Daiquiri (low-calorie)
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 22.2% ABV ∙
This low-calorie Daiquiri is a shaken sour of white rum, fresh lime juice, and a sugar-free sweetener syrup in place of sugar syrup, served up. Crisp lime hits first and stays sharp through to the finish, with the rum's warmth underneath and none of the syrupy weight a sugared version leaves behind.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: White rum 50 mlLime juice 15 mlSugar-free sweetener syrup 10 ml
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with a lime wedge
Tips
- Shake all three ingredients hard with plenty of ice for a full 12-15 seconds, since the sugar-free syrup is thinner and needs vigorous agitation to emulsify and chill properly.
- Double-strain into the chilled coupe to catch any ice shards, as the higher lime-to-syrup ratio here makes the drink taste thin if over-diluted.
- Squeeze lime juice fresh just before shaking; bottled juice clashes with the sugar-free sweetener and exposes any lack of natural sweetness.
- Express the oils from the lime wedge garnish over the surface before dropping it in, adding aromatic sweetness the sugar substitute can't replicate.
History
The Daiquiri is widely credited to Jennings Cox, an American mining engineer working near the town of Daiquiri in eastern Cuba at the time of the Spanish-American War of 1898, who is said to have mixed local rum with lime juice and sugar when he ran short of other ingredients for entertaining guests. The drink's name comes from that mining town and its nearby beach and iron mine. Some accounts credit William A. Chanler, who bought the Santiago iron mines in 1902, with introducing the drink to New York clubs that year, and other tellings involve Cox's associate Francesco Domenico Pagliuchi, who in a 1948 letter described helping choose the drink's name. The Daiquiri reached the United States more broadly around 1909, when US Navy medical officer Lucius W. Johnson tasted it in Cuba and brought it to the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C. This low-calorie version is a modern adaptation of that original rum, lime, and sugar formula, replacing the sugar or syrup with a sugar-free sweetener to lighten the drink while keeping its classic rum-and-lime profile.
FAQ
How many calories are in this Daiquiri?
This Daiquiri has about 120 calories per serving, which is on the lower end for a shaken cocktail. It gets there by swapping the usual sugar syrup for a sugar-free sweetener syrup, while keeping the same white rum and fresh lime base.
Is there a sugar-free version of a daiquiri?
Yes, this build is one: it replaces the classic sugar syrup with a sugar-free sweetener syrup, keeping the white rum and fresh lime juice unchanged. It is also keto-friendly, vegan, and gluten-free.
What can I use instead of simple syrup in a daiquiri?
A sugar-free sweetener syrup is a direct substitute for simple syrup, used at the same point in the shake, as this recipe does. It sweetens and balances the lime's acidity without adding the calories of sugar syrup.
What is in this Daiquiri?
White rum, fresh lime juice, and a sugar-free sweetener syrup, shaken and served up in a chilled coupe with a lime wedge. The sweetener stands in for the sugar syrup used in a classic Daiquiri.
Is a daiquiri shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The lime juice and syrup need the aeration and quick chill of a hard shake; stirring would leave the drink flat and under-diluted.
What glass is a daiquiri served in?
A coupe glass, served up with a lime wedge garnish and no ice in the glass.
