Daiquiri
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 19.5% ABV ∙
The Daiquiri is an IBA official cocktail made of white rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar, shaken and served up in a cocktail glass.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- In a cocktail shaker add all ingredients: White rum 60 mlLime juice 20 mlPowdered sugar 2 bsp
- Stir well to dissolve the sugar
- Add ice and shake
- Strain into the chilled cocktail glass
Tips
- Stir the rum, lime and powdered sugar in the shaker until the sugar is gone, or it ends up gritty in the glass. Then add cubed ice and shake hard for 12-15 seconds.
- No powdered sugar? A tablespoon of simple syrup works instead.
History
The Daiquiri is widely credited to Jennings Cox, an American mining engineer working near the town of Daiquiri in eastern Cuba, who is said to have mixed rum, lime juice, and sugar around 1898 during the Spanish-American War when gin ran short for unexpected guests. That is the story his step-granddaughter told, and some accounts, among them The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails, date the first Daiquiri to 1896.
The tale is complicated by an obituary in the Havana newspaper El País naming the deceased himself, bartender Emilio "Maragato" González, as the true inventor. Cox's associate Francesco Domenico Pagliuchi, an eyewitness to the drink's creation, wrote a letter to the newspaper refuting the claim and confirming Cox's authorship. He recounted how Cox mixed the drink at the mines and initially likened it to a Whiskey Sour before the two settled on the name Daiquiri.
The drink reached the United States around 1909 after U.S. Navy officer Lucius W. Johnson tasted it in Cuba and introduced it to the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C. It later gained further fame in Havana at the bar El Floridita, where Constantino Ribalaigua Vert, its bartender and later its owner, developed frozen and fruited variations for patrons including Ernest Hemingway. His preferred stronger, sugar-free version became known as the Papa Doble and, once grapefruit juice and maraschino were added, as the Hemingway Special.
The International Bartenders Association lists the Daiquiri among its official "Unforgettables," keeping the original rum, lime, and sugar formula, shaken and strained.
FAQ
What is a classic Daiquiri made of?
White rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar: here 60 ml Cuban white rum, 20 ml lime juice, and two barspoons of powdered sugar.
Is a Daiquiri just a margarita with rum?
Not quite, though the two share a shape. Both are shaken sours of spirit, citrus, and sweetener. A Margarita uses tequila and adds orange liqueur to the lime, while a Daiquiri is just white rum, lime, and sugar.
What is the alcohol in a Daiquiri?
White rum is the only spirit in a Daiquiri; the rest is lime juice and sugar.
What liquor makes the best daiquiri?
White rum is the classic choice: it is clean and light, so the lime leads. Darker aged rums add oak and caramel and pull the drink away from its crisp, citrusy character.
Is a daiquiri stronger than a margarita?
Not usually; the two land in a similar range, depending on the pour. This Daiquiri comes to about 19.5% ABV, and a Margarita's orange liqueur can push it a little higher or lower.
How to make a perfect Daiquiri?
Stir white rum, fresh lime juice, and powdered sugar in the shaker until the sugar is gone. Then add cubed ice, shake hard for 12-15 seconds, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Fresh lime and fully dissolved sugar matter most.
What are some common mistakes in making a daiquiri?
Adding ice before the powdered sugar has dissolved, which leaves the drink gritty. Close behind are over-shaking, which waters it down, and careless straining, which lets ice shards into the glass.
