Daiquiri
A Daiquiri is one of those classic cocktails that, although you might not make very often, is one you’ll want to master. It’s incredibly refreshing, and there’s always someone who has never tried one before—making it the perfect party trick for home bartenders.
The Daiquiri is widely credited to Jennings Cox, an American mining engineer in Cuba, who is said to have created the cocktail in the early 1900s. While this is the commonly accepted origin story—and one I won’t dispute—it’s quite likely that Cubans were drinking something remarkably similar long before Cox gave it a name.
After all, it’s a bit audacious to claim ownership of a cocktail with just three ingredients, especially if you’re living and working in Cuba at the time. More likely, Cox popularized a local drink rather than invented it. What helped launch the Daiquiri to international fame was the availability of crushed ice, which elevated the drink’s refreshing nature and made it more visually appealing and consistent.
Named after the mining town of Daiquirí where Mr. Cox was working, this cocktail remains one of the most beloved in Cuba to this day. While it may not be in global vogue in 2024, the Daiquiri is still a nailed-on classic—simple to make and hard to forget.
Thanks to its simplicity, the Daiquiri has inspired countless variations. You can substitute the lime juice with the juice of nearly any fruit, or even add fruit chunks if you’re using a blender. It’s a blank canvas for experimentation.
Daiquiri Ingredients:
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50 ml light rum
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15 ml fresh lime juice
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10 ml sugar syrup
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Garnish: lime wheel and lime twist (optional)
Instructions:
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Add the rum, lime juice, and sugar syrup to a shaker filled with ice.
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Shake well until the mixture is chilled.
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Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
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Before juicing your lime, shave off a thin slice of lime rind and twist it over the finished drink to release the oils (optional).
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Garnish with a lime wheel placed on the edge of the glass.
