Cuba Libre

The Cuba Libre gets its bright tropical flavors from the freshly squeezed lime juice that is nicely complimented by Coca-Cola and some good rum.

When it comes to making a delicious Cuba Libré cocktail that is balanced and refreshing, muddling the lime really matters. In our testing, there was a clear difference between the muddled and non-muddled versions of this classic rum cocktail.

What the muddling does is release the oils in the lime, which round out the flavors in the drink. We also tried making a version with Mexican Coca-Cola but couldn’t taste any difference compared to regular canned Coca-Cola.

Whatever you do, though, don’t call the Cuba Libré a Rum and Coke, which is an altogether different drink. The Cuba Libre is a more complete cocktail with an interesting but overlooked history. To find out more, read Why the Cuba Libre Hates Being Called a Rum and Coke.

We also have an Old Fashioned Cuba Libré, which is a unique take on both the Cuba Libre and the Old Fashioned.

Cuba Libre

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 cocktail

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 oz rum, white or gold
• ▢ 1/2 lime, muddled and juiced
• ▢ Coke-Cola

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Instructions

• To make a Cuba Libre squeeze the juice from half a lime into the bottom of a Collins glass, toss in the spent lime shell, and muddle the lime juice and shell together.
  2 oz rum, 1/2 lime
• Fill the glass with ice, add in the rum, top off with Coca-Cola, and give everything a good stir.
  Coke-Cola

Recommended Equipment

Cocktail Shaker

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Nutrition Information Hide

The nutrition information shown is an estimate based on available ingredients and preparation.