Did you know that a classic daiquiri is not a blended drink?  That came as a surprise to me.  I thought daiquiris were those fruity, slushy drinks that you get out of a big machine at a bar or restaurant.  Those slushy drinks taste good, but you really need to try a classic daiquiri.  I was very pleasantly surprised at how delicious and refreshing this drink is.

This drink has likely been around for several hundreds of years. To prevent scurvy Pirates drank a concoction that had these same ingredients.  In 1896 there was an American named Jennings Cox who was living and working in Cuba.  He was entertaining some friends and ran out of gin.  He went out to get some more booze and bought the cheapest alcohol he could find which was rum.  He concocted a punch using the rum to serve his friends. They liked it so much and asked him what it was called.  He called it a Daiquiri after a nearby beach. He wrote the recipe down and indicated that the punch contained lemon juice, but lemons would have been unheard of in Cuba at the time so it had to be limes in the punch.

This drink should be served in a chilled coupe (pronounced  coo-pay) glass.  But if you do not have a coupe glass, you could use a martini glass or some other small glass.  I’ll provide a recipe below for a 4 oz. and 6 oz. serving.  This is a sipping drink, not something that you’d want to gulp down gallons of.  It’s tastes fantastic and is so smooth but it’s very potent so be careful not to turn into a pirate.  Aaaarrrrgggg!

4 oz. Serving

2 oz. White Rum
1 oz. Lime Juice
1 oz.  Simple Syrup

6 oz. Serving

3 oz. White Rum
1.5 oz. Lime Juice
1.5 oz. Simple Syrup

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice add the rum, fresh lime juice and simple syrup. Shake really well (20-30 seconds).  You want the ice to slightly melt and impart water into this drink to help balance the acidity.  Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a lime wheel or lime peel.  Cheers!