Cuba Libre

“Cuba Libre” was shouted over raised glasses in bars in the United States and Cuba during and after the Spanish-American War. The combination of Cuban rum with the newly invented American Coca-Cola seemed natural for a drink. The Cuba Libre became Cuba’s national cocktail and is widely consumed in South Florida. It is made with rum, Coca-Cola, and a dash of key lime juice; it is served over ice in a chilled highball glass with a lime wedge. Many bartenders naturally put a lime wedge in a rum and Coke even when the drink is not ordered by its original name.