Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, and it arguably improves the drink. Spiced rum's oak and warm spice stand up to cola better than a neutral white rum. We use Shanty Seaweed Spiced Rum, where the honey and cacao notes meet the cola's caramel and the lime keeps everything sharp.

No. The egg white adds a silky foam and softer texture but changes nothing about the flavour balance. Aquafaba, the liquid from tinned chickpeas, is a like-for-like vegan substitute. If you use raw egg, UK food safety guidance recommends British Lion stamped eggs.

Not always. Amaretto's bitter almond flavour traditionally comes from apricot kernels, almonds, or both, depending on the producer. That is why some amarettos are almond-free and safe for some nut-avoidant drinkers, but always check the specific bottle's label.

It is Spanish for "free Cuba". The drink is named after the toast "Por Cuba libre!" used around the time of Cuban independence, when the cocktail first appeared in Havana.

It is our house take on the amaretto sour: Shanty Seaweed Spiced Rum shaken with amaretto, peach syrup, lemon and orange juice and aquafaba, dry shaken first for a silky foam, finished with Peychaud's Bitters and a dehydrated orange slice.

Three things: golden or spiced rum, cola and fresh lime juice, built over cubed ice in a tall glass. The lime juice is a full ingredient, not a decoration, and the spent lime shell usually goes into the glass too.

Amaretto, fresh lemon juice and optionally egg white, shaken and served over ice in a rocks glass with a cherry and lemon peel. The standard ratio is two parts amaretto to one part lemon, with no added sugar because the liqueur is already sweet.

Fresh lime juice, measured proportions and a rum worth tasting. A rum and coke is a free pour with no citrus; a Cuba Libre uses the juice of half a lime, which cuts the cola's sweetness and lets the rum's character through.