Caleno Dark & Spicy: No-Alcohol Spiced Rum Alternative

Caleño Dark & Spicy is a no-alcohol alternative to a dark and storm rum! Both vegan and gluten-free, this is from a Bristol brand that offers affordable alternatives to conventional drinks, inspired by the founder’s Columbian roots. It’s an exotic blend of pineapple, coconut, ginger, vanilla, kola nut and lime.

How to serve Dark & Spicy

Just serve 50ml over ice with optional 15ml of fresh lime juice, then top with 200ml of ginger ale. Top with a lime garnish and optional pineapple leaves.

Avoid cola (caffeine) and tonic water (due to quinine) for pregnancy/nursing. Keep citrus fruit garnishes away from pets.

For a Tropical nojito, ‘smack’ 5 to 6 fresh mint leaves (to release their flavours) in a highball glass, then muddle with the wedges of 1 fresh lime. Pour over 50ml of Caleño Dark & Spicy and 15ml of sugar syrup (if you don’t want to make a batch, just add 15ml of agave nectar), then stir and top with soda water.

Garnish with a large mint sprig and a wedge of lime.

How is this drink made?

The ingredients are distilled in stainless steel drums, then left for 48 hours to extract all the bold spicy flavours. The mix is then left to distill for another two weeks before being bottled.

Glass bottles are easily recycled at kerbside or bottle banks. Recycle corks at off licenses or send in bulk to Recorked. For cans, pop the ring-pulls back over holes (and pinch tops shut) before recycling, to avoid wildlife getting  trapped.

Are these drinks truly no alcohol?

Nothing can be called zero alcohol, as even fruit and bread have tiny amounts. But 0.5% is the ‘no-alcohol’ label, and these drinks qualify. You could never get drunk on them (as your body would process the tiny alcohol in them before they could take effect). But to be really strict, some say pregnant/nursing women, drivers and alcoholics should avoid them.

Where is Columbia?

The founder has Columbian heritage, a country with the most biodiversity on earth (after Brazil). A third of the country is rainforest, where pink dolphins leap out of the water. Having said that, the locals won’t be drinking this spirit – their national drink is made from sugar cane, and very much not alcohol-free!