Daiquiri
Encyclopedia
Daiquiri is a family of cocktails whose main ingredients are rum
, lime juice, and sugar
or other sweetener. There are several versions, but those that gained international fame are the ones made in the El Floridita bar in Havana
, Cuba
.
The Daiquirí is one of six basic drinks listed in David A. Embury
's classic The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks
. In the book, he also suggests some variations.
A recently more well-known version of the daiquiri is the Caipirinha
, a daiquiri made using cachaça
, Brazilian sugarcane rum.
in that area, and it is a word of Taíno
origin. The cocktail was supposedly invented about 1900 in a bar named Venus in Santiago, about 23 miles (37 km) east of the mine, by a group of American
mining engineers. Among the engineers present were Jennings Cox
, General Manager of the Spanish American Iron Co., J. Francis Linthicum, C. Manning Combs, George W. Pfeiffer, De Berneire Whitaker, C. Merritt Holmes and Proctor O. Persing. Although stories persist that Cox invented the drink when he ran out of gin
while entertaining American guests, the drink evolved naturally due to the prevalence of lime and sugar.
Originally the drink was served in a tall glass packed with cracked ice. A teaspoon of sugar was poured over the ice and the juice of one or two limes was squeezed over the sugar. Two or three ounces of rum
completed the mixture. The glass was then frosted by stirring with a long-handled spoon. Later the Daiquirí evolved to be mixed in a shaker
with the same ingredients but with shaved ice. After a thorough shaking, it was poured into a chilled flute glass. An article in the March 14, 1937 edition of the Miami Herald as well as private correspondence of J.F. Linthicum confirm the recipe and early history.
Consumption of the drink remained localized until 1909, when Admiral Lucius W. Johnson, a U.S. Navy
medical officer, tried Cox's drink. Johnson subsequently introduced it to the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C.
, and drinkers of the daiquirí increased over the space of a few decades. The daiquirí was one of the favorite drinks of writer Ernest Hemingway
and president John F. Kennedy
.
The drink became popular in the 1940s. Wartime rationing made whiskey, vodka, etc., hard to come by, yet because of Roosevelt's Good Neighbor policy
(which opened up trade and travel relations with Latin America, Cuba and the Caribbean), rum was easily obtainable. The Good Neighbor Policy (also known as 'The Pan-American program'), helped make Latin America seem fashionable. Consequently, rum-based drinks (once frowned upon as being the domain of sailors and down-and-outs), also became fashionable, and the Daiquirí saw a tremendous rise in popularity in the US.
The basic recipe for a Daiquirí is also similar to the grog
British sailors drank aboard ship from the 1740s onwards. By 1795 the Royal Navy
daily grog ration contained rum, water, ¾ ounce of lemon or lime juice, and 2 ounces of sugar. This was a common drink across the Caribbean, and as soon as ice became available this was included instead of the water. Jennings Cox's story is certainly a popular one and maybe he was responsible for the naming of the drink, but as far as creating it he was about 150 years late.
are often called frozen daiquiris. These drinks can also be combined and poured into a blender eliminating the need for manual pulverization. Such drinks are often commercially made in machines which produce a texture similar to a smoothie
, and come in a wide variety of flavors made with various alcohol or liquors. Another way to create a frozen daiquiri (mostly fruit-flavored variants) is by using frozen limeade
, providing the required texture, sweetness and sourness all at once.
Variations on the frozen daiquiri.
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
, lime juice, and sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
or other sweetener. There are several versions, but those that gained international fame are the ones made in the El Floridita bar in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
The Daiquirí is one of six basic drinks listed in David A. Embury
David A. Embury
David Augustus Embury was an American attorney and author of The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks , a classic encyclopedia of the 20th century cocktail....
's classic The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks
The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks
The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks is a classic cocktail book by David A. Embury, first published in 1948. The book is noteworthy for its witty, highly opinionated and conversational tone, as well as its categorization of cocktails into two main types: aromatic and sour; its categorization of...
. In the book, he also suggests some variations.
A recently more well-known version of the daiquiri is the Caipirinha
Caipirinha
Caipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail, made with cachaça , sugar and lime. Cachaça is Brazil's most common distilled alcoholic beverage . Both rum and cachaça are made from sugarcane-derived products...
, a daiquiri made using cachaça
Cachaça
Cachaça is a liquor made from fermented sugarcane.It is the most popular distilled alcoholic beverage in Brazil. It is also known as aguardente, pinga, caninha and many other names...
, Brazilian sugarcane rum.
Origins
The name Daiquirí is also the name of a beach near Santiago, Cuba, and an iron mineMining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in that area, and it is a word of Taíno
Taíno people
The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...
origin. The cocktail was supposedly invented about 1900 in a bar named Venus in Santiago, about 23 miles (37 km) east of the mine, by a group of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mining engineers. Among the engineers present were Jennings Cox
Jennings Cox
Jennings Cox, American mining engineer who is said to have invented the drink known as the daiquiri in the late nineteenth century. Cox was an American expatriate working in Cuba...
, General Manager of the Spanish American Iron Co., J. Francis Linthicum, C. Manning Combs, George W. Pfeiffer, De Berneire Whitaker, C. Merritt Holmes and Proctor O. Persing. Although stories persist that Cox invented the drink when he ran out of gin
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
while entertaining American guests, the drink evolved naturally due to the prevalence of lime and sugar.
