Cuba Libre Cocktail Recipe
A classic rum and cola cocktail brightened with fresh lime — simple, refreshing, and rooted in over a century of history.
タイプ: Cocktail
料理: Cuban
キーワード: cuba libre, rum and cola, rum coke recipe, classic rum cocktail
レシピー歩留まり: 1 serving
カロリー: 160 kcal
準備時間: PT3M
所要時間: PT3M
レシピー材料:
- White rum - 1 1/2 oz (45ml)
- Lime juice - 1/3 oz (10ml)
- Cola - Full (fill glass 80-90%)
- Lime wedge, for garnish
レシピーの説明:
Combine the ingredients:
- Add the lime wedge, white rum, and lime juice to the glass, stir, then add ice.
Stir in the cola:
- Pour in the cola gently to avoid excess foam, then stir slowly and lightly.
This Cuba Libre recipe layers white rum with lime’s brightness and cola’s sweetness for a flavor that’s simple on the surface but genuinely satisfying. It pairs easily with food, making it a great choice for a toast or a relaxed evening in.
Recipe
Ingredients
Recipe no.025
- White rum — 1 1/2 oz (45ml)
- Lime juice — 1/3 oz (10ml)
- Cola — Full
- Lime wedge
- “Full” means filling the glass to about 80–90% capacity.
Instructions
Add the lime wedge, white rum, and lime juice to the glass, stir, then add ice.
Pour in the cola gently to avoid excess foam, then stir slowly and lightly.
When mixing in a carbonated ingredient, one to two slow rotations while lifting and lowering the ice is all it takes to combine everything.
- Technique ｜ Stir
- Glass ｜ Collins glass / Tumbler
- ABV ｜ Roughly 9–10%
- Best Enjoyed ｜ Daytime
Cuba Libre in Detail, with Recipe Video
Origins
Photo ｜ Havana, Cuba
Search old newspaper archives, and you’ll find “Cuba Libre” referenced as a drink as early as 1872 — decades before the story everyone knows, describing something else entirely: sweetened hot water, nothing like today’s rum and cola. The version we actually drink traces to August 1900, when U.S. Army Signal Corps Captain Russell, gathered with fellow soldiers at Havana’s American Bar, mixed local rum with bottled Coca-Cola and a squeeze of fresh lime. The drink caught on fast, and the toast that followed — “Por Cuba libre!,” “For a free Cuba!” — gave it a name.
In 1902, Cuba’s independence became official, and this cocktail carried that celebration forward as Coca-Cola spread globally alongside it. Built on rum rather than brandy or tequila, its simple sweet-acid pairing has stayed beloved across generations — it’s often called the most-ordered cocktail in the world. Skip the lime, and it’s just rum and cola; that squeeze is what carries the toast’s story forward.
Flavor & Character
The Cuba Libre feels simple on the surface but carries real depth underneath. White rum’s clean, crisp character gets a lift from lime’s acidity, while cola’s sweetness and carbonation tie everything together.
The first thing you notice is cola’s familiar, easygoing flavor, quickly followed by lime’s citrus brightness, with rum’s faint sugarcane-derived warmth lingering at the end. It’s balanced and approachable enough for newcomers, with alcohol that never feels overpowering. As the ice melts, lime’s aroma softens and spreads further while the sweetness mellows, giving the drink a character that genuinely shifts as you work through the glass.
It also pairs well with food, especially cutting through the richness of meat dishes or spicy food. I’d argue the carbonation is what actually separates it from a plain rum and cola — that bite is what makes you reach for a second round.
Points, Twists & Food Pairings
- Best Pairings・・・Pair with grilled meats or spicy tacos — the cola cuts through rich, savory food nicely.
- Mixing Tip・・・Add rum and lime before the ice, then pour cola gently down the side to keep the fizz.
- Easy Twist・・・Swap white rum for dark rum for a bolder finish, or use ginger ale for a lighter twist.
- Drinking Note・・・It goes down easy, but the rum is real — pace yourself, especially over a long afternoon.
Recipe Video
- Recipe Video ｜ Tenderly Yuko Miyazaki Channel Home
