DAIQUIRI COCKTAILS
A DAIQUIRI COCKTALE
Once upon a time ...
"... a group of American engineers who had come into town from the Daiquiri mines were imbibing their favorite drink in this restful spot. It was one of those wonderful rum concoctions made from Ron Bacardi. A jovial fellow by the name of [Jennings] Cox spoke up. ‘Caballeros y amigos, we have been enjoying this delicious mixture for some time, but strange to admit the drink has no name. Don’t you think it is about time something was done to extricate us from this sad predicament?’ It was unanimously agreed that the drink should be named, without further procrastination. There was silence for several minutes as each man became immersed in deep thought. Suddenly, Cox’s voice was heard again, 'I have it, men! Let’s call it the Daiquiri!' And so it was christened."
~ Miami Herald of March 14, 1937
Thus starts the tale of the Daiquiri, a beloved beverage of presidents and paupers, authors and aristocrats, movie stars, miners and mariners. The Daiquiri is a simple drink with an auspicious past.
Though a somewhat similar potable known as Grog* was being quaffed by sailors many decades before as a preventative for scurvy, the Daiquiri's creation is credited to the above mentioned Jennings Cox. Its history is less nebulous than most famous drinks and its recipe has been fairly definitive from the very beginning. It's a simple, three ingredient cocktail of rum, fresh lime juice and sugar (a member of the Sour family) and, luckily for us, Cox actually wrote his original version down:
The modernDaiquiri Recipe:
From the frozen favorites of Hemingway novels to the fruit flavored slushy renditions found in nearly every tropical vacation local to today's bespoke recipes from craft cocktail bars, the Daiquiri has endured a century of cocktail trends. Despite being dragged through the abyss of cheap rums, defiled by sad pre-made sour mixes and being forced through frozen drink machines for the tourists and spring break crowd, the Daiquiri has managed somehow to remain a noble beverage of humble origins that lends itself to countless variations and interpretations.Below are a few of mine.
VARIATIONS on the DAIQUIRI:
BANANA DAIQUIRI
BING CHERRY DAIQUIRI
BLACKBERRY DAIQUIRI
BLUEBERRY DAIQUIRI
CANTALOUPE DAIQUIRI (aka Orange Is The New Black Daiquiri)
COCONUT DAIQUIRI
DRIVING MISS DAIQUIRI
The HEMINGWAY DAIQUIRIS
LAVENDER KIWI DAIQUIRI
MANGO DAIQUIRI
PEACH DAIQUIRI, Frozen
PEACH SOUR DAIQUIRI (Unblended)
PRICKLY PEAR DAIQUIRI
RASPBERRY TARRAGON DAIQUIRI
SPICED BANANA DAIQUIRI
FROZEN STRAWBERRY BANANA DAIQUIRIS
"His limes were gently squeezed with his fingers lest even a drop of the bitter oil from the peel get into the drink; the cocktails were mixed (but not over mixed).... The stinging cold drink was strained through a fine sieve into the glass so that not one tiny piece of ice remained in it. No smallest detail was overlooked in achieving the flawless perfection of the drink."
~David Embury, The Fine Art of Making Drinks, 1948
FYI: National Daiquiri Day is celebrated yearly on July 19th.
* Grog was originally made with water or a weak beer and rum with the lime being added later to keep the drink fresh, it had the added benefit of acting as a preventative for scurvy.
Updated 7-2022
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY
