CleanCo Tequila Non-Alcoholic Clean T Review*

[Ad-gifted] Well, we are on our fourth instalment of CleanCo’s drinks we review CleanCo Tequila.

I am such a huge fan of these drinks as I think they have somehow managed to create great swaps for people who want to enjoy a special drink, without the alcohol or the hangover. So far, we have tried Clean G – a gin alternative, Clean R – a rum version, and Clean W – the whiskey variety.

My favourite swaps so far have been the Clean G and Clean R – these for me really hit the spot, However, Clean T is one that I was looking forward to trying as my favourite drinks a varying types of Margarita-style drinks and I wondered if they could be swapped with a non alcoholic version. Also, in case you don’t know, the T is for tequila!

Keep reading if you want to see how my tequila swap cocktail worked starting with the Clean Paloma and get the recipe for my Squeaky Margarita.

What I thought of Cleanco Tequilla

The Cleanco Tequilla drink tastes like the elements of tequila but slightly watered down and with an additional sweetness you get from the classic blue agave based drink. Remember when you taste any CleanCo drink it is trying to imitate the flavour profile of its alcoholic counterpart and almost always doesn’t taste the same, apart from when its mixed – which you can read in our other CleanCo reviews.

My first cocktail is a Paloma. Not only is my little cousin named Paloma, but its an equally delicious cocktail! The Paloma is simple, yet has a tang to it as it uses grapefruit, In the classic version, you can either make it with Tequila and a fizzy grapefruit drink or with fresh juice and soda water. Today I am going to make my version using the Clean T and fresh juice. What’s handy about this recipe is, one grapefruit will make two drinks, so its the perfect one to make with a friend!

Clean T ingredients

Water, Vegetable Glycerine, Natural Flavourings (including Cedarwood, Oakwood), Citric Acid*, Potassium Sorbate** *Citric Acid is found naturally in citrus fruits like lemons and limes. **Potassium Sorbate is a naturally occurring preservative which helps to keep our beverages fresh

It’s sugar free so could be mixed with plenty of sugar free mixers to make a low calorie drink – making it great for those of us who want the ultimate guilt free drink.

Clean Paloma (for one)

Ingredients
50cl Clean T
1/2 a grapefruit juice
topped with soda/sparkling water

Method
Pour the Clean T and grapefruit juice into a short glass or a white wine glass and mix it well, then fill the glass with ice and top with soda/sparkling water – I also used a bit of pulp to garnish on the top – but you could use a slice of grapefruit if you wanted.

I love the outcome of this drink, it’s so refreshing and makes for a great Paloma swap. It still holds the fizz even though there isn’t much sparkling water in it. The Clean T takes the edge off the grapefruit much like the Tequila would do, however, unlike Tequila that isn’t sweet – the Clean T adds the right amount of sweetness. This drink is perfect over Spring and Summer!

Although I didn’t make a Margarita I wanted to share the recipe and exactly how you can make this completely non-alcoholic version. I make a Margarita quite often, so can be sure that this will work every time.

I of course couldn’t use an orange liquor so I used orange cordial – not a Robinsons style cordial (not that it isn’t nice but its not suitable for the base of a cocktail) but a French cordial that has a more pure taste of orange and sugar rather than sharpness – you can get what I call posh cordials from most supermarkets nowadays and of course Amazon. I recommend Monin cordials (the ones often used for coffee syrups) in Orange.

However, if you do equal parts orange juice to sugar, you can make your own orange syrup on the hob.

Squeaky (Clean) Margarita

Ingredients
50cl of Clean T
30cl of orange syrup (Monin orange cordial)
40cl of lime juice

Method
In a Margarita glass – put lime on the rim and salt or sugar it (whatever you prefer – mine is salt every time) and then in a cocktail shaker (or a pint glass) shake all the ingredients with ice (or mix them with ice in the glass) and then strain the mixture into your pre-prepared glass. And there you have it, and easy to do Squeaky Margarita.

Where can you buy your bottle of CleanCo Clean T?

You can buy Clean T directly from their website (which is where we would suggest), however, I spotted Clean G Rhubarb in Sainsbury’s – I think it cost slightly more than directly from CleanCo. So head to their website here to check out their full range.

How much is Clean T?

The bottle costs £16, however, you purchase other drinks from CleanCo. or at Sainsbury’s for £18

About CleanCo

You may recognise the name Spencer Matthews, from the TV series Made in Chelsea which started back in 2011 and continued for a good number of years beyond that. However, in 2019 just before the birth of his first child, he decided to go clean – he became more focused and driven and hasn’t ever regretted his decision to change this aspect of his life.

He began to develop CleanCo in a way that was un-preachy about it being non-alcoholic. It was a way you could have a drink enjoying the same elements as you would if you were drinking alcohol. The drinks are made to be 1-1 replacements of traditional spirits.

The drinks at CleanCo are fun to make and fun to drink and can be enjoyed without a cloudy head from an ever-looming hangover, so if you want a fog-free Christmas check out all the varieties of drinks available along with a tonne of handy recipes on their website.

Review by: Lex Ward

You may also want to read this:

Review: Everleaf, a Non-alcoholic Bittersweet Aperitif

January Guide – All about Living Clean & Being Healthy

Drinks Review : Beerwulf Low and Alcohol Free Beer Case