Coca-Cola and Bacardí Announce RTD Cuba Libre Cocktail Collab

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The Cuba Libre, made with Bacardí rum, Coca-Cola, and lime, is the perfect cocktail.

I’m not saying this because it’s my favorite cocktail (I’m fond of rye Manhattans), but because the Cuba Libre does a lot of things right. It’s a basic recipe that any bartender can produce, and pretty much anywhere in the world, you’ll find Bacardí, Coca-Cola, and limes. Besides that, the spicy and sweet combo of rum and cola is perfectly accented by the tartness of lime. Over ice, the acidity of the lime is a refreshing respite to hot and muggy days in parts of the world where air conditioning isn’t exactly prevalent.

Soon, it will be even easier to enjoy the classic rum cocktail with a Ready-to-Drink (RTD) version of Cuba Libre featuring Bacardí and Coca-Cola, which delivers a proper (kind of) Cuba Libre in a can.

The packaging combines two strong and recognizable brands—Coca-Cola and Bacardí. The Coca-Cola wordmark stands equal to the Bacardí’s bat logo against a checkerboard background that goes from silver (no doubt a nod to rum) to red, an obvious reference to the world’s best-known cola.

More than the taste, simplicity, and accessibility of the Cuba Libre, it’s also the perfect cocktail, thanks to all the symbolism behind the drink. “Cuba Libre” translates to “Free Cuba,” a name borne out of the island nation’s independence from Spain. However, Cuban independence wouldn’t necessarily mean freedom for the Cuban people, and the country’s subsequent history would tragically prove it to be the case to this day.

It’s little wonder many people order the Cuba Libre by its other name, “La Mentirita,” or “The Little Lie.” There’s also a bit of cruel irony that making the original Cuba Libre is now practically impossible, as Bacardí left Cuba in 1962 following the Cuban Revolution. Moreover, Coca-Cola is also officially banned in Cuba thanks to embargoes between the United States and Cuba. There’s also the big ol’ intellectual knot created by a cocktail named “Free Cuba,” which primarily consists of two brands emblematic of imperialism and capitalism named after a now Marxist-Leninist country.

Few classic cocktails have the layers of lore of the Cuba Libre. Its simplicity and popularity lend well to an RTD version, especially when combined with the traditional ingredients of Coca-Cola and Bacardí silver rum. The Cuba Libre is probably the only libation you can order anywhere on the globe with a stark reminder of worldwide capitalist imperialism, which will also get you properly buzzed.

The Coca-Cola X Bacardí collab in a can launches next year in select European markets and Mexico. Yankee Imperialists in America will have to mix our own for now.