Runneght

Runneght is a Mexican alcohol-free spirits brand founded in 2020, taking its name from the French word "renaître", meaning "to be reborn". The brand was conceived in 2019 by Francisco Calvo and a group of prominent bartenders from Mexico's mixology industry, and came into being during the pandemic with an ambition to build alcohol-free distillates from materials the drinks industry discards.

The production method centres on bagazo, the fibrous residue left after tequila and mezcal distillation. Runneght collects this byproduct, steam-distils it in a two-hundred-litre copper still at the foot of the Popocatépetl volcano in Amecameca, and blends different agave distillations using the Solera method, a layered process in which older blends are progressively replenished with newer batches. The brand works with a tequila producer in the highlands of Jalisco as part of this supply chain, and its production facility is in Mexico City.

Botanicals are sourced from local producers in Xochimilco, Puebla, and San Luis Potosí, and all products are made without artificial flavours, colours, or aromas. The spirits are fortified with a set of functional ingredients: L-theanine and ashwagandha as adaptogens (compounds used to support the body's response to stress) and teacrine as a nootropic (a compound in the class associated with cognitive support).

The brand is aimed at sober-curious drinkers and cocktail professionals, and one of its products has picked up awards. Runneght's stated aim is to give Mexican bartenders new ingredients and to find productive use for raw materials that distilleries would otherwise discard.

Awards

Award-Winning Drinks

The Collection

Mezquila