Miles Macquarrie’s “Here’s How” Cocktail Guide: The Daiquiri

Daiquiri. When most people see that word, they think of a sweet, fruity slush or of that place “Wet Willy’s” with all the frozen drink machines. However, the truth of the matter is that a daiquiri in its purist form is a “sour”. Sours should be short, bracingly cold, shaken concoctions that are bright and crisp. The Daiquiri is said to have been invented in 1896 in Santiago, Cuba by an American miner named Jennings Cox. Cox managed mines near the town of Daiquiri, which is not far from Santiago. One day Mr. Cox had some friends over to his house after work for happy hour, only to find that he didn’t have any imported whiskey or gin to offer his homies. All he had was local Cuban rum, which he couldn’t serve straight, so he had to come up with something on the fly. He put the rum, lime juice and sugar into a shaker and shook the shit out of it. Needless to say, the results were delicious. Knowing this fine concoction needed a better name than something simple (like a rum sour), they agreed to call it a Daiquiri.

What made the Daiquiri a classic? Perfected simplicity. This three ingredient drink is easy to make– however, it requires exact measurements to ensure balance between all of them. Another thing that you need to make something a classic is word of mouth. In 1909, a naval medical officer named Lucius W. Johnson met Jennings Cox, who served him one of his famous Daiquiris. Johnson brought the Daiquiri recipe to the United States, where he introduced it to the Army and Navy Club in downtown Washington, D.C. I think we all know how sailors drink, so from there it was game over. The Daiquiri became an American staple and was a favorite of John F. Kennedy and Ernest Hemingway.

Somewhere along the way, this beautiful classic turned into a bastardized failure. Premixed, lime (or strawberry) flavored rum slush was and still is available at the pull of a lever. These drinks are artificially flavored and packed with so much sugar they will transform you into a fat (and tasteless) drunk quicker you can say, “Marti Gras!” The subtle, complex quality of a true original, shaken vigorously with cubed ice, whipped to a perfectly frothy texture and strained with the right strainer, will have minuscule crystals of ice on the surface, which will persist for only the first few magical sips. Everyone should try making this one the right way at home, but if you’re feeling lazy, come into my bar, order a Daiquiri from me, and I’ll happily make one for you.

Here’s How!

Add two teaspoons of sugar (preferably caster sugar) to a shaker.

I feel that this is one of the drinks where sugar is a better solution than simple syrup. There is no need for extra dilution from water added to syrup, and I think texture of the drink benefits as well.

Add ¾ oz. fresh lime juice.

Make sure you use fresh juice and strain it first to get rid of pulp.

Stir for a moment to dissolve the sugar.

Add 2 oz. of good white rum.

I like Matusalem Platino here as it is done in the Cuban style.

Add Ice and shake with fury.

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lime wheel.

Cheers!

Photo Credit: Tim Song