Daiquiri 2.0

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One of my very first articles for “Got Rum?” was about the DAIQUIRI.   It is such an iconic, classic rum cocktail that it seemed a no brainer at the time to write about it.   By definition a Daiquiri is rum, fresh lime juice and sugar.  There are many historic references to this cocktail, some dating back to the late 1800’s. In the 1930’s the Daiquiri became a very popular cocktail in the United States largely due to a few very famous writers.  F. Scott Fitzgerald mentioned it in This Side of Paradise, written in 1920, and Ernest Hemingway not only wrote about it but considered it his cocktail of choice!  He had his own variations which are popular still to this day, especially the “Hemingway Daiquiri”, or “Papa Doble”.  This version includes grapefruit juice and maraschino liqueur.  

During the 1940’s and 1950’s, rum continued to be in the forefront of American cocktails as the Tiki craze began.  Soldiers were coming back from WWII with bottles of rum and stories of tropical drinks in exotic locations. The Daiquiri continued to ride this wave.  In the 1970’s, frozen drink machines were all the rage and the overly sweet, fruity Daiquiri was born.

Which brings me to today, and why I chose to write about the Daiquiri a second time.  With the recent addition of so many new spirit choices, there are a ton of variations on this otherwise very simple, and delicious, 3 ingredient cocktail.   I wanted to showcase a few of my personal favorites and show you how you can personalize the Daiquiri and give it a modern twist.   

                                         PINEAPPLE DAIQUIRI

                                                 2 oz. Plantation Pineapple Rum

                                                 1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

                                                ½ oz. Cinnamon Simple Syrup

Shake all ingredients well with ice, strain into a Martini glass or coupe.   Garnish with a chunk of pineapple.   

                                         ROASTED BANANA DAIQUIRI

                                                  2 oz. Appleton Estates Rum

                                                  1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

                                                  ½ oz. Velvet Falernum

                                                  ½ oz. Giffard Banana 

                                                  2 dashes Spicy Ancho Daiquiri, Flor de Caña Rum,

Shake all ingredients well with ice, strain into a Martini glass or coupe.  

                                        SPICY ANCHO DAIQUIRI

                                                  2 oz. Flor de Caña Rum

                                                  1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

                                                  1 oz. Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur

Shake all ingredients well with ice, strain into a Martini glass or coupe.  Garnish with a red chili or lime twist.

Cris