Name: Cuba Libre
Ingredients: 2 oz. Dark Rum; Cola; Lime or Lemon wedge; Ice

Why it works: Rum and lime work together. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 412 recipes. Both carry alpha-pinene, which smells pine, turpentine. The science ↓

Cuba Libre

Ingredients

2 oz. Dark Rum
Cola
Lime or Lemon wedge
Ice

Directions

Pour rum over ice cubes in a Collins glass.
Fill with cola.
Squeeze lime or lemon wedge into drink and drop it into the glass.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

55Calories

1 gProtein

0 gFat

8 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 3 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Rum	1/2 oz (15ml)	32
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Rum + limetop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together412 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Dark rum: Provides the main spirit flavour, with caramel and molasses notes that define the drink.
Cola: Adds sweetness and carbonation, diluting the rum into a long, easy-drinking mix.
Lime or lemon: Adds acidity and fresh aroma that brighten the sweetness of the cola.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.