The Spirit World

These days it seems as though the Daiquiri isn’t quite getting the respect that it deserves. When properly made, it is a delightful and refreshing cocktail made from three very simple ingredients: Rum, lime juice, and sugar.

Since there is a town called Daiquiri on the east coast of Cuba, it is fairly certain where the name comes from, if not the drink itself. There are of course several stories about its origin. The most commonly reported story happens around 1896 and deals with a Mr. Jennings Cox, an American, who chose to combine rum, lime juice, sugar, and ice to serve to his friends. Many doubt he actually invented the drink, since those ingredients were essentially commonly used in various permutations already throughout the area, so their combination in this way is about as much of a stroke of genius as mixing lemon juice, sugar, water, and ice, to make lemonade. Regardless, it does appear fairly certain that Jennings Cox did promote the Daiquiri to the visitors he received, and in 1909 served it to a visiting naval officer Admiral Lucius Johnson, who in turn introduced it to the Army and Navy club in Washington D.C. The cat was now out of the proverbial bag, and the Daiquiri caught on fast.

In the 1930s Ernest Hemingway was very fond of the Daiquiris he was served at El Floridita bar in Havana Cuba, but he probably wouldn’t even recognize the drink today that is commonly served up under that name. More often than not, it more resembles a frozen slushee from your childhood then a dignified adults-only beverage. It also seems that any flavor in the world can be plunged into this drink, most likely in an attempt to help mask the inferior booze that might have been used to make it.

Daiquiri

• 2 ounces light rum
• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Shake with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of lime.

Sugar, as you may, or may not know, does not dissolve well in alcohol. It will almost be a given that there will still be some grains of sugar remaining in the glass that didn’t get completely dissolved. If this bothers you, you can always turn to simple syrup (dissolve one cup of sugar in one cup of simmering water). But don’t even consider taking the oft attempted shortcut of using a bottled “Daiquiri Mix” to make this drink.