IBA
Don’s Special Daiquiri – IBA
Blend ∙ 4 min ∙ 16% ABV ∙
Don's Special Daiquiri blends two rums with passion fruit syrup, honey syrup and lime — a tropical, tiki-leaning take on the classic Daiquiri. Frothy and cold, with tart lime cutting through ripe passion fruit and a honeyed warmth from the aged rum lingering on the finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Blend all ingredients with crushed ice: Jamaican aged rum 30 mlWhite rum 15 mlPassion fruit syrup 15 mlLime juice 15 mlHoney syrup 15 ml
- Pour into a footed copo glass
- Fill the glass with more crushed ice
- Garnish with half a passion fruit
Tips
- Blend with about 8-10 ounces of crushed or cracked ice for 3-5 seconds only, just enough to slush the mix without over-diluting the two rums.
- Warm the honey syrup slightly before adding so it fully incorporates into the lime juice and passion fruit syrup rather than clumping at the bottom of the blender.
- Layer the two rums, passion fruit syrup, honey syrup, and lime juice into the blender in that order so the denser syrups don't stick to the blades before blending.
- Pour immediately into a chilled highball glass and nest the half passion fruit shell on the rim right away so its aroma hits before the ice begins to melt.
History
Don's Special Daiquiri is a variation of the Daiquiri, the rum, lime, and sugar cocktail that historians widely credit to Jennings Cox, an American mining engineer working near the Cuban town of Daiquiri at the time of the Spanish-American War of 1898, with the drink taking its name from that town. This tiki-style version was created by Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, better known as Donn Beach or Don the Beachcomber, at his pioneering Hollywood tiki bar of the same name in the 1930s. Beach's rendition reworks the classic Cuban formula into a tropical, tiki-bar style by adding passion fruit and blending in aged rum alongside the traditional white rum.
FAQ
What is in Don's Special Daiquiri?
Jamaican aged (gold) rum, white Cuban rum, passion fruit syrup, honey syrup, and lime juice, blended and poured into a highball glass. The two rums give it more depth than a standard Daiquiri's single rum, while the passion fruit and honey build a fuller, tropical sweetness.
Is Don's Special Daiquiri shaken or blended?
It is blended, not shaken. Blending with ice gives it the frothy, slushy texture that carries the passion fruit and honey syrups, which a quick shake would not achieve.
What glass is Don's Special Daiquiri served in?
A highball glass, garnished with half a passion fruit.
How is Don's Special Daiquiri different from a regular Daiquiri?
A regular Daiquiri is a shaken sour of rum, lime, and sugar served up in a cocktail glass. Don's Special Daiquiri instead blends two rums with passion fruit syrup, honey syrup, and lime into a frothy, highball-served drink, closer to a tiki-style frozen daiquiri than the classic three-ingredient version.
How strong is Don's Special Daiquiri?
It comes in at about 16% ABV, lighter than most spirit-forward cocktails because the syrups, lime juice, and blended ice add volume without adding alcohol. It is also vegetarian, gluten-free, and lactose-free, at roughly 192 calories per serving.
