First Rain Cuba Libre

A rum and cola with the lime that makes it a cocktail. First Rain is dry and clean, so the drink leans on lime and cola rather than on sugar from the spirit.

Ingredients

• 45 mL First Rain
• 15 mL fresh lime juice (about half a lime)
• Cola to top (about 100 mL)
• A lime wedge

Method

1. Fill a highball with ice and add First Rain and the lime juice.
2. Top with cold cola and stir once, gently, to keep the fizz.
3. Squeeze the lime wedge over the top and drop it in.

Where it comes from

The name is a toast. “Por Cuba libre” was the cry of the independence movement, and the drink is usually dated to Havana around 1900, when American soldiers mixed the newly arrived Coca-Cola with the local rum and a squeeze of lime. The lime is the whole point: without it you have a rum and coke, which is a fine thing, but a different one.

Most recipes assume a sweet, heavy rum and let the cola do the rest. First Rain is a silver cane spirit bottled without added sugar, so the drink comes out drier and the lime peel in the spirit meets the lime in the glass. If you find cola too sweet, a lighter or less sweet cola suits it well.