Bar Necessities
The catalog
Contemporary Classics IBA Official IBA

Cuba Libre

Rum and Coke, but trying

Glass Highball
Method Built
Garnish Lime Wedge

Rum and cola with a lime squeeze that elevates a simple combo into something worth naming. The lime is what separates this from a rum and coke.

Ingredients

Method

Squeeze lime juice into a highball glass filled with ice cubes. Add rum and top with cola. Stir briefly. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Credited to Captain Russell of the U.S. Signal Corps, August 1900, The American Bar, Havana. Earliest published recipe: Charles H. Baker Jr., *The Gentleman's Companion* (1939). Per Difford's Guide #495 and IBA Contemporary Classics list. Notes: origin corroborated by witness affidavit from Fausto Rodriguez (December 21, 1964); Coca-Cola availability in Caribbean confirmed from May 1899 onwards.

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