercoaster of flavors. Ready for another ride?
That’s the appeal of Tingala, which has been tantalizing tastebuds since it debuted in 2016. Its secret ingredient is the buzz button, a Brazilian flower that includes a compound responsible for evoking the intense sensory effects.
While bartenders throughout the U.S. have garnished cocktails with buzz buttons for fun and flare, company president Susan Tews believes Tingala is the first to use them in distillation. It’s fair to say, though something of a novelty, it has been a hit.
Demand skyrocketed in recent years as Tingala added a second spirit recipe to its portfolio. The company doubled its sales in 2024, Tews said, and its products have continued to grow in popularity – so much so, that Tingala is currently facing a shortage.
“Starting fall of last year, demand just suddenly soared and we simply sold out,” Tews said. “We had a reserve built up that up until then was adequate.”
Until this point, Tews admits the company kept a modest backstock. She describes Tingala is a “micro-mini” brand and family operation based in Greenwood Village that typically only produces a few thousand cases per year. Tews’ husband Bob and their son Eric are the creators of this inventive spirit, the recipe for which they first drafted by infusing store-bought liquor with buzz buttons grown in their home garden.
Their inspiration? Anthony Bourdain.
Susan and Bob Tews had seen one of Bourdain’s travel shows that took the chef and TV personality to Brazil, where he encountered the buzz button. Locals there use the flower, known scientifically as spilanthes acmella, in medicines and stews.
Bob and Eric Tews were homebrewers who always had an interest in unusual flavors, so buzz buttons seemed like a fun experiment. The first time they used them to infuse a spirit, they put the tingly tipple into Jell-O shots. Talk about a fun party trick.
“Our friends just loved it,” Susan Tews said. “From there, we just decided to look into what it would take to get a formula approval from the TTB and try bottling it.”
The family first worked with Mile High Spirits in Denver to produce and distribute Tingala commercially. In 2020, they partnered with Golden’s Local Distilling, maker of VANJAK Vodka, which now produces its two recipes.
The original is a 50% ABV liquor meant for mixing. In 2023, the company released Tingala Gold (35% ABV), made with vanilla and agave for a touch of sweetness, for the customers who wanted to sip it on its own. That second product is what helped put Tingala on the map, Tews said, as it both captured attention and renewed interest in the original, higher proof recipe. Both products are currently distributed throughout Colorado and in eight additional states.
Because the family originally worked with a farm in California to grow the buzz buttons, Tingala used to be a seasonal project, Tews said. But as thirst outpaced production, the company enlisted the help of Denver’s Rebel Farm to grow them hydroponically year-round.
Spilanthes, commonly known as buzz buttons or electric daisy, grows in the greenhouse at Rebel Farm in Denver on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
“The flowers just go crazy,” said James O’Brien, owner of Rebel Farm.
O’Brien and his team recently completed test batches of about 120 plants, which yielded five pounds of buzz buttons per week. The farmer’s goal is to quadruple production to harvest 20 pounds of flowers per week, which will help the Tewses double their production in 2025 and keep stores and bars stocked.
“We think we’ll be caught up by the end of summer and able to resupply everybody,” Tews said. Until then, visit tingalaspirits.com to see where the spirits are sold and be sure to call ahead to see if it’s in stock.
Because the flavor is unique, Tingala keeps a robust collection of cocktail recipes on its website for newbies. If you want to try it straight, Tews has one piece of advice for maximum enjoyment: “Take a little sip, roll it around in your mouth and then swallow,” she said. “You don’t want to shoot it, that is a mistake.”
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