Highballs and long drinks · Rum · IBA official
Ice cold cola, clean white rum and a sharp squeeze of lime that cuts through the sweetness. The lime is not decoration here: it is the difference between a Rum and Coke and a real Cuba Libre.
1¾ oz
white rume.g. Bacardi · Havana Club · Plantation · Don Q · Flor de Caña
4 oz
cola well chilled
¼ oz
lime juice freshly squeezed
Garnish: Lime wedge · Ice: Ice cubes
Cuba Libre
Sweet and fizzy with caramel and vanilla from the cola, a clean rum backbone and a bright lime finish. Light to medium strength.
The Cuba Libre is usually dated to around 1900 in Havana, shortly after the Spanish-American War, when Cuba had won independence from Spain and American soldiers and cola had arrived on the island. Cuba libre, free Cuba, had been the rallying cry of the independence movement, and the popular story says that soldiers toasted with it over rum and cola.
Much of that story rests on a later account used in a Bacardí advertisement, so the details should be taken with caution. What is certain is that the drink spread widely and became one of the most ordered highballs in the world. The IBA lists it among the contemporary classics, with fresh lime juice as part of the recipe.
The fresh lime. Without it, the drink is simply a Rum and Coke.
A light Cuban-style white rum is traditional. Aged rum makes a richer version.
Free Cuba, the rallying cry of the Cuban independence movement.
The perfect sound
Sunny Havana streets with a glass full of rum and cola.
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