From Battlefields to Jukeboxes, The Surprising History Behind the Rum & Coke Isn't What You Think

In 1949 an FBI informant named John J. Huber testified during the McCarthy hearings about the alleged political entanglements of athlete, actor, and activist Paul Robson. Huber, who was later described as “a seedy shrimp of a man who informed for a fee,” claimed to have seen Robeson at Communist Party meetings, where Huber made drinks for him. Robeson “used to like the way I mixed rum & Coke for him,” Huber testified, “and he would often come over to me… and thank me for the drinks I mixed...