Classic cocktail recipe
Daiquiri
Rum, lime, and sugar. The Daiquiri is one of the cleanest tests in cocktails because there is nowhere for bad citrus, warm glass, or sloppy shaking to hide.
- Easy
- Shaken
- Three ingredients
- Chilled coupe
Why this spec
The Daiquiri is a rum sour with no garnish trying to rescue it. Two ounces of white rum, three-quarter ounce lime, and three-quarter ounce syrup make a bright, direct spec that can be adjusted only after the baseline is understood.
The drink should be cold, lightly aerated, and served immediately. It is not a frozen blender drink in this house spec; it is a precise shaken sour.
The bottle and the rest
White rum should have enough cane character to stay present after lime and syrup. A completely neutral bottle can make the drink taste like sweet lime with alcohol behind it.
Fresh lime and measured simple syrup matter more here than almost anywhere. The Daiquiri tells on weak citrus fast.
The build
Shake the three ingredients
Shake all ingredients with ice.
10-12 sec
Strain into the coupe
Strain into a chilled coupe.
Serve while very cold
Serve immediately while still very cold.
The Daiquiri has a short best window. Put it in a cold coupe and drink it while the surface still looks alive.
Take it somewhere
Drier
Less syrup noteReduce simple syrup slightly when the rum is soft or the lime is mild.
Richer rum
More body noteA fuller white rum can add texture without leaving the classic lane.
Split rum
Depth noteUse a small portion of lightly aged rum when you want more depth without turning it tropical.
Frozen
Different drink noteBlend with extra ice and a touch more sugar only when you intend a frozen variation.
Where it goes wrong
Warm coupe
The drink is small and served up. A warm glass flattens it immediately.
Bad lime
Old or bottled lime turns the cleanest sour in the book into a dull one.
Over-sweetening
Too much syrup hides the rum and makes the finish sticky.
Questions, answered
Is a Daiquiri frozen?
The classic house spec is shaken and served up. Frozen Daiquiris are a separate variation.
What rum should I use?
Use a white rum with real cane character. It does not need to be expensive, but it should not disappear.
Can I make it sweeter?
Yes, but taste the listed spec first. Tiny syrup changes are easy to feel here.
The clean test
The Daiquiri is useful because it is honest. When the rum, lime, sugar, and shake are right, the drink feels effortless. When one part is off, you know immediately.