Since a rum and cola is one of my favorite drinks I was really excited when I came across this recipe for Cuba Libre Brownies on SeriousEats.com. What could be better than rum, cola, and chocolate?  I made a batch of the brownies this weekend and they were amazing.  

The recipe starts off as a pretty standard brownie recipe.  However, the addition of Cola, and rum in the batter really give the brownies a distinct flavor.  The rum and chocolate go very well together.  

I choose to use Bacardi Select for my batch.  I really don’t like Bacardi Select. It has a very sharp alcohol flavor and leaves a very strong burn in your mouth.  It is a darker rum and does have a hint of caramel, molasses, and just barely an oaky flavor.  If you’d like to learn more about Bacardi Select check out this review.  I have a very similar opinion to the one on BoozeBasher.com.  I used the Bacardi Select, because I’m looking to get rid of the bottle I’ve had for a while now, and I thought maybe baking the rum would burn off the sharp alcohol flavor.  The Bacardi Select actually worked out great. In combination with the cola it added a molasses and carmel flavor to the brownies, and added a good rum flavor that wasn’t overpowering. 

The frosting had a much stronger flavor of rum since that wasn’t cooked, but it still was a good addition to the brownies.  I was a little Leery about adding the lime zest on top so I only put the zest of one lime on top instead of two.  It looked a little funny, and didn’t add much. So next time I’ll probably follow the recipe and put the zest of two limes on top.

Overall the Cuba Libre Brownies were  a hit and everyone seemed to enjoy them at my party. If you aren’t a rum fan you probably won’t like them. However, with a different rum, besides Bacardi Select, they may have a more subtle rum flavor. 

Full Recipe