Daiquiri
White rum, lime juice and sugar, shaken hard and served up. Three ingredients, nowhere to hide.
- Time
- 4 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Coupe
- Strength
- 1.9 UK units
How to make a Daiquiri
- Chill the glass. Put a coupe in the freezer, or fill it with ice and water while you mix. A cold glass keeps the drink cold to the end.
- Combine. Add the rum, lime juice and sugar syrup to a shaker and fill it with ice.
- Shake hard. Shake for 12 to 15 seconds, until the tin is frosty and painfully cold to hold.
- Strain and garnish. Empty the chilled glass and strain the drink in. It should be pale, cloudy and topped with fine bubbles. Add a lime wheel on the rim.
- Glass
- CoupeNo coupe? A small wine glass or any stemmed glass.
- Ice
- No ice
- Garnish
- Lime wheelOr: A twist of lime peel.
What you need to make a Daiquiri
Kit
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
Bottles we'd use
- A clean white rumHavana Club 3 Años or Plantation 3 Stars are dry and bright, which is what you want here.Find it on Amazon
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The Daiquiri story
The usual story credits Jennings Cox, an American mining engineer working near the town of Daiquirí in eastern Cuba around 1900, who mixed rum, lime and sugar for guests. Rum, citrus and sugar had been combined by sailors long before, so Cox may simply have named an existing drink. Later, Constantino Ribalaigua at El Floridita in Havana refined it into the version people know today.
The drink depends on balance. Too much sugar and it is flat, too little and it is harsh. Because limes vary, taste it before you pour: if it is too sharp, add a splash more syrup, and if it is too sweet, add a squeeze more lime.
Daiquiri: your questions answered
What is in a Daiquiri?
A Daiquiri is made with 50 ml white rum, 25 ml fresh lime juice and 15 ml sugar syrup. Garnish: lime wheel.
Is a Daiquiri shaken or stirred?
A Daiquiri is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a Daiquiri?
Made to this recipe, a Daiquiri contains about 1.9 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Daiquiri in?
Serve a Daiquiri in a coupe. No coupe? A small wine glass or any stemmed glass.
