Clean Cuba Libre

Clean Co is one of the bolder purveyors of NoLo drinks. Whilst many opt to shy away from labelling their products "alternatives" to well known alcoholic classics, Clean Co stands firm on its mission to replace your booze with something as close as damned possible, sans-alcohol. It's the facon to your bacon.

Offering a range of non-alcoholic spirits such as Clean G (Gin Alternative), Clean R (Rum alternative) and Clean T (Tequila Alternative) there's no mistaking the intent, and in Clean Cuba Libre we have a similarly straight non-alcoholic rum and cola. It's an ambitious thing. Not only does it need to replicate the spicy headiness of rum, if the cola doesn't cut it, it's still game over.

First impressions… actually, pretty amazing. This smells convincingly like rum and cola with all of the rich nectar headiness of a full-fat rum drink. The taste itself is somewhat milder, in fact as you drink, the fragrance is still what carries most of the rum weight. The liquid itself does lack the kick that only an alcoholic spirit could deliver, but it's a genuinely interesting opportunity to appreciate the deep molasses pairing of rum and cola without the fiery distraction of alcohol. There's an aged, vanilla heavy, caramel sweetness coming as much from the rum as the cola. It's soft and warming and no sweeter than a traditional rum and cola.

Whilst the drink itself may not have quite the same impact as its alcohol-laden equivalent, the essence is convincingly similar.