Cuba Libre
ClassicIBA OfficialRum, cola, and lime. More than a rum and coke.
Sweet, fizzy, and bright. Cola's caramel-and-spice sweetness meets white rum's clean warmth, while fresh lime cuts through to keep it from turning cloying. Easy and effervescent, with a citrus lift that makes it far more than the sum of its parts.
Ingredients
- 2 oz White Rum
- 0.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- Cola to top
- Lime wedge · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Fill a highball glass with ice.
- 2
Add the white rum and lime juice.
- 3
Top with cold cola and stir once.
- 4
Squeeze in a lime wedge and drop it in.
The Story
The Cuba Libre was born the moment two worlds met in a glass: American cola arrived in Havana around 1900, just as Cuba won its independence, and rum was already the island's spirit. Bartenders combined them, added the lime Cuba grew in abundance, and toasted "¡Por Cuba libre!" — to a free Cuba. What separates it from a plain rum and coke is exactly that lime: it brightens the sweetness and ties the whole drink together.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
