The Daiquiri

[Mayur]

Currently working on our house daiquiri spec, and I've found this blend to be very nice:

1/2 Orinoco: 1/2 Flor de Cana Extra Dry: 1 Mount Gay Special Reserve: 1 lime: 3/4 simple.

Obviously, using three rums makes this a slower drink to bust out in a busy service environment, but the flavor is worth it.

Per Chris Amirault: Appleton generally provides a nice daiquiri balancer. 1:1 FdC extra dry or similar super-dry rum to Appleton 12 or V/X is a nice daiquiri mix.

[thirtyoneknots]

I would urge everyone making Daiquiris to try it sometime with the sugar cut down to about 1/6 the volume of the lime, eg 2 oz rum, 1/2 lime, and 1/2 tsp superfine. Sounds overly tart but it really isn't at all, just dry. Transforms the drink from a pleasant but simple rum sour to a bracing and complex set of flavors to rival the Martini (or just about anything else).

[EvergreenDan]

Good timing, as I'm in the Caribbean right now. I enjoyed a Daiquiri with Pusser's, minimal simple and 2 dashes of Angostura. I found that the pie-spice flavors of the bitters really complements the molasses / caramel rum flavors. No longer a Daiquiri, perhaps, but very enjoyable.

[FrogPrincesse]

Surprised there isn't more activity on this thread. The Daiquiri is such an elegant drink.

I just tried a Daiquiri variation tonight with Jamaican rum (I used Appleton 12 yr) and angostura bitters called Captain's Blood.

So simple and so delicious. It really highlights the flavor of the rum.

[FrogPrincesse]

On the thread about honey in mixed drinks, I discussed the Brooklynite, a daiquiri with dark rum, honey syrup, and Angostura bitters.

Another daiquiri variation that I tried last week for the first time is the Daiquiri no. 2. It's a classic daiquiri (white rum, lime juice, simple syrup) with a barspoon each of orange juice and curaçao.

I broke open my new bottle of Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao for the occasion. Compared to Cointreau, it is drier and has a more complex aroma (heavy on the peel) - really nice. I can't wait to use it in a Mai Tai.

I am not a huge fan of orange juice in cocktails and like blood oranges much better, so that's what I used. To me, they have a berry flavor that comes out in the finish and is very pleasant. Plus I love the color.

[FrogPrincesse]

Hemingway Daiquiri for me last night.

1.5 oz white rum (Flor de Caña), 1 oz (oro blanco) grapefruit juice, 0.75 oz maraschino liqueur, 0.5 oz lime juice, brandied cherry garnish.

It felt great, especially after having a particularly bad one at a bar not too long ago (I suspect their grapefruit juice was stale, because their second attempt was not much better than the first).

[Chris Amirault]

Imbibe just posted a version of that drink:

2 oz. white rum

1 oz. fresh lime juice

3/4 oz. simple syrup (1:1)

1 tsp. maraschino liqueur

1 tsp. fresh grapefruit juice

1 spent lime shell

[mkayahara]

Isn't a Hemingway Daiquiri properly served frappé style?

[FrogPrincesse]

Imbibe just posted a version of that drink:

2 oz. white rum

1 oz. fresh lime juice

3/4 oz. simple syrup (1:1)

1 tsp. maraschino liqueur

1 tsp. fresh grapefruit juice

1 spent lime shell

Very nice. The ratios in the Imbibe/320 Main version are quite different from what I am used to (very light on the maraschino and grapefruit!), and they serve it on crushed ice. That sounds wonderful too. And that reminds me that I need to go to 320 Main very soon.

[FrogPrincesse]

Isn't a Hemingway Daiquiri properly served frappé style?

Frappé... hmmm.... what a confusing term. If by frappé you mean a slushy consistency, I would say no. However crushed ice may well be the historically-appropriate version.

In any case, I can assure you that it is fantastic served up too!

[FrogPrincesse]

I made a simple Daiquiri Naturale last night using rhum agricole.

2 oz rum, 1 oz lime juice, 3/4 oz simple syrup.

It is my favorite way to enjoy a good unaged rhum agricole. La Favorite has a very distinctive grassy/funky flavor that is wonderful in this drink. I never get tired of it.

[turkoftheplains]

Smith & Cross, lime, and demerara syrup, 2 : 1 : 3/4-- this is the drink that got me through the heat wave.

[KatieLoeb]

I made a nice daiquiri for myself the other night using the proportions from THIS great Jeffrey Morgantahaler video on Small Screen Network. Used Mount Gay gold, regular 1:1 simple and fresh lime. Second round I used 1/2 oz. lime juice and 1/4 oz. yuzu juice and it was brighter and even tastier. That might be going onto my cocktail menu at work...

[FrogPrincesse]

Daiquiri Naturale again, this time with a newly acquired bottle of JM white rhum agricole. I could not resist - it was only $26 at my local Bristol Farms.

Less grassy/green than La Favorite but still plenty of "funk" with great tropical fruit/coconut flavors.

[FrogPrincesse]

Last night I tried the Rum Crawl (rum & lime sweetened with ginger syrup and falernum + whiskey-barrel aged bitters), a creation from Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco that was documented in a blog post by Dave Stolte/Home Bar Basics.

It reminded me of the Captain's Blood, another great drink that I mentioned upthread, with an additional layer of flavor imparted by the ginger syrup and falernum. I used Canton ginger liqueur and store-bought falernum, but I would love to make my own falernum at some point. The rum was Appleton 12-year old.

[FrogPrincesse]

After an unremarkable daiquiri from the PDT cocktail book (see the Hotel Nacional here), I tried the Winter Daiquiri from the current issue of Imbibe Magazine. I was a little nervous to use vanilla syrup thinking that it would be another overly sweet daiquiri.

It's a creation from Mindy Kucan (from Hale Pele, the relatively new tiki bar in Portland owned by Blair Reynolds) and it has aged rum (I used Plantation Barbados 5), lime juice, vanilla syrup, allspice dram, and angostura bitters.

Lovely spice and the balance is right, the vanilla is there as an undertone but does not overwhelm the drink. Very well done.

[FrogPrincesse]

A comparison of Hemingway Daiquiris last night with Banks 5 Island white rum and an oro blanco grapefruit.

PDT version [on the left]

2 oz rum

0.5 oz grapefruit juice

0.75 oz lime juice

0.5 oz maraschino liqueur

Bartender's Choice App

1.5 oz rum

1 oz grapefruit juice

0.5 oz lime juice

0.75 oz maraschino liqueur

The PDT version puts more emphasis on the citrus. The flavor of the maraschino is more pronounced in the Bartender's Choice version and it is a touch sweeter. Both work with a preference for the Bartender's Choice version (I don't think that I am biased but in any case I also included my husband in the study as a blinded subject and he had the same conclusion).

[Rafa]

A comparison of Hemingway Daiquiris last night with Banks 5 Island white rum and an oro blanco grapefruit.

PDT version [on the left]

2 oz rum

0.5 oz grapefruit juice

0.75 oz lime juice

0.5 oz maraschino liqueur

Bartender's Choice App

1.5 oz rum

1 oz grapefruit juice

0.5 oz lime juice

0.75 oz maraschino liqueur

The PDT version puts more emphasis on the citrus. The flavor of the maraschino is more pronounced in the Bartender's Choice version and it is a touch sweeter. Both work with a preference for the Bartender's Choice version (I don't think that I am biased but in any case I also included my husband in the study as a blinded subject and he had the same conclusion).

Thanks for sharing the comparison. I agree with your assessment: the PDT version's good, but puts too much emphasis on the lime (easily the least interesting element of the drink).

Just made one to the Bartender's Choice specs, cutting back the Maraschino slightly to .5 oz, with a mix of 1 oz Wray & Nephew and .5 oz Barbancourt 5 Star. Sensational. There's nothing more refreshing.

ETA made another one to the Bartender's Choice specs but with .5 oz Maraschino and .25 Green Chartreuse... wow. Not a replacement, but a nice variant.

Edited May 21, 2013 by Rafa (log)

[Hassouni]

Just made one to the Bartender's Choice specs, cutting back the Maraschino slightly to .5 oz, with a mix of 1 oz Wray & Nephew and .5 oz Barbancourt 5 Star. Sensational. There's nothing more refreshing.

Oh.

Shit.

I know what I'm doing tomorrow!

For what it's worth, I think the record is pretty clear that Hemingway's daiquiris were heavier on the lime than the grapefruit, and did not have that much maraschino in them.

[sbumgarner]

Last night's variation:

1.5 oz Wray and Nephew

1 oz lime juice

.5 oz 2:1 raw sugar simple

Came off very buttery, which although is not the first description you'd usually associate with a Daquiri really did it for me in this instance. Never mixed with the Wray and Nephew before but had some left over from a batch of falernum, time to buy some more.

[sbumgarner]

Has anyone tried a Daiquiri with the Cana Brava rum yet? I tried it straight for the first time at Death and Co. the other night, I was impressed with agricole-like flavors, but curious to hear if anyone has mixed with it yet. It seems to be a good value, a liter for under $30.

[FrogPrincesse]

I haven't tried this rum, but anything that is agricole-like sounds perfect for a Daiquiri.

[EvergreenDan]

2 oz Cynar

1/2 oz Smith & Cross

1/2 oz Lemon

It's just like a Daiquiri, except that it's bitter, funky, lemony and nothing like a Daiquiri. But it's damn delicious.

[FrogPrincesse]

2 oz Cynar

1/2 oz Smith & Cross

1/2 oz Lemon

It's just like a Daiquiri, except that it's bitter, funky, lemony and nothing like a Daiquiri. But it's damn delicious.

Reminds me of this one (navy dock daiquiri) which is next on my list of cocktails to try.

[ChrisTaylor]

2 oz Cynar

1/2 oz Smith & Cross

1/2 oz Lemon

It's just like a Daiquiri, except that it's bitter, funky, lemony and nothing like a Daiquiri. But it's damn delicious.

Does this sexy beast have a name? Did you invent it? I love it.