013 – Daiquiri

A Sydney ‘lock-down’ version of the original 1896 Daiquiri.

Sydney’s Covid Lockdown has inspired me to explore this famous Cuban Rum cocktail. Let’s take a look at the ‘Daiquiri’ that started them all, the original Jennings Stockton Cox invention.

Make your own Locktail ‘Daiquiri’. Here is my preferred recipe:

METHOD — Add 10gm of superfine sugar (two bar-spoons) and 20ml of fresh lime juice into a shaker and stir until sugar is mostly dissolved. Add 60ml of white Cuban Rum (Bacardi) and ice, shake until well chilled (10-15 seconds). Strain into chilled glassware. No garnish.

HISTORICAL NOTES – Getting to the historical source is challenging for many cocktails, especially classic ones. That is not the case for the Daiquiri, its origins are clear and unchallenged.

The Daiquiri was invented by Jennings Stockton Cox in 1896, an American Mining Engineer working in Cuba before and during the time of the Spanish-American War (1898). Initially without a name, Cox later named it after the township where they were working and enjoying his cocktail – Daiquiri. Although similar to a traditional Cuban drink known as the Canchanchara, Cox came up with, and recorded in his journal, the original Daiquiri recipe (for six people), either as a result of what he had to hand, or because he had run out of Gin when entertaining American guests, as recounted later by his Grand-Daughter.

The drink seems to have traveled back to the USA, via the Army and Navy Club in Washington DC, and shortly after, in the early part of the 1900’s, began appearing in print as a recipe in cocktail books, starting with the 1914 Jacques Straub book ‘Drinks’, where it was spelt ‘Daiguiri’.

This is a rare cocktail, in that was helped not hindered by US Prohibition (1920–1933), rather than disappearing, the travel of US citizens to Cuba where they could legally drink, led to greater US awareness of the Daiquiri. It would also appear in the famous Harry Craddock, Savoy Cocktail Book, published in 1930 in London. Perhaps even more instrumental to its global success, the cocktail became even more popular in the 1940’s due to scarcity of other spirits during World War II, but the ready availability of Cuban Rum.

In David A. Embury’s 1948 publication, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, Embury names the Daiquiri as one of the ‘six basic drinks’, alongside the Jack Rose, Manhattan, Martini, Old Fashioned and Sidecar. This would seem appropriate as the basic ‘Daiquiri’ has created so many variants and stayed on global cocktail lists for more than a century.

THE OFFICIAL MIX – The ‘Daiquiri’ appears in the International Bartender Association (IBA) ‘Unforgettables’ list, here. The official recipe is 60ml Cuban Rum, 20ml Fresh Lime Juice, and two bar-spoons (10gm) of superfine sugar. Stirred in a shaker until dissolved and then shaken with ice and strained into a chilled cocktail glass. No garnish.

TASTING NOTES – A simple classic, a blend of sweet, sour and white rum flavours. A very refreshing drink, that hits plenty of the palate, while still leaving room for exploration with other flavours. No wonder the Daiquiri has been re-made in so many variations.

LOCKTAIL CHANGES – I really haven’t played with this origin cocktail, yet, I will look at some other Daiquiri variants as we move through the historical forward catalog of cocktails, see index. It is always good to go back to an original and its base flavour profile. Here I have tried to replicate the Daiquiri as close to Jennings Cox’ original 1896 version as possible. Well worth it, it is a great and simple cocktail.

YOUR LOCKTAIL EXPERIENCE – If you’d rather taste than read, I am progressively building an ingredient list and other sourcing information on this site. I will re-use ingredients where I can (good for my budget too), so that the cost goes down overtime if you are ‘playing at home’.

Let me know what you think.

Cocktails you’d like reinvented.

Recipes you’ve tried and your ‘score’.

This is the third of the 1900-1910 bracket of ‘Locktail’ remixes. See the full list in the index.