The recipe
for your table
Fill a highball glass with ice cubes.
Squeeze the lime wedges over the glass and drop them in.
Add the rum and stir briefly.
Top up with chilled cola and stir gently once more.
The story
Havana, around 1900. American soldiers celebrated the end of Spanish rule together with Cubans, and the latest American import — Coca-Cola — flowed freely. A captain is said to have mixed rum, cola and lime, then toasted with the battle cry of free Cuba: '¡Por Cuba libre!' The drink became a symbol of a new era and later, through The Andrews Sisters' song Rum and Coca-Cola, a worldwide hit. The difference from an ordinary rum and cola? Fresh lime juice — without it, Cubans say, it simply isn't a Cuba Libre.
The right glass
For a Cuba Libre, choose a classic highball glass of 40 to 55 cl: tall enough for a generous amount of cola and ice, and wide enough for the lime wedges. A faceted or textured glass catches the light beautifully in the dark cocktail. Serve with a straw or stirring stick so the lime at the bottom can continue doing its work. Would you like a taller glass with even more room for ice? Take a look at our mojito glasses.
Bormioli Rocco Diamond Long Drink Glass 47 cl (6 pieces)
Onis Cidra Long Drink Glass 55 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets — €37.94 together, free delivery from €50.
Variations & twists
With golden rum and a dash of Angostura, it becomes surprisingly layered. Also try a 'Cuata': half cola, half soda water for a drier version. And if you’re feeling adventurous, gently pressing a lime wheel with the peel in the glass adds exactly that bitter undertone that makes the original so good. Want more inspiration? Browse all 80 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Use a rum with character—a golden or lightly aged rum makes all the difference compared with a standard baco. Cola from a glass bottle has the best bubbles.
The rum-to-cola ratio
Five centiliters of rum with twelve centiliters of cola is roughly 1 to 2.5, intentionally a little stronger than the standard bar baco. In a 47 cl long-drink glass filled with plenty of ice, that works out to around 10 percent alcohol. If you want it lighter for a long evening, use 4 cl of rum with 14 cl of cola. More important than the exact ratio is the amount of ice: really fill the glass to the top, because when it’s only half full, the ice melts faster and after ten minutes you’ll be left with lukewarm, watery cola.
Cuba Libre or baco: the difference
The difference comes down to one ingredient: 1 cl of fresh lime juice plus two squeezed wedges. A baco is rum with cola and nothing else, which is exactly why it so often tastes bland. The lime’s acidity cuts through the cola’s sweetness and brings out the vanilla and cane sugar notes in the rum. Squeeze the wedges over the glass and drop them in, so the oils from the peel come along too. According to Cubans, without lime it simply isn’t a Cuba Libre—and after one side-by-side tasting, you’ll understand why.
Which rum to choose
White rum gets almost completely lost behind the cola, so reach for a golden or lightly aged rum. A three- to five-year-old Cuban rum is the classic choice and keeps things dry; a heavier Jamaican rum adds more banana and woody notes. Dark rum works too, but its character then comes close to a Dark 'n Stormy. At 5 cl per glass, there’s no need to open an expensive bottle: a good mid-range option costing around twenty euros already makes a noticeable difference compared with standard white rum.
Alcohol-free with 0.0 rum
Alcohol-free rum has noticeably improved in recent years and works well here because the cola and lime do much of the work. Use 5 cl of 0.0 rum, the same 12 cl of cola, and keep the amount of lime juice unchanged. If you don't have 0.0 rum, make a version with cola, plenty of lime juice, and a few drops of vanilla extract; it comes surprisingly close to the rum notes. In both cases, use cola from a glass bottle and pour it in just before serving, because without alcohol, flat carbonation is especially noticeable.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a Cuba Libre?
A Cuba Libre consists of 5 cl golden or dark rum, 12 cl cola, 1 cl fresh lime juice, and two squeezed lime wedges, over a glass full of ice. The fresh lime juice is not optional: that is precisely what distinguishes the cocktail from a simple rum and cola.
What is the difference between a Cuba Libre and a Baco?
A baco is rum with cola, nothing else. A Cuba Libre also gets fresh lime juice and the squeezed lime wedges in the glass, adding acidity and a slight bitterness from the peel. According to Cubans, without that lime it simply isn't a Cuba Libre.
What is the best rum for a Cuba Libre?
A golden or lightly aged rum with character. White rum gets lost behind the cola, while an aged rum brings vanilla and woody notes that lift the cola. A dash of Angostura makes the whole drink a little more layered without making it heavy.
Which glass do you serve a Cuba Libre in?
In a highball glass holding 40 to 55 cl, tall enough for plenty of ice, cola, and two lime wedges. A faceted or textured glass catches the light beautifully in the dark drink. Serve with a stirrer or a straw so the lime wedges at the bottom can keep doing their job: see our highball glasses.
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