Cuba Libre Recipe

Before you start

A Cuba Libre is rum and cola with lime, and the lime is what separates it from a plain rum and Coke. A fresh squeeze adds acidity that cuts the cola's sweetness, and dropping the spent shell into the glass adds aromatic oils from the peel. Those two small steps turn a basic highball into a balanced drink.

Use a light or lightly aged rum for a classic version; the rum should add body without dominating. Pour cold cola over plenty of ice and keep stirring to a minimum so it stays lively. The usual ratio is about 1 part rum to 2 parts cola, adjusted to taste.

Ingredients

• 60 ml (2 oz) white or lightly aged rum
• 15 ml (½ oz) fresh lime juice — from about ½ lime; keep the shell
• 120 ml (4 oz) cola — well chilled
• 1 glass ice cubes

Method

1. Fill a highball glass with ice cubes.
2. Squeeze the lime half directly into the glass, then drop the spent shell in on top of the ice.
3. Pour in the rum over the ice and the lime shell.
4. Top with chilled cola, pouring down the side of the glass to keep the bubbles.
5. Give one gentle lift with a bar spoon to combine, then serve.

Tips for success

• Cane-sugar colas taste cleaner and less syrupy than corn-syrup colas, which suits the lime.
• Rubbing the lime shell around the rim before dropping it in adds even more aroma.
• Keep cola in the fridge; room-temperature soda melts the ice and goes flat fast.

Substitutions

White rum

Aged or dark rum makes a richer, more caramel-toned drink. Spiced rum adds vanilla and clove.

Cola

A craft cola or homemade cola syrup with soda water gives more spice and less sugar.

Lime juice

There is no good substitute. Without fresh lime, it is simply a rum and cola.

Variations

Cuba Libre with bitters

Add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters before topping with cola for added spice.

Troubleshooting

It tastes too sweet

Add a few more drops of lime juice or reduce the cola to 90 ml.

It went flat

Use cold, freshly opened cola and stir only once.

The rum disappears

Use a rum with more character, such as a lightly aged Spanish-style or Jamaican rum.

Storage

Serve immediately after building; the carbonation fades quickly. Keep opened cola capped and refrigerated.

Safety notes

Contains 60 ml of rum at 40% ABV, about 1.4 U.S. standard drinks (a standard drink is about 14 g of pure alcohol). Most colas contain caffeine. Serve only to adults of legal drinking age and do not drink and drive.