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Rum and Coke
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{{short description|Highball cocktail}} {{redirect|Cuba libre||Rum and Coke (disambiguation)|and|Cuba libre (disambiguation)}} {{good article}} {{use dmy dates|date=March 2021}} {{Infobox cocktail | iba = yes | name = Cuba libre | source = iba | sourcelink = cuba-libre | image = 15-09-26-RalfR-WLC-0056.jpg | image_size = | caption = | type = cocktail | flaming = | rum = yes | served = rocks | garnish = [[Lime (fruit)|Lime]] wedge | drinkware = highball | ingredients = *120 ml [[cola]] * 50 ml [[white rum]] * 10 ml Fresh lime juice | prep = Build all ingredients in a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with lime wedge. | footnotes = }} '''Rum and Coke''', or the '''Cuba libre''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|k|juː|b|ə|_|ˈ|l|iː|b|r|eɪ}} {{respell|KEW|bə|_|LEE|bray}}, {{IPA|es|ˈkuβa ˈliβɾe|lang}}; literally "Free Cuba"), is a [[highball]] [[cocktail]] consisting of [[cola]], [[rum]], and in many recipes [[Lime (fruit)|lime]] juice on ice. Traditionally, the cola ingredient is [[Coca-Cola]] ("Coke") and the alcohol is a [[light rum]] such as [[Bacardi]]; however, the drink may be made with various types of rums and cola brands, and lime juice may or may not be included. The cocktail originated in the early 20th century in Cuba, after the country won independence in the [[Spanish–American War]]. It subsequently became popular across Cuba, the United States, and other countries. Its simple recipe and inexpensive, ubiquitous ingredients have made it one of the world's most-popular alcoholic drinks. Drink critics often consider the drink mediocre, but it has been noted for its historical significance. ==History== The drink was created in [[Cuba]] in the early 1900s, but its exact origins are not certain.{{sfn|Coulombe|2005|pp=248–249}}{{sfn|Curtis|2009|pp=199–200}} It became popular shortly after 1900, when bottled [[Coca-Cola]] was first imported into Cuba from the United States.{{sfn|Mariani|2015|pp=107-108}}{{sfn|Brown|Miller|2009|pp=148–150}} Its origin is associated with the heavy U.S. presence in Cuba following the [[Spanish–American War]] of 1898; the drink's traditional name, "Cuba libre" (Free Cuba), was the slogan of the Cuban independence movement.{{sfn|Coulombe|2005|p=248}}{{sfn|Curtis|2009|p=200}} The Cuba libre is sometimes said to have been created during the Spanish–American War.{{sfn|Kurlansky|2017|p=103}} However, this predates the first distribution of Coca-Cola to Cuba in 1900. A drink called a "Cuba libre" was indeed known in 1898, but this was a mix of water and brown sugar.{{sfn|Mariani|2015|pp=107-108}} 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 [[Signal Corps (United States Army)|U.S. Army Signal Corps]] in [[Havana]]. One day at a local bar, Rodriguez's employer ordered Bacardi rum mixed with Coca-Cola. This intrigued a nearby group of American soldiers, who ordered a round for themselves, giving birth to a popular new drink.{{sfn|Coulombe|2005|pp=248–249}} Bacardi published Rodriguez's affidavit in a ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine ad in 1966. However, Rodriguez's status as a Bacardi executive has led some commentators to doubt the veracity of his story.{{sfn|Curtis|2009|pp=199–200}}{{sfn|Gjelten|2008|p=98}} Another story states that the drink was first created in 1902 at Havana's [[El Floridita]] restaurant to celebrate the anniversary of Cuban independence.{{sfn|Brown|Miller|2009|pp=148–150}} The drink became a staple in Cuba, catching on due to the pervasiveness of its ingredients.{{sfn|Gjelten|2008|p=98}} Havana was already known for its iced drinks in the 19th century, as it was one of the few warm-weather cities that had abundant stores of ice shipped down from colder regions.{{sfn|Kurlansky|2017|p=103}} Bacardi and other Cuban rums also boomed after independence brought in large numbers of foreign tourists and investors, as well as new opportunities for exporting alcohol. Light rums such as Bacardi became favored for cocktails as they were considered to mix well.