Cuba Libre is a simple two-ingredient cocktail mixing light rum with cola and a lime squeeze—a drink rooted in early 20th-century Cuban independence and WWII-era rationing.
Recipe Source
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Pour rum into ice-filled highball glass.
Fill with cola and stir.
Squeeze lime into glass and add wedge.
The lime juice is essential to a Cuba Libre; without it, you have only a rum and coke. The citrus adds brightness and complexity to the drink.
Light or white rum is traditional, with Bacardí being historically accurate. Avoid dark or spiced rums, which overpower the cola's flavor.
The drink loses its identity without cola. No suitable substitution captures the same balance of sweetness, carbonation, and historical character.
Fresh lime juice is superior; it delivers bright acidity and flavor. Bottled lime juice tastes flat and metallic by comparison.
Fill a highball glass with ice to keep the drink cold and properly diluted. Crushed or cubed ice both work; use whichever you prefer.
