Three Cocktails to Celebrate National Daiquiri Day

Every July 19 cocktail enthusiasts around the world celebrate one of their favourite rum drinks, the Daiquiri with National Daiquiri Day.

There are dozens upon dozens of variations of the daiquiri but, the classic daiquiri is typically rum, lime juice, sugar and ice. Other variations include banana daiquiris, strawberry daiquiris and of course the frozen daiquiri. Here’s a brief history of this iconic drink.

The cocktail has a fairly straight forward discovery compared to other classic recipes. Discovered by mining engineer Jennings S. Cox in 1898, the story claims he ran out of gin while entertaining guests at his home in Daiquiri, Cuba and started making a mix with rum instead, he recorded the drink and it started to make some impact on the Cuban shores.

The next big step in the popularization of the Daiquiri came about ten years after Jennings Cox first created it. Rear Admiral Lucius W. Johnson, a medical officer in the US Navy, apparently happened upon the Daiquiri while in Cuba in 1909. He was so taken with the recipe that, upon returning to the States, he introduced it to his friends behind the bar at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C.

What really brought the daiquiri into the spotlight was prohibition, with many Americans flying down to Cuba to drink alcohol, Barcardi saw an opportunity to promote their growing rum brand, and at the same moment solidifying the daiquiri as the in fashion cocktail of choice.

Now that you have a little backstory on the history of the drink, here’s three ways of mixing one up to celebrate the cocktail during National Daiquiri Day.

Classic Daiquiri

A sign of a good bartender is when they can make a great daiquiri. It’s easy on the surface, but it all comes down to preparation and understanding the balance of flavours involved. If a bartender can make you a good daiquiri, you can trust them with anything.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz of white rum (a classic daiquiri uses white rum and nothing else)
• 0.75 oz of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tsp of organic cane sugar

Method: Add lime juice and sugar to a cocktail shaker and stir to dissolve. Add rum and ice, shake vigorously and pour into a chilled coupe glass, you want the daiquiri to be cold.

Hemmingway Daiquiri

More alcohol forward than a classic daiquiri, Hemmingway’s version makes a an alternative that still features the strengths of the cocktail but adds a bit more kick for those who prefer their cocktails to be booze-forward.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz white rum
• 0.75 oz fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz fresh grapefruit juice
• 0.5 oz maraschino liqueur
• 1 lime wheel, for garnish

Method: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the lime wheel and shake well. Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with the lime wheel.

BACARDI Summer Daiquiri

A flavourful twist on the classic, Bacardi balances the sweet with the tart in this refreshing summer recipe.

Ingredients: