Recipe

How to Make a Proper Daiquiri

By Alexandra Redmond at University of South Florida St. Petersburg

It is time to defend the honor of a daiquiri. Of all the classic cocktail resurgences, it is the daiquiri that never quite made it past its sugar-laden, slushy reputation of the past. The daiquiri got all caught up in the ubiquitous frozen drink craze and what was served was a cloying, mysterious booze concoction far from its classic origins. Yet a proper daiquiri is a thing of beauty- slightly tart and rounded out with a subtle sweetness. It's light and balanced, and makes for the perfect accompaniment to warmer evenings. 

A proper daiquiri is only three ingredients, all more than likely already to be in your home bar and kitchen. If you’re doing some shopping, do yourself a favor and get yourself a good rum. With only three ingredients, quality matters. For the simple syrup, you can certainly purchase one but it’s only equal parts hot water and sugar and takes a minute in the microwave to make yourself. I also recommend never picking up the plastic green lime bottle of juice from your grocery store ever again. It’s simply not good for cocktails. Pick up a handful of limes and squeeze them yourself- your cocktail will be much better for it. 

The daiquiri has spawned many variations throughout the years, including the Hemingway Daiquiri, named after the famous booze hound writer, which includes a 1/2 oz. of Maraschino liqueur and 1/2 oz. of grapefruit juice. I've also run some strawberries through a juicer to make a refined, non-frozen Strawberry Daiquiri. Yet, sometimes classic reigns and a good old fashioned daiquiri is a winner.

Happy drinking!