Sours · Rum · IBA official
Daiquiri
Rum, lime and sugar – three ingredients and nowhere to hide
White rum, fresh lime and sugar, shaken hard and served ice-cold. When the balance is right it is crisp, tart and quietly complex – the drink bartenders order to judge a bar. Best as an aperitif or on a hot afternoon.
- Glass
- Coupe
- Ice
- Up (no ice)
- Technique
- Shaken · Double-strained
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Time
- 3 min
- Strength
- ≈ 20% ABV
Ingredients
- 60 mlWhite rum2 oz
- 20 mlFresh lime juice¾ oz
- 15 mlSimple syrup (1:1)½ oz
- GarnishLime wheel
≈ 119 ml served · 1.9 standard drinks
Substitutes: Fresh lemon juice can stand in for Fresh lime juice. Rich demerara syrup (2:1) can stand in for Simple syrup (1:1).
Method
- 1
Chill a coupe.
- 2
Add the rum, lime juice and simple syrup to a shaker.
- 3
Fill with ice and shake hard for 10–12 seconds.
- 4
Double strain into the chilled coupe and garnish with a lime wheel, if you like.
History
Usually attributed to Jennings Cox, an American mining engineer working near the village of Daiquirí in eastern Cuba around the turn of the 20th century. It was refined and made famous at El Floridita in Havana, where bartender-owner Constantino Ribalaigua Vert served countless variations in the 1920s and 1930s.
- Origin
- Daiquirí, Cuba
- First recorded
- 1900
Bartender's notes
- Limes vary: taste, and nudge the syrup up or down by 2–3 ml to keep the drink in balance.
- A lightly aged Cuban-style rum adds depth without hiding the lime.
- For a frozen Daiquiri, blend the same ingredients with a cup of crushed ice and a little extra syrup.
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