The following is an online extra from our July 2020 issue.
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Never mind the dark ages of the ’80s and ’90s when the term “daiquiri” became synonymous with saccharine nonsense. In a traditional daiquiri — the unfussy drink named for a Cuban beach and brought to New York by mining magnates at the turn of the last century — balance is everything.
Acidic and sweet flavors are off set by heat with three core ingredients: lime, sugar and rum. At Laura Lee’s, bartender Ben Nelson views daiquiris as an archetype — one that starts with rum.
Daiquiri rum options:
White rum
Aged rum
Rhum agricole
Infused rums
Rum-like spirits
Almost every nation in the world’s sugar-cane belt makes some version of rum. In Brazil it’s cachaça, in Indonesia, arrack. Farther from the equator, it’s made with molasses instead of fresh cane juice, leading to a more mineral-y, less grassy flavor.
For Shagbark Bar Manager Zach Angel, it was love at first sip with daiquiris after a friend made the cocktail using Plantation Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple rum during a beach trip. Years later, Angel often reaches for something local like James River Distillery’s Jackson & James Paw Paw rum.
At Southbound, bartender Jess Bevenour prefers Jamaican rum for its distinctive funky notes of “wild nights and wooden barrels.”
Wherever its origin, rum is the star of a daiquiri, while everything else is simply complementary.
Sugar options:
Simple syrup = 1-to-1 ratio of sugar and water
Turbinado syrup = 1-to-1 ratio of raw cane sugar and water
For infusions, make your syrup, and while it’s still hot, add fun ingredients such as toasted coconut, fruit, cinnamon or hot peppers.
Blackberry Basil Daiquiri
Zach Angel, Shagbark
For Angel, the daiquiri is all about playing with fruit — whatever’s local and in season that goes well with the rums he keeps at Shagbark.
Blackberry basil rum
1 1/2 cups overproof white rum
1 1/2 cups blackberries
10 basil leaves
Zest of 1/2 lime
Mix ingredients and seal in a mason jar for 3-5 days, periodically agitating. Then strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer. Serves 12.
Cocktail
1 ounce blackberry basil rum
1 ounce Plantation 3 Stars rum
3/4 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with blackberry.
Im-Peach-Mint Daiquiri
Ben Nelson, Laura Lee’s
Nelson uses aged rum to stand up to the powerful flavor of peach. Use fresh local fruit, the sweeter the better. Got a lot of peaches on hand? Make a puree with a touch of lemon juice to keep the color.
Half a sweet peach, skinned (or 1 ounce puree)
2 ounces Virago Four-Port rum
1/2 ounce Aperol
3/4 ounce lime juice
Splash of simple syrup (depending on the sweetness of the peach)
Sprig of mint
Muddle peach and add other ingredients. Add ice and shake hard. Strain into a chilled coupe glass if available. Garnish with mint.
Cinnamon Daiquiri
Jess Bevenour, Southbound
Featuring a homemade cinnamon syrup, this recipe from Jess Bevenour of Southbound is for experienced daiquiri drinkers wanting to spice things up with a drink that’s simple and down to earth yet bold and alive.
Cinnamon syrup
Boil 1 quart water.
Add 4-5 cinnamon sticks, cracked.
Store overnight and strain out the cinnamon.
Add to a blender with an equal part sugar (946 grams) until clear.
Cocktail
1 1/2 ounces Plantation Three-Star rum
1 ounce Smith and Cross Navy Strength rum
1 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce cinnamon syrup
Put all ingredients together. Then add ice and shake hard. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
