CleanCo Non-Alcoholic Rum Review*

[Ad-gifted] We’re only a few weeks from Christmas but if you feel like having a bit of time cleansing before getting stuck into the indulgences of the holidays or serve this to friends who are tee-total when they come over, then you might want to try this non-alcoholic Rum from CleanCo.

I love making a cocktail but there are times when I would like the same pleasure of the fancy feeling you get from chinking your cocktail glass without the foggy head or mid-week tipsiness.

So, when we were asked to review this non-alcoholic rum spirit I was curious to see how it tasted and whether or not I would swap this occasionally when I wanted to limit my alcohol intake!

Keep reading to see what we thought and for special pre-holiday season drink recipes you might like to make.

What I thought of the drink 

The drink called Clean R is a non-alcoholic alternative to rum – It has a fairly mild and subtle taste, it’s spiced but of course, doesn’t have the same kick as Rum – I wouldn’t really recommend drinking this on its own, as I think you need other flavours to accompany it to make it taste like a true Rum alternative.

I liked trying it on its own and it worked so I decided to create the most complementing cocktail. I next tried it with a simple mixer, so that I could compare it to a regular spirit and mixer combo.

Below, you have the list of ingredients and how you can make yours…

Ingredients and Nutritional information in Clean R

Ingredients: Water, Vegetable Glycerine, Natural Flavourings, Acid: Citric Acid, Colour: Plain Caramel, Preservative: Potassium Sorbate.

Nutrition typical values per 100ml: Energy 102kJ/24kcal. Carbohydrates 5g. Contains trace amounts of fat, saturates, sugar, protein and salt. Serving size 50ml

Cocktail Recipes and my thoughts on the drinks combined with Clean R

The first drink is an unusual one with basil and lemon syrup blended with Clean R and topped with sparkling water. This is so tasty and fresh and the perfect drink for a party at Christmas or if you can think that far ahead – New Year!

The basil adds a semi-floral or essence-type taste to the syrup and really gives it an unusual and pleasant taste – it works well with the lemon and the spices that come through in the flavour of Clean R. I took inspiration from the bitter taste you get from an old fashioned but as I couldn’t find a non-alcoholic alternative to Angostura bitters I thought I would re-think the whole drink.

For the second drink, we made a Rum and Cola – I thought this was the best way to truly test out this Rum alternative with a classic combination like this – as when it comes to maybe making swaps, having it taste like your favourite alcoholic drink could make the swap a little easier. I was pleasantly surprised this was so similar to Rum and Cola – I loved it! I could easily drink this as an alternative to the alcohol version, and I suspect others could too.

I think often with alternatives like this – you do search for the ones that taste the most like the real thing and although I have to say on its own Clean R is a little flat and as mentioned above, doesn’t have the punch you get from Rum, it certainly has the flavour palette when combined with most mixers – which is of course what you want. So all in all its a successful non-alcoholic alternative. Find out how you can make yours below…

Clean & Basilee

Cola C R 

Where can you get your bottle of Clean R?

How much is Clean R?

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.