The Cuba Libre, a component study in Mixology

First, my apologies to Chip & Andy for intruding in on their Mixology series.

Second, I expect most of you looked at the heading and said, “WTF!? Is this a joke?” Why a breakdown of a cocktail with only four simple ingredients - rum, cola, squeeze of lime, and ice?

Not long ago there was a big story about the original recipe for Coca-Cola apparently being discovered. You can find the basic story on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_formula

I was intrigued by the variety of ingredients. Coke has been around for so long, and has been such a major beverage for so many years, that it’s easy to overlook what a complex soft drink it is. Compare it to something like 7 Up, Fanta Orange or even root beer. Coke has a lot more stuff in it.

Recently I wondered if one could treat cola like a commercial cocktail mix. For example, you can buy mai tai mix, margarita mix, etc. What if you considered Coke to be a Cuba Libre mix? And if you wanted to make a Cuba Libre completely from scratch, how would you go about making it?

So I've decided to experiment. One thing I settled on was that I wanted a basic cola flavor profile – it didn’t have to taste exactly like Coca-Cola. Also, I wanted to make it a fairly simple drink to make behind a bar. Like I said, Coke’s recipe is pretty complex. Could I make a Cuba Libre that was just as good or perhaps even better? Here’s the so-called original Coke recipe:

• Fluid extract of Coca: 3 drams USP
• Citric acid: 3 oz
• Caffeine: 1 oz
• Sugar: 30 lbs
• Water: 2.5 gal
• Lime juice: 2 pints (1 quart)
• Vanilla: 1 oz
• Caramel: 1.5 oz or more for color

The secret 7X flavor (use 2 oz of flavor to 5 gals syrup):
• Alcohol 8 oz
• Orange oil: 20 drops
• Lemon oil: 30 drops
• Nutmeg oil: 10 drops
• Coriander oil: 5 drops
• Neroli oil: 10 drops
• Cinnamon oil: 10 drops

So I want to be able to make enough "mix" to make, say, a batch of four cocktails – not create five gallons of cola syrup. So what could I eliminate from the Coke recipe and still have a basic cola flavor profile?

At first glance you might think, well, you’ll never be able to replace the coca unless you’ve got a drug dealer for a friend. But in fact you can purchase Agwa Coca Leaf Liqueur. I bought a couple of small bottles from BevMo. Citric acid – hmmm…, I’ll have to get back to that. Sugar, water, lime juice, vanilla – check, check, check and check. Got all of those easily at my disposal. I’m not worried about caramel coloring as I can use a dark rum to take care of that.

The “secret” flavor oils present a problem. First, there’s only the tiniest bit of each. But we have nutmeg, coriander and cinnamon in the kitchen. And then there are the three citrus oils – orange, lemon and neroli. Maybe I can squeeze some out of peels. Or could I substitute the secret oil flavors altogether and instead use a dash each of orange and lemon bitters? Again, I’m going to let the rum take the place of the alcohol. For carbonation, club soda naturally – which can also provide the “water” ingredient.

I’ll be making my first attempt tonight to create a simple cola from scratch. Results to come.

hey arriano, have you listened to the "This American Life" episode #427 on NPR? They took that recipe to Jones Soda to try to recreate coke. I think it would useful in your endeavors to hear how they worked through the formula. aloha, tikicoma

[ Edited by: tikicoma 2011-06-01 20:06 ]

Arriano, I bought some citric acid last year to try to process olives. Also known as Chinese Sour Salt, I had seen it in Von's several years back but could not locate it when I needed it, also tried Ralphs, Lucky's, etc in San Diego. I ended up ordering it off the internet. I pitched it out a few months ago or I would send it to you. Isn't the 99 Ranch Market in Clairmont Mesa close to your neighborhood? I bet they would have it.

On 2011-06-01 20:03, tikicoma wrote:
hey arriano, have you listened to the "This American Life" episode #427 on NPR? They took that recipe to Jones Soda to try to recreate coke. I think it would useful in your endeavors to hear how they worked through the formula. aloha, tikicoma

[ Edited by: tikicoma 2011-06-01 20:06 ]

Hi Tikicoma - I have listened to that a ways back, but I should relisten to it. I'll try to remember to do that tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestion.

On 2011-06-01 21:05, MadDogMike wrote:
Arriano, I bought some citric acid last year to try to process olives. Also known as Chinese Sour Salt, I had seen it in Von's several years back but could not locate it when I needed it, also tried Ralphs, Lucky's, etc in San Diego. I ended up ordering it off the internet. I pitched it out a few months ago or I would send it to you. Isn't the 99 Ranch Market in Clairmont Mesa close to your neighborhood? I bet they would have it.

