Daiquiri
A crisp Cuban rum sour of white rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar served up in a chilled coupe.
The Daiquiri is a canonical Cuban rum sour built from white rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar. When balanced correctly, it is bright and focused, with clean sugarcane notes from the rum and sharp citrus from the lime. Shaking with plenty of ice adds micro-aeration and dilution, giving the drink a smooth, almost silky texture. Served very cold in a small coupe, it is a benchmark for both rum quality and a bartender’s palate.
Ingredients
- • 2 oz white rum
- • 1 oz fresh lime juice
- • 0.75 oz simple syrup
Did you know?
“The Daiquiri is often traced to the mining town of Daiquir√≠ near Santiago de Cuba in the late 19th century, where American engineers mixed local rum with lime and sugar. By the early 20th century it appeared in American bar manuals and became a staple in Cuban cocktail culture, especially in Havana. David Wondrich details its spread through U.S. officer‚Äôs clubs and hotel bars in Imbibe! and related essays. Later, frozen and blended versions became popular, but modern cocktail bars have restored the classic, shaken three-ingredient template.”
Bartender's Note
Use a clean, high-quality white rum and fine-tune the sugar and lime to taste; the drink should finish dry and refreshing, not sugary.
How to make the Daiquiri
- 1Add white rum, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup to a shaker filled with ice
- 2Shake firmly until the shaker feels very cold
- 3Fine strain into a chilled coupe glass
- 4Garnish with a lime wheel or wedge and serve
