July 19, 2011

Fire up the blender! It’s National Daquiri Day!

Or… don’t. Did you know that originally the Daiquiri was made sans blender?

A group of miners led by Jennings Cox, an engineer living in Cuba (in a place called Daiquiri), created this drink circa 1900. Bacardi just happened to be distilled in the same area, and the miners took to drinking the rum on a regular basis as they treated the local water with it to make it potable.

Cox would frequent a bar named Venus, and whether it was by necessity or design, he would order Bacardi with sugar and lime. After a while the locals caught on, and since the miners were from Daiquiri, the name became associated with a drink made with rum, sugar and lime. Between this drink, the Cuba Libre, and Hemingway’s penchant for drinking the stuff, Bacardi has enjoyed being one of the most recognized liquor brands in the world ever since.

Original Daiquiri

2 oz light rum
juice of ½ lime
1 teaspoon bar sugar

Shake over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

We also have a recipe for our personal favorite, the Hemingway Daiquiri. As you may guess, this cocktail was named for THE Hemingway. Apparently the tippling writer stumbled into La Floridita in Havana to use the bathroom, came out, tried their Daiquiri, and told them they needed to double the rum. The result? The version that wears his name.

Hemingway Daiquiri

3 oz light rum
¾ oz grapefruit juice
¾ oz maraschino liqueur
1 oz fresh lime juice
¼ oz simple syrup (optional: Hemingway would disapprove)

Shake all ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

daiquiri recipe