contemporary · built
Cuba Libre recipe
White rum and cola with fresh lime. Deceptively simple.
A Cuba Libre is 50 ml (47 g) White Rum, 120 ml (124.8 g) Cola and 10 ml (10.3 g) Fresh Lime Juice, built and served in a highball glass. It pours to about 180 ml before ice, at roughly 11.1% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glasshighball glass
- Methodbuilt
- Pour volume180 ml
- Strength (est.)11.1% ABV
- Time2 min
Cuba Libre ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Rum | 50 ml | 47 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Cola | 120 ml | 124.8 g | 1.04 | Top with cola |
| Fresh Lime Juice | 10 ml | 10.3 g | 1.03 | Weighed by the coaster |
How to make a Cuba Libre
- Set your highball glass on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Fill the highball glass with fresh ice.
- Build White Rum and Fresh Lime Juice straight into the glass, weighing each pour.
- Top with Cola and stir once, gently, from the bottom up.
Cuba Libre: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Cuba Libre?
Roughly 11.1% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Sessionable. Comparable to a glass of wine by volume.
What glass should a Cuba Libre be served in?
A highball glass. Fill it with fresh ice, not the ice you mixed with.
Can I make a Cuba Libre without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
If you like the Cuba Libre
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