Cuba Libre - Local Variations

Local Variations

The drink's name has evolved somewhat in both Cuba and the United States, where some choose to refer to it as a Mentirita ("a little lie"), in an opinionated reference to Cuban politics.

• In Australia, the more popularly known drink is simply Rum and Coke or "Rumbo", which contains no lime, commonly uses a local dark rum and can be purchased in cans as a ready-to-drink. However, the combination of light rum, brown sugar and cola is commonly ordered at cocktail bars as a Cuba Libre.
• In Brazil, there is another variation, made with "cachaça" and lemon without peeling.
• In Britain, the drink is most commonly served without the lime juice and ordered simply as a Bacardi and Coke. When the lime juice is included and rubbed around the rim of the glass it can be known as a Lou Bega, after the popular singer. Often the drink is called Cuban for the original mix and White Cuban when coke is replaced with Sprite or 7up.
• In Chile and Spain, Cuba Libre is also called "Ron-Cola" and "Cubata".
• In Costa Rica, a low calorie variation called Tico Libre is made with gold or dark rum, diet cola and garnished with lemon for a refreshing finish. For more information, visit www.librerumcola.com.
• In India, the more popularly known drink is simply Rum and Coke, which contains no lime, commonly uses a local rum (such as Old Monk). Mixing cola with hard alcoholic beverages other than rum is quite popular in India.
• In the Dominican Republic, it is the most popular drink to enjoy, poured with a very generous amount of locally produced Dominican Rum (i.e. Brugal, Bermúdez, and so on.) and Coke, topped off with a slice of lime. Domincans often call "cuba libre" "mentirilla" or little lie as a joke, it all started at the end of the cold war.
• In Greece Thessaloniki, there is another variant, that consists of "retsina" and cola, named "tumba libre". "Tumba" is the name of a neighborhood in Thessaloniki.
• In the Netherlands the drink is usually served without lime and commonly referred to as Baco, from the two ingredients of Bacardi rum and cola.
• In Nicaragua, when it is mixed using Flor de Caña (the national brand of rum) and cola, it is called a Nica Libre.
• In Puerto Rico, a variation called "Spicy cherry" or "Spicy vanilla" is made of spiced rum, cherry coke or vanilla coke, and garnished with a lime.
• In Peru, a variation called Peru Libre is made with pisco rather than rum.
• In Poland, when it is mixed using Burn and rum, it is called a Poland Libre. This, because Burn is a popular drink to mix in Poland and the drink turns red (the color of Poland).
• In Russia Cuba Libre without the lime juice is called Rock-n-Roll Star, after a popular song that features the recipe. Any distilled spirit could be substituted for a rum in a pinch, but these variations generally do not have any specific names.
• In Venezuela the Cuba Libre Preparado ("Prepared Cuba Libre") includes a dash of gin and a dash of Angostura bitters.
• In Newfoundland, there has been a long history of trading dried salted codfish to the West Indies, usually for rum, molasses and spices. Newfoundland Screech, a rum which is actually made in Jamaica, is popularly mixed with coke - without lime. One variation to this drink is called the Tom Morry - which involves equal parts dark rum, water and coke.