Bacardi And The Cuba Libre Thing

Most Americans are under the impression that Bacardi is Puerto Rican rum…, but its not. And many people think that the term “Cuba Libre” came about after the Castro takeover of Cuba…, but it didn’t.  The name Bacardi has been synonous with the term “Cuba Libre” since 1900 and have both been an integral part of Cuban history and culture, and are now a part of My Cuban Thing.

Rum is an alcoholic beverage derived from sugar.  Its historical origins go back to ancient India and China.  During the European colonization of the Western Hemisphere, rum became a much sought after commodity among pirates and English privateers due to the production of by products from the sugarcane harvests in the West Indies.  The distilling of the fermented sugarcane juice makes both dark and light rums and there just as many brands as there are islands in the Caribean.   Bacardi is by far the most popular.

Don Facundo Barcardi i Masso and his brother bought an old distillery in  Santiago de Cuba and began making rum in 1862.  At that time rum was not considered to be a refined spirit and was not sold in any of the established taverns.  Through a process of coal filtering and by using only the finest ingredients, the Bacardi brothers set the standard of quality for making superior rum.

In 1898 the battleship Maine was mysteriously sunk in Havana Harbor and the Spanish American War ensued.  The cry of “Cuba Libre” was heard throughout the land by Cubans who wanted freedom from Spain.  The war was quickly won by the United States and the Treaty of Paris was signed giving the US temporary control of Cuba.  For the next several years many US troops visited the island enoying its finer pleasures including Bacardi rum.

It’s not sure how it happened but around 1900 a group of US soldiers were in a bar in Havana. One of the soldiers ordered Bacardi rum mixed with Coca-Cola. This caused an interest among the other soldiers and they had the bartender prepare the same drink for them.  After several rounds of this new concoction, one of the soldiers suggested a toast to “Cuba Libre” in celebration of the newly freed Cuba. And thus Bacardi rum and Coke became known as Cuba Libre.

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