Celebrate National Daiquiri Day With the Classic Daiquiri

The daiquiri is the first in a new series of cocktail recipes we'll be doing on classic International Bartender Association (IBA) cocktails. Being recognized by the IBA means that the cocktail is one of the most requested cocktails. Chances are you'll recognize most cocktails on the list.

The IBA recognizes more than 65 cocktails in 3 categories:

1. Unforgettables
2. Contemporary Classics
3. New Era Drinks

The daiquiri falls into the Unforgettables category. It is a simple, classic cocktail made with only 3 ingredients, blended perfectly to create a dry, well-balanced and refreshing cocktail.

History of the Daiquiri

Being a rum based cocktail, as you would expect, the daiquiri was invented in Cuba.

As the story goes, the daiquiri was invented by Jennings Cox, an American mining engineer working near Santiago de Cuba. The recipe was brought to the states around 1909 by a U.S. Navy medical officer where it became very popular.

As with all these stories, they tend to be somewhat subjective. It's likely that many people were combining different ingredients in a similar way, long before the turn of the century.

Daiquiri Variations

While many people prefer the classic daiquiri with it's 3 simple ingredients, many other's prefer some of the dozen's of variations that build on the classic daiquiri's 3 ingredients and add fruit and additional flavours to create fruitier variations.

Some of the most popular include the strawberry daiquiri, banana daiquiri, and the Hemingway Daiquiri (recipes to follow at some point). 

Classic Daiquiri Ingredients

Rum: Light rum in this case, to keep the drink light and refreshing. It's important to use a good quality rum here; with so few ingredients there's nothing to mask any harsh flavours.

Lime Juice: As with all cocktails, fresh squeezed lime juice is preferred over bottled lime juice. Use bottled if that's all you have, but I would encourage you to do a side-by-side with a cocktail made with fresh lime juice. Fresh lime juice tastes brighter and fresher than bottled, so you will taste the difference, especially in a simple cocktail such as the daiquiri.

Sugar: The classic cocktail official recipe uses superfine sugar, likely because that's what was commonly available when the cocktail was invented, but many recipes substitute simple syrup.

Sugar will require a bit of stirring to completely dissolve. The simple syrup blends more easily. Use whichever you prefer.

The classic daiquiri recipe does not call for a lime garnish, but all cocktails look better with garnish so I've included it here.