Rum and Coke, or the Cuba libre, is a highball cocktail consisting of cola, rum, and in many recipes lime juice on ice. Traditionally, the cola ingredient is Coca-Cola ("Coke") and the alcohol is a light rum such as Bacardi; however, the drink may be made with various types of rums and cola brands, and lime juice may or may not be included.
Rum and Coke
A Cuba libre with Coca-Cola and lime
Pre-mixed Bundaberg Rum & Cola, 2006
Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced in nearly every major sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Philippines, where Tanduay Distillers, the largest producer of rum worldwide, has its headquarters.
A glass of dark rum
Rum display in a liquor store (United States, 2009)
Government House rum, manufactured by the Virgin Islands Company distillery in St. Croix, circa 1941
Pirates carrying rum to shore to purchase slaves as depicted in The Pirates Own Book by Charles Ellms