Daiquiri Cocktail Recipe
Arguably my favourite drink, there has probably never been a more bastardised cocktail in history than the Daiquiri. It’s often more famous for neon-coloured, slushy variants and its associations with Caribbean package holidays, but a properly made Daiquiri is a quite magnificent thing. It’s crisp, clean and simple, although deceptively difficult to master. In fact, the Daiquiri is kind of a litmus test for bartenders. It’s considered that if you can make a Daiquiri well, you’re a capable bartender- sort of like how an omelette is a test of a chef’s skill.
According to legend, it was created one night in 1898 by Jennings Cox, a Mining Engineer working in Daiquirí, a small town east of Santiago de Cuba in south-eastern Cuba. He supposedly ran out of gin when making Gin Sours, subbed in rum instead to serve to his guests and the rest is history.
The Daiquiri's most famous fan was Ernest Hemingway. A prodigious drinker, he has a statue immortalising him propping up the bar at El Floridita in Havana, the spiritual home of the Daiquiri. He even has his own variation: The Hemingway Special Daiquiri or “Papa Doble”. You can find the recipe for that on the site shortly.
El Floridita, Havana
I have written before in my El Presidente recipe that I have a thing for Cuba. Truthfully, there is probably nowhere I’d rather go next. The Daiquiri is part of the reason why. When done well, the interplay between the characterful Cuban rum, tangy lime and the sweetness of the sugar just evokes images of sultry Salsa clubs, the glamour of pre-revolutionary Cuba and balmy evenings spent surrounded by Havana’s crumbling opulence. There’s a reason why this drink has endured for over 100-years and a reason why there are countless riffs on it. Quite simply, because it’s espléndido.
Below is how I like to make my Daiquiris. It’s also the recipe that’s been most enjoyed by friends and family, when we could all mix and enjoy life together that is. If, however, your palate veers more towards dry than sweet, you may want to up the lime juice to 30ml/1oz or lower the sugar syrup to 15ml/0.5oz. For me though, the following is the perfect harmony of that holy trinity of rum, lime and sugar.
Prep time: 3 minutes
Tools: Boston glass, shaker tin, jigger, Hawthorne strainer and a coupe glass
Ingredients:
60ml/2oz Havana Club Añejo 3 Años Rum*- As always, Cuban rum for a Cuban drink
22.5ml/0.75oz freshly squeezed lime juice
22.5ml/0.75oz 1:1 simple sugar syrup- Recipe can be found here
Ice
*For my American based readers- Due to the trade embargo placed upon Cuba by the U.S Government, Cuban rum isn’t legally available in America. El Dorado 3 Year is a great alternative.
Steps:
Add the rum, lime juice and the simple syrup into the Boston glass, fill with ice and shake hard for around 10-12 seconds. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a lime wheel or a lime twist if desired. Enjoy!
Let me know what you thought of the drink below.
Cheers,
Terry
