GUD BLOG: SINGLE POST
Crafting a Better Cuba Libre
Though its exact origins are a mystery, the Cuba Libre was invented near 1900 in, you guessed it, Cuba. Washington Post spirits writer Jason Wilson takes a deeper look into the history of this simple mixture of rum, cola and lime. Today we know the Cuba Libre as an even simpler bar standard of rum and Coke that’s hardly useful for anything but getting wasted. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Quality ingredients and a straightforward addition of bitters will produce a far tastier and certainly a more historically correct version of this classic drink. Rise up!
Recipe
1-1/2 to 2 ounces rum: While most rum is made by fermenting and distilling molasses, a byproduct of the sugar refining process, Trinidad’s 10 Cane rum is created from the first pressing of Trinidadian sugar cane (basically a Rhum Agricole). 10 Cane is distilled twice in small batches in French pot stills and then aged for 6 months in vintage French oak barrels. The result is light, golden rum with mild flavors of pear and vanilla ideal for premium cocktail mixing.
There are plenty of options though. Dark, aged rum will obviously impart its unique flavor characteristics and cheap, white rum will lay a more neutral base. 10 Cane is a good in-between choice.
Juice from half a lime: There is no substitute for freshly squeezed. You can throw the spent lime half into the drink, you can garnish the finished cocktail with a fresh lime wheel, or both.
Cola: Here is where you can really turn a basic rum and Coke into a more elegant drink. Fentimans Curiousity Cola is made by brewing and fermenting herbs and milled roots over seven days. After cola flavoring is added, the soft drink has a depth that blows every other mass produced cola off the shelf. It will make a sexy-hot Cuba Libre.
Premium colas like Virgil’s and Boylan can also be used. Even Coke will make a decent Cuba Libre as long as attention is paid to the other ingredients.
1-3 dashes Angostura bitters: If using Fentimans cola, the bitters are optional or can be cut to only a dash. Any other cola will call for at least two dashes of bitters to help balance out the sweetness.
1-2 teaspoons Allspice Dram (optional): Rarely do we extol the splendor of drinks that aren’t available in Michigan but St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram is a bottle we’ll order from out of state. Traditionally known as pimento dram (pimento is the West Indies term for allspice), this liqueur made from Jamaican pot-still rum and allspice berries is cherished for its extraordinary flavors of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg. Not only does it add island flavor to Caribbean cocktails and tiki drinks, it works well in a wide variety of holiday desserts. It will elevate a Cuba Libre — particularly one made with Coke.
Preparation
Squeeze the lime half into a Collins glass. Add 3 or 4 ice cubes. Pour in the rum and top with cola. Add the bitters and optional Allspice Dram. Do a quick, gentle stir to incorporate the ingredients.
2011.10.13 Todd Abrams at 3:26 pm
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3 Responses to Crafting a Better Cuba Libre
This is a great recipe for Cuba Libre. However, Rhum Agricole, or rum distilled from sugar is not that critical. Of course, the choice of a good rum is.
Most rums are distilled from molasses which is usually at least 54% sugar. I am partial to El Dorado brand rums. And now that El Dorado is available in Michigan. Lets use it and help keep this quality brand in Michigan.
El Dorado is available at a growing list of retailers and bars/restaurants in our state. And your favorite store or watering hole can order it for you. There are choices from standard white rum all the way up to 21 year old rum. I recommend the El Dorado 5 year old cask aged rum for the Cuba Libra.
I have to agree with Glenn on the El Dorado rums. At a charity benefit in Philadelphia last year, I had the pleasure of tasting all their premium rums, from the solidly complex 12 year old to the divinely syrupy 25 year old. Interestingly, I came across your post while searching to see if Allspice Dram was available in Michigan. It appears I must make yet ANOTHER road trip to Chicago to obtain Cynar and Allspace Dram!
Allspice.