Thanks for the tip. Yes, Ranch 99 is very close. I'll track it down.

EXPERIMENT #1A

I should note that I have no business doing math. Trying to figure out one serving out of the above Coca-Cola recipe was enough to give me a headache. But I finally decided on the following:

• 2 2/3 oz Sugar Syrup
• ½ oz Fresh Lime Juice
• 1/8 oz Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 drop Agwa Coca Leaf Liqueur
• 1 drop Cinnamon Syrup
• 1 dash Fee Bros. Lemon Bitters
• 1 dash Fee Bros. Orange Bitters

I put the ingredients in a mixing glass, stirred it up and put in the fridge to cool. After about an hour, I took it out and added

• 1½ oz Club Soda

Taste: Not a bad concoction, but not cola tasting. Very sweet and limey. It was also a bit too syrupy and not carbonated enough. Then it hit me: The Coca-Cola recipe was for the syrup, not the finished soda pop.

EXPERIMENT #1B

I poured in more club soda for a total of 10 oz. It was immediately better, but not spicy enough.

I put in another dash of Vanilla Extract and then ½ oz of Allspice Liqueur. Hey! Now it wasn’t too bad at all, almost cola tasting.

Tomorrow I’ll try again by using a bit of nutmeg and coriander in place of the allspice liqueur. And per the suggestions above, I'll listen to the Jones Cola experiment and try to track down some citric acid. Stay tuned.

"I am Lono!" -- Hale Ka'a Tiki Lounge

[ Edited by: arriano 2011-06-01 21:09 ]

I spent about an hour at 99 Ranch Market last month. It was the first time I had ever been and it was quite an adventure :D

Good luck with your Mad Cola Experiments! Doctor Arriano - Cola Experimenteur!

brilliant thread!

Re: citric acid. try finding a fancy pants health food store. The one here carries it in the supplement section.

Thanks folks for the comments.

I didn’t have time to purchase citric acid or re-listen to the "This American Life" episode – damn job is getting in the way of my drinking. But I decided to plow ahead on the experiment anyway. In actuality, I’d been hoping not to need citric acid because I wanted to create a simple cola with ingredients one might have in a kitchen and home bar. Here goes:

EXPERIMENT #2:

• 2 2/3 oz Sugar Syrup
• 1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice (key limes, by the way)
• 1/4 oz Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 drop Agwa Coca Leaf Liqueur
• 1 dash Fee Bros. Lemon Bitters
• 1 dash Fee Bros. Orange Bitters
• 1 drop Cinnamon Syrup
• 1/8 tsp Corriander
• 1/8 tsp Nutmeg

I stirred the ingredients up in a pint glass, put the ingredients in the fridge, and let it chill for an hour. I stirred it again and added

• 10 oz Club Soda.

To compare it properly, I opened a bottle of Mexican Coke and poured into a pint glass. Compared to Coke, my concoction is more limey tasting and didn’t seem quite as spicy. I added:

• 1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
• 1/8 oz Allspice Liqueur

I realize Coke doesn’t have allspice in it, but this is an experiment. While better and closer to Coke, the Coke has more of a bite to it. At first I thought maybe this was because it was more carbonated. But the more I kept switching back and forth between the drinks, I decided it was something else. The only thing that I can think of is that it’s the citric acid in Coke that gives it that extra bite. So I guess I'll need to get it after all, and we’ll need another round, probably sometime this weekend. Stay tuned.

Hi, I’m back, whether you wanted to read any more about this Cuba Libre experiment or not.

I discovered that my local beer making supply store, Home Brew Mart, carried 2 oz packages of citric acid so I bought one.

EXPERIMENT #3

Using what I’d learning in previous attempts, this was tonight’s recipe:

• 2 2/3 oz Sugar Syrup
• 1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
• 1/4 oz Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 drop Agwa Coca Leaf Extract
• 1 dash Fee Bros. Lemon Bitters
• 1 dash Fee Bros. Orange Bitters
• 1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
• 1/8 tsp Corriander
• 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp Citric Acid

Stirred this concoction up and let it chill in the fridge for about an hour. When I took it out, I stirred it again and added:

• 10 oz Club Soda

Again testing against a glass of Mexican Coke, my formula tasted a bit too limey. To balance it out a bit, I added:

• 1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
• 1/4 oz Pure Vanilla Extract

This made it better, but it was still a bit too limey and now too sweet. I think the addition of Cinnamon Syrup has added too much sugar. I think the Sugar Syrup needs to be dialed back to maybe 2 ¼ oz., or maybe even to 2 oz. I then determined that the additional lime flavor is probably OK. In a Cuba Libre you would add a squeeze of lime, and with this recipe you simply wouldn’t do that. Just use the lime as a garnish.

