Cuba Libre Cocktail

I love Coca-Cola with lime.  It’s refreshing and delicious no matter what time of year.  I also enjoy the occasional rum and Coke, especially when a reserve rum is used.  So imagine my delight when I discovered there was a cocktail that combined both these flavors.  I know, who’d’ve thought that a drink as simple as this, a drink that requires only three ingredients is a classic?

Well, it is.  Turns out the Cuba Libre dates all the way back to the late 1800’s and the Spanish-American War.  Coca-cola had recently been created and the American soldiers wanted a refreshing soft drink with them when they went to fight for Cuban Independence.  And while rum has been around since the 1500’s, the Bacardi brand was created around 1862 and since then has been the rum to drink.  So toward the end of the war, a group of soldiers in a bar ordered a round of rum and cokes with a wedge of lime.  The drink was so refreshing, the soldiers ordered another round and toasted “Por Cuba Libra” to the recently freed Cuba and the name stuck.

So the next time you’re thinking of having a plain old rum & Coke, spice it up by adding a little lime juice.  One taste and you’ll never go back.

Cuba Libre

• juice from 1 lime
• 2 ounces of rum (I used Bacardi Select)
• 1 (8 ounce) can of Coca-Cola

Pour juice into a highball glass.  Add rum and 3-4 ice cubes.  Top with Coca-Cola, garnish with a lime wedge, and serve.