Originally the drink was served in a tall glass packed with cracked ice. A teaspoon of sugar was poured over the ice and the juice of one or two limes was squeezed over the sugar. Two or three ounces of rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
completed the mixture. The glass was then frosted by stirring with a long-handled spoon. Later the Daiquirí evolved to be mixed in a shaker
Cocktail shaker
A cocktail shaker is a device used to mix beverages by shaking. When ice is put in the shaker this allows for a quicker cooling of the drink before serving....
with the same ingredients but with shaved ice. After a thorough shaking, it was poured into a chilled flute glass. An article in the March 14, 1937 edition of the Miami Herald as well as private correspondence of J.F. Linthicum confirm the recipe and early history.
Consumption of the drink remained localized until 1909, when Admiral Lucius W. Johnson, a U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
medical officer, tried Cox's drink. Johnson subsequently introduced it to the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and drinkers of the daiquirí increased over the space of a few decades. The daiquirí was one of the favorite drinks of writer Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
and president John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
.
The drink became popular in the 1940s. Wartime rationing made whiskey, vodka, etc., hard to come by, yet because of Roosevelt's Good Neighbor policy
Good Neighbor policy
The Good Neighbor policy was the foreign policy of the administration of United States President Franklin Roosevelt toward the countries of Latin America. Its main principle was that of non-intervention and non-interference in the domestic affairs of Latin America...
(which opened up trade and travel relations with Latin America, Cuba and the Caribbean), rum was easily obtainable. The Good Neighbor Policy (also known as 'The Pan-American program'), helped make Latin America seem fashionable. Consequently, rum-based drinks (once frowned upon as being the domain of sailors and down-and-outs), also became fashionable, and the Daiquirí saw a tremendous rise in popularity in the US.
The basic recipe for a Daiquirí is also similar to the grog
Grog
The word grog refers to a variety of alcoholic beverages. The word originally referred to a drink made with water or "small beer" and rum, which British Vice Admiral Edward Vernon introduced into the Royal Navy on 21 August 1740. Vernon wore a coat of grogram cloth and was nicknamed Old Grogram or...
British sailors drank aboard ship from the 1740s onwards. By 1795 the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
daily grog ration contained rum, water, ¾ ounce of lemon or lime juice, and 2 ounces of sugar. This was a common drink across the Caribbean, and as soon as ice became available this was included instead of the water. Jennings Cox's story is certainly a popular one and maybe he was responsible for the naming of the drink, but as far as creating it he was about 150 years late.
Variations
- Daiquirí Floridita – with maraschinoMaraschinoMaraschino .The liqueur's distinctive flavor comes from the Marasca cherries, and the crushed cherry pits lend an almond-like flavor to Maraschino...
liqueur, created by Constantino Ribalaigua Vert at El Floridita. - Hemingway Daiquirí, or Papa Doble – two and a half jiggers of white rum, juice of two limes and half a grapefruit, six drops of maraschino liqueur, without sugar, served frozen.
- Banana Daiquiri, regular daiquiri with a half a banana.
- Red Irish Daiquiri – a frozen strawberry daiquiri made with spiced rum and a shot of Irish Cream added to the blender. Originated in Portland, Oregon.
- Janis Daiquiri - with Jose CuervoJose CuervoJosé Cuervo is a brand of tequila produced by Tequila Cuervo La Rojeña. The José Cuervo Especial brand has the highest sales of any tequila brand in theworld.- History :...
tequila substituted for rum. - Strawberry daiquiri - regular with strawberry added
Frozen daiquirí
A wide variety of alcoholic mixed drinks made with finely pulverized iceIce
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
are often called frozen daiquiris. These drinks can also be combined and poured into a blender eliminating the need for manual pulverization. Such drinks are often commercially made in machines which produce a texture similar to a smoothie
Smoothie
A smoothie is a blended and sometimes sweetened beverage made from fresh fruit and in special cases can contain chocolate or peanut butter. In addition to fruit, many smoothies include crushed ice, frozen fruit, honey or contain syrup and ice ingredients...
, and come in a wide variety of flavors made with various alcohol or liquors. Another way to create a frozen daiquiri (mostly fruit-flavored variants) is by using frozen limeade
Limeade
Limeade is a beverage similar to lemonade, but is made with lime juice or lime flavour instead of those of the lemon. Rose's lime juice, a concentrated drink patented in 1867, is one of the best-known brands. A.G. Barr plc of Glasgow produce a limeade as does Newman's Own since 2004...
, providing the required texture, sweetness and sourness all at once.
Variations on the frozen daiquiri.
- The Old Rose Daiquiri, which features strawberry syrup and rum along with two teaspoons of sugar and lime juice.
- The Daiquiri Mulata featuring rum and coffee liqueur.
See also
- List of cocktails
- CaipirinhaCaipirinhaCaipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail, made with cachaça , sugar and lime. Cachaça is Brazil's most common distilled alcoholic beverage . Both rum and cachaça are made from sugarcane-derived products...
– similar Brazilian cocktail - MojitoMojitoMojito is a traditional Cuban highball.Traditionally, a Mojito is not very strong and made of five ingredients: white rum, sugar , lime juice, sparkling water and mint. The original Cuban recipe uses spearmint or yerba buena, a mint variety very popular on the island...
– other popular and similar rum cocktail, adding mint and soda - Ti'PunchTi'PunchThe Ti'Punch is a rum-based mixed drink that is especially popular in Martinique, Guadeloupe, Haiti, French Guyana and other French-speaking Caribbean states...
– similar French Caribbean cocktail
External links
- Digital Images regarding Jennings Cox including an original daiquiri recipe from the Carmen Puig Collection held by the Cuban Heritage Collection of the University of Miami Libraries