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Associated Press
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
The Cuba Libre – a World-Famous Cocktail That Originated With BACARDÍ Rum
Part cocktail, part rallying-cry, the story behind the original Cuba Libre cocktail is preserved in the Bacardi Archives and can be traced back to a celebratory moment in Cuban history at the end of the Spanish-American war. American soldiers stationed in Cuba – birthplace of BACARDÍ – brought Coca-Cola® with them for a taste of home which, soon became an island favorite soft drink. One August day in 1900, while celebrating Cuba's victory at The American Bar in Havana, a U.S. Army Signal Corps captain decided to ask the bartender for his favorite Cuban BACARDÍ Rum mixed with Coca-Cola® and the squeeze of a fresh lime, sparking interest among others bar patrons. Soon the entire bar was drinking this enticing, new combination. The captain proposed a toast of '¡Por Cuba libre!' (For a free Cuba!) ─ a phrase exclaimed frequently by Cuban revolutionaries and Americans soldiers. The name caught on, and stuck. The cocktail soon spread beyond Cuba to become an international hit, beloved for its simplicity and refreshing taste. 'A favorite among both bartenders and consumers alike, few rum cocktails have been able to stand the test of time like the Cuba Libre,' said Dickie Cullimore, Global Brand Ambassador for BACARDÍ. 'It's easy to master the Cuba Libre and make it your own. By simply combining just three ingredients – the world's most awarded rum brand, the world's favorite cola brand and a squeeze of fresh lime – a delicious taste of cocktail history is available at your fingertips at virtually any bar, anywhere, and even at home.' The Cuba Libre cocktail was itself a product of a revolution in rum-making. In 1862, in Santiago de Cuba, Don Facundo Bacardí Massó developed BACARDÍ, the world's first smooth light-bodied spirit. Designed to be the ultimate mixing spirit, as it never dominates or dilutes the taste of the drink, BACARDÍ rum inspired the creation of other legendary cocktail recipes like the authentic Mojito, the original Daiquirí, and the Piña Colada. For more than 163 years, through seven generations of Don Facundo's descendants, family-owned Bacardi has focused on innovation, consistency, quality, taste and excellence in rum-making. Today, sipping this cocktail made with two iconic drinks brands still summons the same feelings of celebration, liberation and national pride as it did in 1900. In fact, the Rum & Coke® remains one the most ordered drinks worldwide, claiming the #6 spot on the 2025 Bacardi Cocktail Trends Report. More than a century after the Cuba Libre's origins, Bacardi and Coca-Cola® continue their relationship and in 2025 launched BACARDÍ & Coca-Cola® Ready-to-Drink pre-mixed canned cocktails currently rolling out across the world. To make the perfect Cuba Libre cocktail and take your drink beyond a Rum and Coke®, remember the squeeze of fresh lime makes all the difference. Original BACARDÍ Cuba Libre 2 oz BACARDÍ Gold® rum4 oz Coca-Cola® (bottled)2 lime wedgesIce cubes Fill a highball glass with cubed ice. Squeeze juice of fresh lime wedges into the glass and then drop lime wedge rinds directly into the glass. Pour in BACARDÍ Gold rum and top with chilled Coca-Cola®, ideally bottled. Stir gently and enjoy responsibly. BACARDÍ, ITS TRADE DRESS AND THE BAT DEVICE ARE TRADEMARKS OF BACARDI & COMPANY LIMITED. COCA-COLA AND COKE ARE TRADEMARKS OF THE COCA-COLA COMPANY. PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY. Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from Bacardi-Martini, Inc.
