🥤 Cuba Libre

Rum, Coca-Cola, and fresh lime — not just a rum and Coke. The lime makes all the difference.

2 min
Serves 1
Built
Highball
Ingredients
  • 2 oz White or light rum
  • Cola (Coca-Cola preferred) to top
  • ½ oz Fresh lime juice
  • Lime wedge to garnish
Method
  1. 1
    Fill glassFill a highball glass with fresh ice.
  2. 2
    Add rumPour rum over the ice.
  3. 3
    Add lime juiceSqueeze in the fresh lime juice. This is what separates a Cuba Libre from a basic rum and Coke.
  4. 4
    Top with colaTop with cold cola, poured gently down the side of the glass to preserve carbonation.
  5. 5
    GarnishDrop in the squeezed lime wedge. Stir once very gently.

Not Just a Rum and Coke

The Cuba Libre was allegedly born around 1900 when American soldiers in Cuba mixed Bacardi rum with the newly available Coca-Cola and toasted with 'Por Cuba Libre!' ('For a free Cuba!'). The Coca-Cola Company spread the drink internationally through a 1940s advertising campaign.

The critical distinction between a Cuba Libre and a Rum and Coke is the lime juice. The citric acid from fresh lime brightens the drink, cuts the sweetness of the cola, and adds a complexity that the two-ingredient version simply doesn't have. Use a white or light rum — gold or dark rum can work but changes the character significantly.

Variations

🧡 Dark and Stormy Libre

Use dark rum (Gosling's Black Seal) and ginger beer instead of cola. Crosses into Dark & Stormy territory but with a lime squeeze.

🍊 Añejo Libre

Use an aged añejo rum instead of light rum. More complex and less sweet — the cola flavours marry beautifully with oak-aged spirit.

🌶️ Spiced Libre

Add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters and a dash of falernum to the standard recipe. The warm spices complement the cola and lime in unexpected ways.

Related
🍸 Cocktails A–Z Browse all 72 classic recipes 🥤 Rum Guide White rum gives the classic its clean sweetness ⚡ Dark & Stormy Rum and ginger beer with lime 🌿 Mojito The other great rum-lime highball