{{sfn|Gjelten|2008|p=98}} Coca-Cola had been a common [[Drink mixer|mixer]] in the United States ever since it was first bottled in 1886, and it became a ubiquitous drink in many countries after it was first exported in 1900.{{sfn|Brown|Miller|2009|pp=148–150}}{{sfn|Coulombe|2005|p=249}} Rum and Coke quickly spread from Cuba to the United States. In the early 20th century the cocktail, like Coca-Cola itself, was most popular in the [[Southern United States]]. During the [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition era]] from 1922 to 1933, Coca-Cola became a favored mixer for disguising the taste of low-quality rums, as well as other liquors.{{sfn|Curtis|2009|p=200}} In 1921 [[H. L. Mencken]] jokingly wrote of a [[South Carolina]] variant called the "jump stiddy", which consisted of Coca-Cola mixed with [[denatured alcohol]] drained from [[Radiator (engine cooling)|automobile radiators]].{{sfn|Coulombe|2005|p=249}} After Prohibition, rum and Coke became prevalent in the northern and western U.S. as well, and in both high-brow and low-brow circles.{{sfn|Curtis|2009|p=200}} Rum and Coke achieved a new level of popularity during [[World War II]]. Starting in 1940, the United States established a series of outposts in the [[British West Indies]] to defend against the [[Kriegsmarine|German Navy]].{{sfn|Curtis|2009|pp=201–202}} The American presence created cross-cultural demand, with American servicemen and the locals developing tastes for each other's products. In particular, American military personnel took to Caribbean rum due to its inexpensiveness, while Coca-Cola became especially prevalent in the islands thanks to the company shipping it out with the military.{{sfn|Curtis|2009|pp=202–203}} Within the United States, imported rum became increasingly popular, as government quotas for industrial alcohol reduced the output of American distillers of domestic liquors.{{sfn|Coulombe|2005|p=249}} In 1943, [[Lord Invader]]'s [[Calypso music|Calypso]] song "[[Rum and Coca-Cola]]" drew further attention to the drink in [[Trinidad]]. The song was an adaptation of [[Lionel Belasco]]'s 1904 composition "L'Année Passée" with new lyrics about American soldiers in Trinidad cavorting with local girls and drinking rum and Coke. Comedian [[Morey Amsterdam]] plagiarized "Rum and Coca-Cola" and licensed it to the [[Andrews Sisters]] as his own work. The Andrews Sisters' version was a major hit in 1945 and further boosted the popularity of rum and Coke, especially in the military. Lord Invader and the owners of Belasco's composition successfully sued Amsterdam for the song's rights.{{sfn|Coulombe|2005|p=250–251}}{{sfn|Curtis|2009|pp=203–205}} During the [[Cuban Revolution]] in 1959, Bacardi fled to [[Puerto Rico]].{{sfn|Coulombe|2005|p=99}} The following year, the U.S. placed an [[United States embargo against Cuba|embargo against Cuba]], which made Cuban-made rum unavailable in the U.S. and Coca-Cola largely unavailable in Cuba. As such, it became difficult to make a rum and Coke with its traditional ingredients in either country.{{sfn|Kurlansky|2017|pp=120–121}}<ref name=Wondrich>{{cite news |last=Wondrich |first=David |date=3 February 2013 |title=How To Make a Cuba Libre (That Is, Rum and Coke)|url=http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/recipes/a3769/cuba-libre-drink-recipe/|work=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]] |access-date=27 July 2018}}</ref> ==Popularity and reception== [[File:Cuba_Libre_00.jpg|thumb|right|A Cuba libre with Coca-Cola and lime]] The rum and Coke is very popular; Bacardi says that it is the world's second-most-popular alcoholic drink.<ref name=Wilson>{{cite news |last= Wilson |first= Jason |date= 26 April 2011|title= Spirits: Long live the Cuba Libre |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/spirits-long-live-the-cuba-libre/2011/04/12/AFwGu9qE_story.html|url-access=subscription|newspaper= [[The Washington Post]]|access-date= 27 July 2018}}</ref> Its popularity derives from the ubiquity and low cost of the main ingredients, and the fact that it is very easy to make. As it can be made with any quantity or style of rum, it is simple to prepare and difficult to ruin.