Associated Press
10-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Preserving the Past and Inspiring the Future: Jacqui Seargeant, Global Heritage Manager at Bacardi
As a family-owned business, Bacardi is proud of its 163-year legacy and the team dedicated to preserving the stories of its heritage brands. This Women's Month, Bacardi spotlights the woman at the helm of this team, Jacqui Seargeant – Global Heritage Manager, as she describes her journey to this unique role in the spirits industry, her favorite pieces of the collections, and the person from the past she'd love to share a cocktail with. What's a day in the life like for you? As the Global Heritage Manager for all of our history at Bacardi, no two days are the same; one day I may be preserving a collection of 100-year-old glass bottles from the early days of our company, or working with our marketing teams to find the best stories to represent our brands today. With collections across the globe including BACARDÍ rum in Miami, DEWAR'S Blended Scotch whisky in Scotland, MARTINI vermouth in Italy, and BÉNÉDICTINE Liqueur in France, the storytelling opportunities are endless. Across these sites we preserve more than 150,000 physical items. If you laid our archive shelving end to end, it would be more than 75 times the height of the Statue of Liberty – and that number continues to grow every day! Recently I spent time at our company global headquarters in Bermuda, coordinating the restoration of a stunning 11-metre-long mural that depicts the tropical landscape of Cuba, the original home of Bacardi. Even after 25 years on the job, exciting new projects like this one pop up everyday thanks to the diversity and breadth of our brands and collections. What inspires you about your role as an archivist? As a student at Glasgow University, I fell in love with archives at the age of 21 because I could see they were forgotten worlds with traces of people and moments from the past, waiting to be rediscovered. What are your favorite items in the collections? I love the centuries-old handwritten documents and ledgers of our founders. As I read them, I can imagine the person sitting there, making their mark and recording the urgent business of the day. The handwriting is so frenetic that you just know these people were in a hurry to do business! Our cocktail book collection is one of the oldest and largest in the world, where we can discover drinking trends of the day through cocktail recipes, bartender insights and even trace the origins of cocktails like the Cuba Libre, which was first mixed with BACARDÍ rum 125 years ago. I also enjoy the various promotional items our brands have created over the years. Each tells us a story about social moments of the past – like beautiful glassware in the MARTINI collection that defined a generation of the Italian aperitivo time or one of the smallest items we might have: a branded silver toothpick for after your meal! What is the best advice you've ever received? A former-archivist and friend of mine became a coach to help women unlock their confidence and achieve their potential. Each New Year on her podcast she challenges her listeners to set an intention for the year and to think about what we want from the year and focus on what is important to each of us. This year, I did just that – I created a plan for the year ahead from which I can chart progress and achievements in both my personal and professional life. I set targets to connect with friends I haven't spoken to in a while, read authors I haven't yet got around to, and sign up for new experiences and opportunities to step out of my comfort zone at work. How do you pay it forward to other women? One of the ways I give back to women in my company is by co-leading a Menopause awareness program at our Bacardi UK Supply site. Menopause can severely affect a woman's time at work; according to the 2022 Biote Women in the Workplace Survey, nearly 1 in 5 women considered quitting or quit their jobs due to menopause symptoms. Our Bacardi program supports anyone going through it, boosts awareness of symptoms and solutions, and educates managers to better care for their teams. It should be a time of reinvention, not a time of crisis. If you could enjoy a cocktail with any historical figure, who would it be and what would you ask? I would love to share a glass of DEWAR'S with Una Cameron, the granddaughter of John Dewar, founder of DEWAR'S whisky. I have a little book from her library 'The Lore of the Wanderer', which was given to me by her family, and it contains lots of amusing essays about nature and the outdoors. Una achieved a number of first ascents during the 1930s. She was an accomplished artist as well as a mountaineer – two pastimes close to my heart. I imagine spending a day at her villa in Italy, in which we would go walking in the hills around Villa Cameron in the morning. I could ask her about her favourite mountaineering moments and memories of her Dewar family members and then spend the afternoon learning from her artistic expertise. She passed away in 1987, long before I even had a love of the mountains. What's your advice to other women leaders? I set a word for the year that I use to guide my intention and help me make decisions. This year my word is 'appreciate'. For me, it is important to appreciate the everyday moments in life, to enjoy the very moment I'm in and not be wishing my days away!
