Topical Guide 707
Mark Dorset
Drinks: Rum and Coke, Cuba Libre
Appropriation, Plagiarism
Fact and Fiction
What a Piece of Work I Am, Chapter 29:
“Rum?” she asked, watching Red pour. “Not a big drink around here.”
“Nope,” said Red.
She watched him reach for another bottle. “Rum and Coke?” she said. “Are we in the tropics?”
Rum and Coke, or the Cuba libre ([…]literally “Free Cuba”), 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. […]
The drink was created in Cuba in the early 1900s, but its exact origins are not certain. It became popular shortly after 1900, when bottled Coca-Cola was first imported into Cuba from the United States. […]
Rum and Coke quickly spread from Cuba to the United States. […]
Rum and Coke achieved a new level of popularity during World War II. […]
In 1943, Lord Invader’s Calypso song “Rum and Coca-Cola” drew further attention to the drink in Trinidad. The song was an adaptation of Lionel Belasco’s 1904 composition “L’Année Passée” with new lyrics about American soldiers in Trinidad cavorting with local girls and drinking rum and Coke. Comedian Morey Amsterdam plagiarized “Rum and Coca-Cola” and licensed it to the Andrews Sisters as his own work. The Andrews Sisters’ version was a major hit in 1945 and further boosted the popularity of rum and Coke, especially in the military. Lord Invader and the owners of Belasco’s composition successfully sued Amsterdam for the song’s rights.
“L’Année Passée” performed by the Calypso Rhythm Kings:
“Rum and Coca-Cola” performed by Lord Invader:
“Rum and Coca-Cola” performed by the Andrews Sisters:
I know the following facts: the favorite drink of Eric Kraft’s paternal grandfather, Edward Daniel Kraft, was rye and Coca-Cola, not rum and Coca-Cola; and the favorite drink of Eric Kraft’s Spanish translator, José Luis Fernández-Villanueva, was the Cuba Libre.
Memoirists: Their Egoism
What a Piece of Work I Am, Chapter 29:
Ariane sat down and began to talk to him, just making conversation. I doubt that she mentioned me, but it’s not impossible.
See also:
Drinking: Cocktails, Cocktail Shakers TG 57; Drinking; Smoking TG 15; Cocktails, Old Fashioned TG 132; Cocktails: The Shirley Temple TG 150; Cocktails: The Martini TG 415, TG 416; Cocktails, Real and Fictional TG 437; Cocktails: Black Russian TG 518
Plagiarism TG 149, TG 560
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