Ingredients
- 2 oz White Rum
- ¾ oz Lime Juice
- ¾ oz Sugar Syrup
- Lime wedge
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients, except lime wedge, in a shaker.
- Add ice and shake vigorously, until tin is frosted over.
- Strain cocktail into a chilled coupe glass.
- Garnish with a lime wedge and enjoy.
Estimated Nutrition:
Where it came from
The Daiquiri got its name from a beach near Santiago de Cuba where American mining engineers were knocking back rum, lime, and sugar in the late 1890s. Jennings Cox, a Bethlehem Steel engineer, gets the loudest credit. He was running out of gin at a party, had local rum, lime trees in the garden, and a sugar bowl on the table. Maths happened.
Hemingway pushed the drink into the international canon at El Floridita in Havana through the 1930s. The Frozen Daiquiri came later, in the same bar. The classic is the unblended version: shaken, served up, no garnish needed.
What it tastes like
Tart, clean, faintly sweet, alcoholic without being hot. The rum sits underneath the lime and the sugar smooths the corners. Drinks fast and dangerously well.
It's the simplest argument for fresh lime that exists. Bottled lime juice tastes like dishwater here. Use a lime that was on a tree this week and the drink lifts noticeably.
The technique
Shake hard, double-strain, no garnish. The shake matters because the surface needs that thin layer of foam. Soft shake equals flat drink. Use crushed ice if you have it; it shakes faster and colder.
Ratio is everything. 60ml rum, 30ml lime, 15ml sugar syrup. Memorise that and you can make a Daiquiri in someone else's kitchen. Adjust the syrup half a millilitre at a time if the lime is extra sharp.
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Ingredient Spotlight
The bottles that make or break this drink.
The rum
- Use
- Light Cuban-style white rum (Havana Club 3, Bacardi Carta Blanca, Plantation 3 Stars)
- Skip
- Dark rum, spiced rum, or anything aged longer than 3 years
- Why
- White rum lets the lime and sugar do the talking. Aged rum drowns the lime.
The lime
- Use
- Fresh lime juice, squeezed within a couple of hours
- Skip
- Bottled lime cordial or sweetened lime juice
- Why
- Daiquiris die without bright fresh acid. Bottled juice is oxidised and flat.
The sugar
- Use
- 1:1 simple syrup or rich (2:1) syrup
- Skip
- Granulated sugar (won't fully dissolve in cold)
- Why
- Liquid sugar integrates instantly. Granulated leaves grit on the tongue.
Variations
Other rum classics built around the same lime-rum-sugar bones.
What if I don't have…
Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.
Light gold rum will do. Cachaca turns it into a Caipirinha cousin. Avoid dark and spiced rums; they dominate.
Wait. Buy a lime. Bottled juice ruins this drink.
Caster sugar shaken hard with the lime can dissolve, just expect a touch of grit. Demerara syrup adds a richer caramel note if you've got it.
Bump syrup to 20ml. Skip past 25ml and you have a Daiquiri Slush.
Up the rum to 75ml and add 5ml extra lime to balance. The lime needs to keep up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.
What is in a Daiquiri?
White rum, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup. The classic spec is 60ml rum, 30ml lime, 15ml syrup, shaken with ice and double-strained into a coupe.
How do you make a Daiquiri?
Combine 60ml white rum, 30ml fresh lime juice, and 15ml 1:1 simple syrup in a shaker. Add ice and shake hard for 12 seconds. Double-strain into a chilled coupe. No garnish needed.
Where did the Daiquiri come from?
A beach called Daiquiri near Santiago de Cuba in the 1890s. The drink is credited to Jennings Cox, an American mining engineer who improvised it at a party when his gin ran out. Hemingway later made it famous at El Floridita in Havana.
Is a Daiquiri the same as a frozen Daiquiri?
No. The classic Daiquiri is shaken, strained, and served up. Frozen Daiquiris are blended with crushed ice. Same flavour family, very different drink. Different glass, different texture, different occasion.
What rum should I use in a Daiquiri?
Light Cuban-style white rum: Havana Club 3, Bacardi Carta Blanca, Brugal Blanco, or Plantation 3 Stars. Aged or spiced rums change the character. The drink is built around clean rum.
Why is fresh lime important?
Bottled lime juice is heat-treated, oxidised, and tastes flat. The Daiquiri is three ingredients. If one of them is off, the drink falls over. Fresh lime is non-negotiable.
How strong is a Daiquiri?
Around 22 percent ABV in the glass before dilution and roughly 16 percent after a proper shake. Stronger than a wine pour, lighter than a Manhattan. Easy to drink, easier to overdo.
Should a Daiquiri have egg white?
No. That's a Daiquiri Sour, a different drink. The classic Daiquiri is rum, lime, sugar, full stop.
What glass should I use?
A coupe or Nick and Nora. Both keep the temperature down. Avoid a martini glass; the surface area is too big and the drink warms quickly.
Why does my Daiquiri taste flat?
Three usual suspects: bottled lime instead of fresh, undershaking (low foam, weak chill), or under-sugaring. Adjust syrup by half a ml at a time and shake harder for the full 12 seconds.
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