Rum and Coke Recipe: How to Make a Rum and Coke Cocktail

The Rum and Coke evolved from another mixed drink called the Cuba Libre, a beverage that combines rum and Coke with fresh lime juice. The phrase "Cuba Libre!" ("Free Cuba!") was a rallying cry during the Spanish-American War in 1898.

Not long after Spain lost the war and withdrew from Cuba, Coca-Cola began exporting its cola syrup to Cuba. In 1900, a Bacardi advertising executive named Fausto Rodriguez was at a bar in Havana and witnessed his employer order a Bacardi rum mixed with Coca-Cola—or so he claimed. While many question the validity of Rodriguez's story, if true it’s the first account of the drink ever being ordered.

Ever since the United States placed an embargo on exports to Cuba in 1960, most Cubans have used the Cuban cola brand tuKola in the cocktail instead of Coke.

The Coca-Cola in a Rum and Coke overpowers the flavor differences between bottom- and top-shelf rums, but choosing a type of rum is still an important decision. Each basic type of rum brings something to a Rum and Coke.

1. 1. White rum: Also known as light rum, white rum is the most common type of rum used in a classic Rum and Coke. White rums generally have a light sweetness and are an agreeable, easy-to-drink choice.
2. 2. Dark rum: Aged longer than most white rums, dark rums have a stronger, more noticeable flavor due to the barrel aging process. Gosling's Black Seal is a dark rum brand synonymous with the Dark 'N' Stormy, but it also mixes quite nicely with a Rum and Coke.
3. 3. Spiced rum: Flavorful and sweet spiced rums are infused with spices like cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, and nutmeg. To give the popular "Captain and Coke" a try, use some Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum.