Cuba Libre

Cuba Libre! Free Cuba!

Allegedly invented in Cuba in 1900, this cocktail of rum and coke was used to toast the newly independent island. The drink soon spread throughout the American South and further, although, according to H.L. Mencken, it sometimes appeared in a different guise: "… South Carolina coined (the term) 'jump stiddy' for a mixture of Coca-Cola and denatured alcohol (meths) (usually drawn from automobile radiators); connoisseurs reputedly preferred the taste of what had been aged in Model-T Fords."

As not many of us can lay our hands on a Model-T Ford these days, let's stick to the original!

You need:

• 1 part light rum
• 3 parts Coca Cola
• 1 lime, cut in half

Rub the rim of a highball glass with the cut lime. Fill the glass with ice cubes and add the rum and coke. Add the squeezed juice of half the lime, and garnish with the remaining wedge of lime.