Every Day Should Be National Daiquiri Day

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             Every Day Should Be National Daiquiri Day

Hello Got Rum? readers!  I hope you are enjoying this summer. I try to always be very thoughtful and creative with my articles, but some of them deserve a repeat. Today is National Daiquiri Day, so what better reason than to write about my favorite classic rum cocktail. This iconic drink originated in 1898 when miners off the coast of Cuba would end their work day at a place called the “Venus Bar” in a small village named Daiquiri.  An American engineer by the name of Jennings Cox mixed lime juice, sugar and Bacardi in a tall glass of ice one afternoon and decided to name it after the town.  The recipe made its way to the United States and by the 1930’s the Daiquiri grew in popularity, also due to a few very famous writers.  F. Scott Fitzgerald mentioned it in the 1920 This Side of Paradise and Ernest Hemingway not only wrote about it but considered it his cocktail of choice. He had his own variation known as 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 returning 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, frozen daiquiri was born.  

Which brings us to today.  The original, classic 3 ingredient Daiquiri (2 parts rum, 1 part sugar and 1 part lime juice) is amazing, no doubt.  But it is also a wonderful template for creative cocktail making, so I have included a few of my own recipes.  Make yourself one and raise a glass to toast to this fantastic drink that has stood the test of time.   

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 Angostura Bitters

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