So this weekend my plan is to attempt to make a Cuba Libre from scratch with some Havana Club 7 Años (I’ll need the dark rum to help color my drink). Stay tuned.

cool.

i've always viewed Coca-Cola(tm) as having a vanilla profile, and Pepsi-cola(tm) as having a more citrus flavor profile.

A virtuous endeavor! Good luck with this quest!!!

FYI: You can buy small quantities of food grade citric acid from most home wine making stores.

I thought Pepsi had citric acid in it and Coke used phosphoric acid in its fromula.

I just compared labels and Pepsi has both phosphoric and citric acids, Coke only has phosphoric.

[ Edited by: jokeiii 2011-06-15 06:01 ]

On 2011-06-15 03:52, captnkirk wrote:
I thought Pepsi had citric acid in it and Coke used phosphoric acid in its fromula.

I thought the pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle :P

Very interested in your progress!

I will get back to this. I want to use my girlfriend as a guinea pig and too many events and other projects keep getting in the way. Hopefully the 3-day weekend will provide the time needed.

On 2011-06-27 08:08, arriano wrote:
I want to use my girlfriend as a guinea pig .....

TMI!!!

Have you read Fix the Pumps by Darcy S. O'Neil?

Preview:
http://books.google.ca/books?id=_H69qO6f438C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

On Jeff Berry's blog:
http://beachbumberry.com/2010/01/14/pop-culture/

Order on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Fix-Pumps-Darcy-S-ONeil/dp/0981175910/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Cola: The Secret Formula
http://www.artofdrink.com/soda-fountain/drinks/cola-the-secret-formula/

Coke’s Ingredients
http://www.artofdrink.com/blog/cokes-ingredients/

[ Edited by: TikiSan 2011-06-28 00:01 ]

On 2011-06-27 23:24, TikiSan wrote:
Have you read Fix the Pumps by Darcy S. O'Neil?

Thanks for that link! I'm totally intrigued. I can already hear the ensuing argument from the Mrs, "MORE stuff in the refrigerator?!"

You always seem to mention your drink comes off as too "limey" have you put much thought into cutting back on the lime juice content or maybe trying lime oil?

On 2011-06-27 11:24, jingleheimerschmidt wrote:

On 2011-06-27 08:08, arriano wrote:
I want to use my girlfriend as a guinea pig .....

TMI!!!

Um, sorry. How about "test monkey"?

OK, finally back behind the bar on Sunday evening I put the following in a cocktail shaker:

• 2 oz Sugar Syrup
• 1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice (I used key limes)
• 1/2 oz Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 drops Agwa Coca Leaf Extract
• 1 dash Fee Bros. Lemon Bitters
• 1 dash Fee Bros. Orange Bitters
• 1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
• 1/8 tsp Corriander
• 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp Citric Acid
• 3 oz Havana Club 7 Años rum

Added some crushed ice and shook for a good 20-30 seconds. I then strained equal amounts into two glasses, added ice and 5 oz. each of club soda. Garnished with a lime shell. My girlfriend’s response: “Tastes too citrusy, but it’s very refreshing.” Ugh. I then added ¼ oz of homemade allspice liqueur and she said, “Hey, now you’re getting really close!”

Even though there’s no allspice in Coke, apparently to get the cocktail spicy enough you either have to add it or use spiced rum. Adding more nutmeg and coriander I think will just make the drink grittier. The other problem some folks may have is that the drink is not dark, but golden in color. That’s because Coke has caramel coloring. Doesn’t add much to the flavor, I don’t think, and not worth including in my opinion.

So my final suggested recipe is that above with either the inclusion of ¼ oz allspice liqueur or subbing spiced rum for the 3 oz of rum.

"I am Lono!" -- Hale Ka'a Tiki Lounge

[ Edited by: arriano 2011-07-05 15:23 ]

Why are you using Key Limes, instead of regular limes?

Jeff(btd)

dude, where's the kola nut?

On 2011-07-05 20:58, bigtikidude wrote:
Why are you using Key Limes, instead of regular limes?
Jeff(btd)

No particular reason. I bought a bag of them recently so it's what I had on hand.

On 2011-07-05 22:02, thePorpoise wrote:
dude, where's the kola nut?

You know, that's bothered me the most regarding claims of finding the original Coke recipe - kola nut isn't listed among the ingredients.

"I am Lono!" -- Hale Ka'a Tiki Lounge

[ Edited by: arriano 2011-07-06 08:33 ]