Subscribe

Mixology Basics: The Daiquiri.

Last updated on 
Mixology Basics: The Daiquiri.

The name Daiquiri comes from the town in Cuba where it was born. It was created by Jennings Stockton Cox who came to Cuba at the turn of the 20th century to work as an engineer in the iron mines. One version of the story is that when Cox welcomed some American guests he didn't have any gin so he used what he had, Cuban rum, to create the Daiquiri cocktail.

The Daiquiri

Ingredients

  • 2 oz, 60 ml White rum such as Diplomatico
  • 3/4 oz, 22 ml Fresh lime juice
  • 3/4 oz, 22 ml Simple syrup
  • Garnish: Dried lime wheel

Strain the pulp from the lime juice and add it along with the other liquid ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake for 30 seconds or until well chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and float the dried lime wheel on top.

The Hemingway  Daiquiri

A delightful variation and one I prefer is the Hemmingway Daiquiri. He didn't like sweet drinks so the bartender at his favorite watering hole in Cuba created this variation for him.

The Hemingway  Daiquiri

Ingredients

  • 2 oz, 60 ml     Light rum, such as Flor de Caña Extra Dry 4 Year
  • 3/4 oz, 22 ml Fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 oz, 15 ml  Fresh grapefruit juice
  • 1/2 oz, 15 ml  Maraschino liqueur

Strain the pulp from the citrus juices. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake for 30 seconds or until cold. Garnish with a grapefruit round.

Try them both and let me know which one you prefer

Types of Rum

There are many types of rum to choose from but you can pick just one to start with based on your favorite rum cocktail.  I always have a Silver Rum because I like a Hemingway Daiquiri but if you're a Mohitio fan you may want to start with a Gold Rum.

Silver or White Rum is sometimes called light rum and is aged in oak barrels and then filtered to remove color. Light rum is used for cocktails like the Daiquiri or a Piña Colada.

Gold rum is caramel colored and has a stronger flavor than silver rum. It is a medium-bodied rum used for Mohitios or sipping.

Dark rum: Dark rum can be made in two ways: either by aging to develop a rich flavor or processed the same as silver rum except left unfiltered.  Use dark rum for tiki drinks such as the Mai Tai.

Black rum is very similar to dark rum but it usually has molasses added for a darker color and added sweetness. Use a black rum in a Dark 'N' Stormy cocktail.

Spiced rum has been flavored with spices like cinnamon, cloves, pepper, aniseed, and cardamom. It's great added to ginger beer or pineapple juice.

Rhum Agricole must be made from pure, fresh cane juice and is distilled to 70 percent alcohol by volume. Rhum Agricole is only produced in the current and past French colonies: Martinique, Haiti, Guadeloupe, Mauritius, Marie-Galante, and St. Barths.

Cachaça rum is made from fresh sugarcane juice and can only be produced in Brazil. It generally is lower proof than Rhum Agricole

Overproof rums come in two types: Navy strength at 57 % ABV and 151 which is 75.5% ABV.

Citrus and Mixers

It's handy to keep some cocktail ingredients on hand to give you more variety in the cocktails you can make with what's already in your fridge or pantry.

Citrus

If you keep these fruits on hand you'll be able to make most citrus-based cocktails.

  • Lemons
  • Limes
  • Grapefruit

Mixers

You'll only need to keep a few mixers on hand for classic cocktails. I recommend Fever Tree for both the Tonic and the Ginger Beer.

  • Seltzer water
  • Tonic
  • Ginger Beer

Cheers!

Darcy

PS: I would love to hear your thoughts. Scroll to the top of this post, and click on 'view online' to leave a comment at the bottom.

Please share this post by viewing online and clicking the icons at the top of the post or sharing it with a friend.

Join me on Instagram @shibuiknits, shibui life.