Rum and Coke
| IBA official cocktail | |
|---|---|
 A Cuba Libre served in a short tumbler. | |
| Type | Highball |
| Base spirit | |
| Served | On the rocks: poured over ice |
| Standard garnish | lime wedge |
| Standard drinkware | .svg) |
| IBA specified ingredients† |
|
| Preparation | Build all ingredients in a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with lime wedge. |
The Cuba Libre (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkuβa ˈliβɾe], English: /ˈkjuːbə ˈliːbreɪ/, "Free Cuba") is a highball made of Cola, lime, and white rum. This highball is often referred to as a Rum and Coke or a Coke and Sugar in the United States and Canada, where the lime juice is optional.
History
Accounts of the invention of the Cuba Libre vary. One account claims that the drink (Spanish for Free Cuba) was invented in Havana, Cuba around 1901/1902. Patriots aiding Cuba during the Spanish-American War[citation needed] — and, later, expatriates avoiding Prohibition regularly mixed rum and Cola as a highball and a toast to this West Indies island.
- According to Bacardi:
The world's second most popular drink was born in a collision between the United States and Spain. It happened during the Spanish-American War at the turn of the century when Teddy Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and Americans in large numbers arrived in Cuba. One afternoon, a group of off-duty soldiers from the U.S. Signal Corps were gathered in a bar in Old Havana. Fausto Rodriguez, a young messenger, later recalled that Captain Russell came in and ordered Bacardi (Gold) rum and Coca-Cola on ice with a wedge of lime. The captain drank the concoction with such pleasure that it sparked the interest of the soldiers around him. They had the bartender prepare a round of the captain's drink for them. The Bacardi rum and Coke was an instant hit. As it does to this day, the drink united the crowd in a spirit of fun and good fellowship. When they ordered another round, one soldier suggested that they toast ¡Por Cuba Libre! in celebration of the newly freed Cuba. The captain raised his glass and sang out the battle cry that had inspired Cuba's victorious soldiers in the War of Independence.[1]
However, there are some problems with Bacardi's account, as the Spanish-American war was fought in 1898, Cuba's liberation was in 1898, and the Rough Riders left Cuba in September 1898,[2] but Coca-Cola was not available in Cuba until 1900.[3] According to a 1965 deposition by Fausto Rodriguez, the Cuba Libre was first mixed at a Cuban bar in August 1900 by a member of the U.S. Signal Corps, referred to as "John Doe".[4]
- According to Havana Club:
Along with the Mojito and the Daiquiri, the Cuba Libre shares the mystery of its exact origin. The only certainty is that this cocktail was first sipped in Cuba. The year? 1900. 1900 is generally said to be the year that cola first came to Cuba, introduced to the island by American troops. But “Cuba Libre!” was the battle cry of the Cuba Liberation Army during the war of independence that ended in 1878.
Popularity
This drink was once viewed as exotic, with its dark syrup, made (at that time) from cola nuts and coca.
Soon enough, as Charles H. Baker points out in his Gentlemen's Companion of 1934, the Cuba Libre "caught on everywhere throughout the [American] South ... filtered through the North and West," aided by the ample supply of its ingredients. In The American Language, 1921, H.L. Mencken writes of an early variation of the drink: "The troglodytes of western South Carolina coined 'jump stiddy' for a mixture of Coca-Cola and denatured alcohol (usually drawn from automobile radiators); connoisseurs reputedly preferred the taste of what had been aged in Model-T Fords."
The drink gained further popularity in the United States after the Andrews Sisters recorded a song (in 1945) named after the drink's ingredients, "Rum and Coca-Cola". Cola and rum were both cheap at the time and this also contributed to the widespread popularity of the concoction.
Recipe variations
The Cuba Pintada ("stained Cuba") is one part rum with two parts club soda and just enough cola so that it tints the club soda. The Cuba Campechana ("straightforward Cuba") contains one part rum topped off with equal parts of club soda and cola. They are both popular refreshments, especially among young people.
A recent variation is the Coppertone which uses Malibu Rum (rum with a natural coconut extract) and Cherry Coke for the cola component. The resulting drink smells like suntan lotion and the name is an allusion to that.
Other recent variations are the Cuba Light made with rum and Diet Coke, and the Witch Doctor made with dark rum and Dr. Pepper.
Another variation of the Cuba Libre is the Cuban Missile Crisis. Compared to a normal Cuba Libre, it uses a higher proof rum, such as Bacardi 151 (75.5%).
A variation of the Cuba Libre popular in the West Indies is a “Hot” Cuba Libre which includes a splash of Caribbean hot sauce (e.g. Capt'n Sleepy's Quintessential Habanero, or Matouk's).
Some people substitute Cream Soda and spiced rum to create a bright gold drink, often referred to as a Midas.
Another recent variation is the Venezuela Libre, inspired by the increasing cooperation between the revolutionary governments of Venezuela and Cuba. It has 1.5 ounces of Venezuelan White Rum, 1.5 ounces of Venezuelan Gold Rum, 3 ounces of lemon mix, 1 lemon wedge and a dash of angostura bitters, diet coke is used instead of normal coke.
Local variations
The drink's name has evolved somewhat in both Cuba and the United States, where some choose to refer to it as a Mentirita ("a little lie"), in an opinionated reference to Cuban politics.
In Nicaragua, when it is mixed using Flor de Caña (the national brand of rum) and cola, it is called a Nica Libre.
In Venezuela the Cuba Libre Preparado ("Prepared Cuba Libre") includes a dash of gin and a dash of Angostura bitters.
In Spain, Chile and Argentina Cuba Libre is also called "Ron-Cola" and "Cubata".
In Australia, the more popularly known drink is simply Rum and Coke, which contains no lime, commonly uses a local dark rum and can be purchased in cans as a ready-to-drink. However, the combination of light rum, cola, brown sugar and cola is commonly ordered at cocktail bars as a Cuba Libre.
In the UK, the drink is most commonly served without the lime juice and ordered simply as a Bacardi and Coke. When the lime juice is included and rubbed around the rim of the glass it can be known as a Lou Bega, after the popular singer.
In the US, the drink ordered simply as a Malibu Rum and Coke which consists of coconut flavored Rum and cola is often referred to as a Caribbean Queen, after the popular song made famous by Billy Ocean.
In Peru, a variation called Peru Libre is made with pisco rather than rum.
In the Netherlands the drink is commonly called Baco, from the two ingredients of Bacardi rum and cola.
In Poland, when it is mixed using Burn and rum, it is called a Poland Libre. This, because Burn is a popular drink to mix in Poland and the drink turns red (the color of Poland).
In Puerto Rico, it is called the Qbalibre when it is mixed using Ron Don Q, the rum is preferred by Puerto Ricans over Bacardi.[citation needed]
In Dominican Republic, it is the most popular drink to enjoy, poured with a very generous amount of locally produced Dominican Rum (i.e. Brugal,bermudez,etc.) and Coke, topped off with a slice of lime. Domincans often call "cuba libre" "mentirilla" or little lie as a joke, it all started at the end of the cold war.
References
- ^ Cuba Libre Cocktail Recipe
- ^ Theodore Roosevelt Association article on the Rough Riders
- ^ The Chronicle of Coca-Cola article on thecoca-colacompany.com
- ^ Charles A. Coulombe (2005). Rum: The Epic Story Of The Drink That Conquered The World. Citadel Press. p. 249.
