The Cuba Libre cocktail is a popular mix of cola and rum, and a great way to put your home bartending skills into practice
The Cuba Libre cocktail was created in 1902, although its fame began to grow in 1910.
Its origins go back to the end of the Cuban War of Independence.
One version, perhaps the best known, says that “a group of soldiers were gathered in a bar during the United States occupation of Cuba. It was 1900, and the atmosphere was still one of celebration, when one of the soldiers present ordered the ingredients that would become the Cuba Libre: rum, Coca-Cola and lime. Once his drink was ready, that soldier raised his glass and toasted with the cry ‘¡Por Cuba Libre!’, a phrase that sparked the celebration of everyone in the bar”.
Another version refers to Captain Teddy Roosevelt’s sympathy for the Cuban cause. One day, Roosevelt’s troops celebrated with Cuba Libre cocktails after a series of successful battles in Cuba. The inconsistency in this story is that it takes place in 1898, and Coca-Cola was not available in the country at that time.
The popular Bacardí rum brand describes a setting in which the owner of a Havana bar called “Barrio” created the drink for American customers living on the island. They approved of it immediately and toasted loudly with the famous phrase, which is how the story endured.
Of course, as with any great creation, everyone wants to take the credit. What matters is not pinpointing the exact moment when the Cuba Libre cocktail was born—something that seems very difficult to establish—but enjoying it in the best possible way.
If you love the Cuba Libre cocktail as much as we do, you’ll find the recipe below, so you can bring out the bartender you have inside.
The Cuba Libre cocktail and its international appeal
This cocktail has not only been widely embraced in Cuba. In Chile, for example, it is known as a roncola; in Mexico, Cuba and Spain it is colloquially called a Cubata, although in some communities the term has evolved and may refer to any drink made by mixing soft drinks with high-strength alcoholic beverages.
To talk about the Cuba Libre cocktail, we should mention a few details about its ingredients:
—Coca-Cola was created by pharmacist John Pemberton at Jacobs’ Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1885, when he was 54 years old. He mixed coca leaves and kola nut, intending to create a tonic or remedy to help ease headaches, nerves and nausea. Mr Frank Robinson was the one who gave it the name Coca-Cola in 1887.
—Bacardí rum, one of the best-selling spirits in the world. It comes from an alcoholic beverage company founded in Cuba by Spaniard Facundo Bacardí Massó. More information will be provided later, when we cover the subject of Cuban rums.
Ingredients:
- White rum (1 1/2 oz)
- Ice cubes
- Cola soft drink
- Drops of lime.
Preparation:
Place two or three ice cubes, to taste, in a tall, slim glass. Add a measure of rum, fill one third of the glass with mineral water, then top up with cola. Stir everything together and, to finish, add a slice of lime and a straw to the glass.
You may be interested in this video explaining how to make a Cuba Libre cocktail: