The Daiquiri Cocktail is one of the most popular drinks in the world, with millions ordering it every night in bars all over the globe. But what is the history behind this iconic drink? It’s no surprise that part of this drink’s infamy comes from the hoi polloi of society’s elite taking to drinking nothing else, but where did it originate from? We uncover the history behind the Daiquiri and provide you with a few recipes to try at home too.
The History of The Daiquiri
Daiquiri Cocktail History: There is no concrete source of the creation of the Daiquiri, but many believe that the cocktail was created initially by Jennings Stockton Cox who was working in the Daiquiri mines in Cuba. During the Bacardi ration following the American-Spanish war in 1898, rum was hard to come by and as such, Jennings Cox began to experiment with ways of making the rum go further. His experiments eventually turned into what we now know as the Daiquiri, which has fans worldwide.
As the word started to spread about this wonderful new cocktail, the bars of Cuba was pouring them in thousands. The most notable Daiquiri drinker was Ernest Hemingway, who spent much time frequenting Cuban bars. He developed his take on the Daiquiri, which bartenders affectionately called the Papa Doble, the recipe you can find below. Hemingway insisted on quadruple measures whenever he ordered a Daiquiri, and preferred the taste of grapefruit juice and lime juice. While we aren’t sure we’d be able to stand after a Papa Doble, the recipe below is a more moderate take on this supersized variation.
Daiquiri Cocktail Recipes
The Classic Daiquiri Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients:
- 50ml of high quality white rum
- 25ml of lime juice
- 10ml of sugar syrup and ice.
How to make your Daiquiri: Take your cocktail shaker and fill it with ice. Add the rum, lime juice and sugar syrup and shake vigorously for 1 minute. To serve, dip the glass rim into some lime juice to wet, then dip the glass into some sugar to coat.
The Strawberry Daiquiri
Ingredients:
- 50ml of high-quality white rum
- 25ml of lime juice, 10ml of sugar syrup
- 1 handful of very ripe strawberries and ice.
How to make your Strawberry Daiquiri: Place the strawberries into the cocktail shaker and gently crush them using a pestle or the back of a spoon. Then add the ice, rum, lime juice and sugar syrup and shake well. Strain into a glass and remove all the strawberry pulp. If you can’t get ripe strawberries, then strawberry purée will also work well for this recipe.
The Papa Doble Daiquiri Cocktail
Ingredients:
- 50ml white rum,
- 15ml pink grapefruit juice
- 15ml lime juice
- 15ml maraschino liqueur
- 5ml sugar syrup and ice.
How to make your Papa Doble Daiquiri Cocktail: This recipe has two options: on the rocks or over crushed ice. For both recipes, begin by adding all ingredients to the cocktail shaker and shake well using a few ice cubes. When straining into a glass, either pour over ice or (our recommendation) fill a glass half full of crushed ice and pour over.
Many more Daiquiri recipes are available; you can always experiment with your own. Remember that high-quality rum is essential and that a fruit mixer of some form is always preferable. Enjoy experimenting! Drink responsibly!
Read More:
- How to Make the Best Bellini in Town
- How to Create the Perfect Whiskey Sour
