A great balance between the 3 S’s (Sweet, Sour and Strong), the Daiquiri – which is actually a Rum Sour – is composed of sugar, lime and rum. It can be served straight, on ice, frozen or flavoured.
We don’t exactly know when this cocktail was born. One thing is for sure, though, in the past it was served as a casual beverage.
People typically placed a tea spoon of sugar in a tumbler glass, filled it up with crushed ice, added the juice of two limes and a shot of Rum and stirred with a long spoon until the glass became chilled.
But a lot of cocktail books officially claim that the birth of the Daiquiri took place in 1898 in Cuba, created by Jennings S. Cox.
He was an American mining engineer, working in Cuba. Daiquiri was the name of the mine and village where he worked, as well as the name of a beach in Santiago de Cuba. The story goes that one day Jennings was preparing drinks and he ran out of Gin so he used Rum instead. The cocktail gets to America in 1909, thanks to the US Navy.
Other versions of the Daiquiri became really popular, such as the Papa Doble, created for Ernest Hemingway by Antonio Melan at La Floridita in Cuba, during the 30s/40s. Starting with the original recipe Marasquino liqueur replaces the sugar and Grapefruit juice replaces the lime juice. In the “Derby daiquiri” orange juice replaces the lime juice.
I love to create a twist in my Daiquiri by using MONIN Falernum syrup instead of Pure cane sugar syrup. I also like to add fresh tangerine juice to bring another citrusy flavour.
You can also use rum from different origins, other than Cuba, so you can travel with your Daiquiri! For example, you can use rums from Mauritius, the Philippines or Guatemala, to vary the spices, flavours and strength of your cocktail.
Manda spice Daiquiri
20 ml MONIN Falernum syrup
45 ml spiced rum
10 ml Fresh lime juice
30 ml Fresh Tangerine juice
Shake all the ingredients in a shaker full of ice
Double strain in a pre-chilled martini glass
Garnish and serve with a smile