{{sfn|Curtis|2009|pp=200–201}} Drink critics often have a low opinion of the cocktail. Writer Wayne Curtis called it "a drink of inspired blandness",{{sfn|Curtis|2009|p=200}} while Jason Wilson of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' called it "a lazy person's drink".<ref name=Wilson/> Troy Patterson of ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' called it "the classic mediocre Caribbean-American [[highball]]", which "became a classic despite not being especially good".<ref name=Patterson/> [[Charles A. Coulombe]] considers the Cuba libre a historically important drink, writing that it is "a potent symbol of a changing world order – the marriage of rum, lubricant of the old colonial empires, and Coca-Cola, icon of modern American global capitalism". Additionally, both rum and Coca-Cola are made from Caribbean ingredients and became global commodities through European and American commerce. According to Coulombe, the drink "seems to reflect perfectly the historical elements of the modern world".{{sfn|Coulombe|2005|pp=98–99}} ==Recipe and variations== [[File:Bundyrum24x6cans.JPG|thumb|Pre-mixed [[Bundaberg Rum]] & Cola, 2006]] Recipes vary somewhat in measures and additional ingredients, but the main ingredients are always rum and cola.{{sfn|Curtis|2009|p=201}} The [[International Bartenders Association]] recipe calls for 5 [[centiliter]]s of light rum, 12 cl of cola, and 1 cl of fresh lime juice on ice.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://iba-world.com/cocktails/cuba-libre/|title=Cuba Libre |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2017 |website=iba-world.com |publisher=International Bartenders Association|access-date=13 December 2017}}</ref> However, any amount and proportion of rum and cola may be used. Additionally, while light rum is traditional, [[dark rum]]s and other varieties are also common.{{sfn|Curtis|2009|pp=200–201}} Coca-Cola is the conventional cola in the drink, to the point that customers rarely order anything else. This dates back to the origin of the drink in Cuba and was solidified in the 1920s when Coca-Cola emerged as the primary cola brand following the bankruptcy of [[Pepsi]] and [[Chero-Cola]], and therefore the preferred cola mixer in alcoholic drinks. Pepsi's later attempts to enter the cocktail market were unsuccessful, especially after the song "Rum and Coca-Cola" solidified the association in the public imagination.<ref name=Ross>{{cite web |url= https://vinepair.com/articles/coca-cola-cocktail-history/|title= Rum & Pepsi? How Coca-Cola Won the Cocktail Wars |last= Ross |first= Winston |date= 11 January 2018|website= VinePair |access-date= 5 February 2021}}</ref> Nonetheless, different colas are sometimes used. In Cuba, as Coca-Cola has not been imported since the [[United States embargo against Cuba|U.S. embargo of 1960]], the domestic [[TuKola]] is used in Cuba libres.<ref name=Wondrich/>{{sfn|Kurlansky|2017|pp=120–121}}<ref name=Imbibe>{{cite web |url=http://imbibemagazine.com/history-lesson-cuba-libre-cocktail/|title=History Lesson: The Cuba Libre Cocktail |last=Clarke |first=Paul |date=26 November 2016 |website=[[Imbibe]] |access-date=13 December 2017}}</ref> Other common variants call for [[Mexican Coke]] (which uses cane sugar instead of [[high-fructose corn syrup]]), [[Moxie]],<ref name=Patterson>{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/life/drink/2013/08/rum_and_coke_history_recipes_variations_plus_moxie_cocktails_and_pdt_s_cinema.html|title=The Rum and Coke |last=Patterson|first=Troy |date=30 August 2013|website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|access-date=2 January 2017}}</ref> [[Diet Coke]] (the Cuba Lite or rum and Diet) and [[Dr. Pepper]] (the Captain and Pepper, featuring [[Captain Morgan]] spiced rum).<ref name=Ross/> Lime is traditionally included in the drink, though it is often left out, especially when the order is for just "rum and Coke".