The Cuba Libre is far and away my favorite high ball type of drink. When I was in high school and college I would always make it or have it served to me with Bacardi Light or Bacardi Limon sometimes with a lime wedge, sometimes without and either topped with Pepsi or Coca-Cola. As I’ve matured and I started getting seriously into cocktails and mixology I experimented with different rums, different colas, different ways to use lime and key limes and how much of everything to use
After drinking hundreds or types of rum and any sort of non mass produced cola I could find I think I finally found the perfect way to make this drink.
As far as rum goes you’ll want to use a light rum. Gold and dark rums can work but the lighter body of a white rum will blend in better with the soda and make for a smoother, less bold drink. There are a ton of different light rums that can work here I would say most notably Flor De Cana’ white, Brugal’s light offering, El Dorado’s and Cruzan’s will all make a spectacular Cuba Libre. The two best white rums to use though are Havana Club’s and Matusalem’s Plantino. Havana Club unfortunately is not available in the United States due to the trade embargo we have with Cuba. You can sometimes purchase bottles on Ebay if you know where to look or bring some back if you travel to almost any other country in the world. I have had three of Havana Club’s types rums and they are far and away superior to rums in their price range. Havana Club light makes the best Cuba Libre. Don’t despair because luckily for American’s Matusalem (a Dominican rum producer that makes their rum in a “Cuban style”) produces a plantino offering (white rum) that is less than $20 a bottle and very close to Havana Club in quality.
You can certainly use Coca-Cola (I would stay away from Pepsi because it’s a little too sweet) even better would be Mexican Coca-Cola which is made with cane syrup instead of that disgusting high fructose corn syrup. Fentiman’s Curiosty Cola is the finest cola in the world but serves better with whiskey as the spiciness of the botonically brewed soda doesn’t play that nicely with lime. You’ll make a fine Cuba Libre with Boylan’s Cane Cola and one you can proud to serve to anyone who enters your home. But there’s one cola that seems to made specifically for a Cuba Libre, GUS’s Dry Cola. GUS (Grown Up Soda) makes sodas that are noticeably less sweet than their mass produced counterparts. They make a ginger ale that is spicy and delicious, a beautiful meyer lemon soda, a tangy cranberry and lime concoction and a barely sweet dry cola amongst others. You will not find a better cola for your Cuba Libre than GUS’s dry cola.
As far as limes go if you can get key limes great if not it’s certainly not the end of the world. Just make sure that they limes you use are clean, fresh and if possible thin skinned.
The Ultimate Cuba Libre
2 1/2 ounces of quality white rum (Matusalem Plantino is ideal)
1 bottle of quality cola (GUS dry cola is ideal)
1/2 fresh lime (key lime if available)
Add fresh ice to an over sized rocks glass. Add rum and cola. Squeeze half of your half of lime into the glass. Stir well. Use the other piece of lime as garnish.
Enjoy and chant ‘Free Cuba’ while drinking.
Filed under: Booze | Tagged: Bacardi, Bacardi Limon, Boylan's Cane Cola, Brugal, Coca-Cola, Cruzan, Cuba, Cuba Libre, El Dorado, Fentiman's Curoisty Cola, Flor De Cana, Free Cuba, GUS Soda, Havana Club, high fructose corn syrup, Highball, Matusalem Plantino, Mixology, Pepsi
