Rum & Coke, Scotch & Soda
This week’s Friday Cocktail presents a pairing of classic drinks, Scotch and Soda and Rum and Coke.
Both have been around for a long time and are a staple of any bartender’s catalog of known drinks. They’re often among those standby drinks, like martinis, manhattans, and margaritas, that cocktail connoisseurs will order when nothing else on the drink menu appeals or when there’s no specialty drink menu at all!
The recipes for these drinks traditionally call for a highball glass, but I’ve often seen them served in old fashioned or rocks glasses as well. The simplicity of either drink makes it versatile in how its made and served. In fact, with a little lime juice, the rum and coke becomes the more well-known Cuba Libre, originating from, of course, Cuba around 1900, popularly said to be in celebration of Cuba’s liberation following the Spanish-American War of 1898.
What You’ll Need:
For the Scotch and Soda: Scotch (your brand of choice) and Club Soda.
For the Rum and Coke: Rum (your brand of choice) and Coca-Cola. Optionally, Lime Juice.
For either drink, fill your glass with cubed ice.
Scotch and Soda: Pour your scotch of choice in the glass and then fill with club soda. Proportions may vary depending on taste, but I recommend about 1 1/2 ounce of scotch to 3 ounces club soda.
Rum and Coke: Pour your rum of choice in the glass and then fill with cola. Proportions may vary depending on taste, but I recommend about 1 1/2 ounce of rum to 3 ounces of cola. For this drink, most recipes use white rum, but golden or dark rum work just as well and may be preferred.
To turn your Rum and Coke into a Cuba Libre, add 1/2 ounce of lime juice to your recipe. Optionally, garnish with a wedge of lime.
Finally, stir your drink and serve!
How I Like It: To be honest, neither of these would be my drink of choice, though I give the slight edge to the rum and coke. I’m not much of a fan of cola or club soda, and the naked flavors of those sodas with the scotch or rum here doesn’t appeal to my palate. Still, these cocktails are well liked by legions of drinkers world-wide and should be in your repertoire of drinks known.
As always drink responsibly!
The Poisoned Martini 