The Daiquiri is a cocktail that even Ernest Hemingway couldn’t resist. We’ll dive deeper into that later. This drink creatively showcases the versatility of rum. It is simple, elegant, and charming in every way. Its history supports the idea that the Daiquiri deserves recognition as the godfather of cocktails, alongside the other five classic cocktails: the Manhattan, Jack Rose, Martini, Sidecar, and Old Fashioned.
The Daiquiri’s greatest virtue is its simplicity—it allows you to easily mold it into your definition of a perfect combination. All this while being the underlying recipe of other famous cocktails.
So What Is A Daiquiri?
The Daiquiri is made with three simple ingredients — white rum, lemon juice, and sugar. Though a lot of bars opt for simple syrup instead of sugar (for ease of mixing), the International Bartenders Association (IBA) confirms that using white sugar works in all the best ways.
The original version asks for the drink to be poured into a frozen cocktail glass, but with years of experimenting, bartenders have come up with (our personal favorite) the frozen Daiquiri that promises perpetual refreshment.
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How Daiquiri Was Discovered
Start the time machine; we’re going back to 1988 when the Maine ship sank during the war between the USA and Spain. According to legend, a marine landed in a small village near Santiago de Cuba, called Daiquiri. He was thirty years old and asked the bartender to pour him a drink.
He refused to drink the rum served straight and requested that the bartender add a bit of lime juice. Still finding it difficult to drink, he then asked for some sugar to make it more palatable. This cocktail was named after the village.
Another legend says that some engineers were working in a mine in 1905. One of them suggested to the other that they should make a toast at the end of the day. They only had rum, lemon, and sugar available at the time and decided to make do with what they had.
With wonderment flooding their mouth, they decided to name the cocktail. One suggested that they should call it “rum sour.” The other disagreed, calling the drink too fine and delicious for a name like that. They then resorted to calling it Daiquiri, after the cave they were mining in Cuba.
Which backstory did you like better?
This Is How You Make A Daiquiri
Though the recipe for a perfect Daiquiri may depend from person to person, we have included the one approved by the IBA. But feel free to tweak it to your liking.
- 2 oz. of white rum
- ⅔ oz. of lemon juice
- 2 tsp. of sugar
- Lemon wheel for garnish
Putting the ingredients together:
- In a cocktail shaker, add white rum, lemon juice, and sugar.
- Stir till the sugar dissolves completely.
- Strain it into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Add a lemon wheel, if you’re feeling fancy.
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Some Variations You Can Try
With time, the Daiquiri has made its way to becoming the top cocktails ordered in a bar. Inevitably, it spawned multiple variations that promise to suit different occasions and styles. Welcome to the family. Let us make some introductions.
Hemingway Daiquiri
Do we trust Hemingway with our cocktails the way we trust him with storytelling? Absolutely not! Hemingway had one aim — quantity over quality. That doesn’t mean the cocktail named after him is bad. Sometimes, there is a win.
This iteration uses white rum, maraschino liqueur, lime juice, and grapefruit juice. Hemingway preferred it without the addition of sugar.
Banana Daiquiri
If you like notes of caramel and vanilla, this one is for you. For this variation, use aged rum, banana liqueur, lime juice, and demerara syrup. Using a blender can help you make this cocktail frothy and fun!
Strawberry Daiquiri
The strawberry Daiquiri takes up a notch in the summer drinks department. The best part of this cocktail is that you can make it in bulk using a blender. Here’s a quick tip to make this better – use frozen strawberries and add lemon-flavored soda to bring it home.
Black Daiquiri
Not only does this swap the white rum with dark rum, but it also uses grapefruit juice to heighten the bittersweet nature of the drink. Use dark rum, lime juice, pink grapefruit juice, and sugar syrup to mix up this one.
Nuclear Daiquiri
No, no, nothing too explosive here. This variation takes a quick detour with herbal liqueur, making it interesting with spicy undertones. To make this one, use white rum, lime juice, green chartreuse, Falernum Liqueur, and chilled water.
Honey Daiquiri
Want to make your Daiquiri a wee bit healthy, swap the sugar with some honey. Not only does it cut down on the guilt, but it also adds a distant but fun twist to the original.
Witches’ Daiquiri
What makes this variation witchy, you ask? Well, this one breaks barriers with the ‘shaken not stirred’ approach of mixing and adds a bit of OJ to make things interesting. Make the Witches’ Daiquiri with light gold rum, Strega liqueur, simple syrup, lemon juice, and orange juice. Oh, and add a Maraschino cherry to make it extra magical.
Daiquiri Sour
Explore a new twist to the original, and make it frothy. The Daiquiri Sour uses white rum, light gold rum, lime juice, sugar syrup, Daiquiri bitters, and egg whites.
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Summing Up
The Daiquiri is one of those cocktails that you just have to try once. With its perfectly calculated balance between sweet and sour, Daiquiri becomes one of the go-to summer drinks. Calling it a refreshment would be an understatement here.
Even though some label this cocktail as a “girly” drink, don’t let that stop you from enjoying this citrus concoction. Enjoy!
FAQs
What Ingredients Make Up A Daiquiri?
Bartenders make a Daiquiri with three ingredients: white rum, lime juice, and sugar. Some bartenders prefer to use simple syrup instead of sugar. The easy nature of the cocktail opens up the opportunity for exploring cocktail variations.
Is A Daiquiri A Strong Drink?
Bartenders make the Daiquiri with 2 oz. of white rum and serve it straight up in a chilled glass without using ice. This makes it a strong drink, with about 25-35% ABV.
What Is A Daiquiri vs Margarita?
The Daiquiri is made with white rum, lime juice, and sugar; while a Margarita is made using tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. Sometimes, triple sec is replaced with orange juice in some variations. This makes Margarita sweeter and more tropical.
Why Is It Called A Daiquiri?
The answer lies in the history of this drink. It was said that a marine had landed in a small village close to Santiago de Cuba, Daiquiri, where he had ordered rum to quench his thirst. Not liking it straight up, he asked the bartender to squeeze some lime and add sugar to make it better to taste. Hence, they named the cocktail Daiquiri.
What Does Daiquiri Taste Like?
A Daquiri is made with sugar, lime juice, and rum, which makes it a sweet and sour type of cocktail. This cocktail is designed to balance the nature of these two, making it feel more refreshing and easy to drink.