{{sfn|Curtis|2009|p=201}}<ref name=Imbibe/> Some early recipes called for lime juice to be mixed in; others included lime only as a garnish. Other early recipes called for additional ingredients such as [[gin]] and [[bitters]].{{sfn|Curtis|2009|p=201}} Some sources consider lime essential for a drink to be a true Cuba libre, which they distinguish from a mere rum and Coke.<ref name=Imbibe/> However, lime is frequently included even in orders for "rum and Coke".{{sfn|Betancourt|2007|p=177}} When aged [[añejo (rum)|añejo]] rum is used, the drink is sometimes called a ''Cubata'',{{sfn|Brown|Miller|2009|p=150}} a name also used informally in Spain for any Cuba libre.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dle.rae.es/srv/search?m=30&w=cubata |title=Cubata |website=Diccionario de la lengua española |date=12 September 2018 |access-date=12 September 2018 |archive-date=12 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912165836/http://dle.rae.es/srv/search?m=30&w=cubata |url-status=dead}}</ref> Some modern recipes inspired by older ones include additional ingredients such as bitters. More elaborate variants with further ingredients include the cinema highball, which uses rum infused with buttered popcorn and mixed with cola.<ref name=Patterson/> Another is the Mandeville cocktail, which includes light and dark rum, cola, and citrus juice along with [[Pernod]] [[absinthe]] and [[grenadine]].{{sfn|Kingwell|2007|p=160}} ==See also== *[[Piscola]], a similarly constructed cocktail made of [[pisco]] and cola *[[Whiskey and Coke]] ==Notes== {{Reflist}} ==References== *{{cite book |last1=Brown|first1=Jared McDaniel |first2=Anistatia Renard |last2=Miller|year=2009|title=Cuba: The Legend of Rum |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6dvF3Ric_PkC&pg=PA148 |publisher=Mixellany Limited |isbn=978-0976093787}} *{{cite encyclopedia |last=Betancourt |first=Marian |editor-last=Smith|editor-first=Andrew F. |encyclopedia=The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink |title=Cuba Libre |year=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0199885763}} *{{cite book|first=Charles A.|last=Coulombe|author-link=Charles A. Coulombe|publisher=Citadel Press |year=2005|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l6ex-yW0Ds8C&pg=PA249|title=Rum: The Epic Story of the Drink that Conquered the World|isbn=0806525835}} *{{cite book |last=Curtis|first=Wayne|year=2009 |title=And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TrExKFNmKFcC&pg=PA200 |location=New York, NY|publisher=Three Rivers Press |isbn=978-0307512857}} *{{cite book |last=Gjelten|first=Tom |year=2008 |title=Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba: The Biography of a Cause|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3BDH9FK6grMC&pg=PA98|publisher=[[Penguin Group]] |isbn=978-0670019786}} *{{cite book |last=Kingwell |first=Mark |year=2007 |title=Classic Cocktails: A Modern Shake |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t3oBgrZMQ2UC&pg=PA160|publisher=Macmillan Publishers |isbn=978-0312375232 }} *{{cite book |last=Kurlansky|first=Mark |year=2017 |title=Havana: A Subtropical Delirium|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nAVRDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT94|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1632863935 }} *{{cite book |last=Mariani|first=John F. |year=2015|title=Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofam00mari |entry=Cuba Libre |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|pp=107-108 |isbn=978-1620401613}} ==External links== * {{Commons category-inline|Cuba libre}} {{IBACocktails}} {{portalbar|Drink|Cuba}} [[Category:Coca-Cola]] [[Category:Cuban cocktails]] [[Category:Caribbean drinks]] [[Category:Bacardi]] [[Category:Cocktails with cola]] [[Category:Cocktails with light rum]] [[Category:Cuban inventions]] [[Category:Three-ingredient cocktails]] [[Category:Caffeinated alcoholic drinks]]
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