CUBRA LIBRE
Cuba Libre: The Rum and Coke with Revolutionary History
The cocktail originated in the early 20th century in Cuba, after the country won independence in the Spanish–American War Wikipedia. Coca-Cola began sending its cola syrup to Cuba beginning in 1902 Imbibe Magazine, though some sources claim it arrived in 1900.
Fausto Rodriguez, a Bacardi advertising executive, claimed to have been present when the drink was first poured, and produced a notarized affidavit to that effect in 1965. According to Rodriguez, this took place in August 1900, when he was a 14-year-old messenger working for a member of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in Havana Wikipedia. Rodriguez's employer ordered Bacardi rum mixed with Coca-Cola. This intrigued a nearby group of American soldiers, who ordered a round for themselves Wikipedia.
The name references the Cuban independence slogan "Cuba Libre" (Free Cuba). Cocktail historians Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown note that during the Ten Years War from 1868-1878, fighters sipped a drink dubbed Cuba Libre, purportedly a mix of honey or possibly molasses and water Imbibe Magazine.
Miller says it's important to remember that there's a thin, green line that distinguishes a Cuba Libre from the more familiar Rum & Coke. "The Rum and Coke doesn't specify the lime garnish (and frequently a squeeze of lime) that goes into a Cuba Libre" Imbibe Magazine.
RECIPE:
2 oz light rum
4 oz Coca-Cola
½ lime
Ice
Method:
Fill highball glass with ice
Squeeze lime juice into glass and drop spent shell in
Add rum
Top with Coca-Cola
Stir gently