The IBA Project: Daiquiri

The Daiquiri

The Grandfather Story:
Supposedly created by an American engineer in the late 1800s and named after a beach near Santiago, Cuba. The original recipe specifically calls for BACARDI rum and recipe is as follows (for 6 pax):

juice of 6 lemons

6 teaspoons of sugar

6 Bacardi cups

2 small cups of water

plenty of crushed ice

Yes, those Tex-Mex ice blended, sickly sweet (more like diabetes inducing!), fruity versions which we are all too familiar with are basically bastardisations variations of the original recipe.

This is Hemingway's favourite drink. Legend has it that he goes through 12 glasses in a sitting (citation required). He liked it so much he created his own version aptly named after himself which has added maraschino and grapefruit juice, and even more rum (because he was a known alcoholic), with no sugar (because he was diabetic).


Strength:
It does not taste strong at all, and great for someone who's never had a cocktail before. Very easy to drink but on the sour side. Everyone should love this, unless they absolutely detest sour-tasting stuff.

Key ingredients = Light rum + lime

IBA standard recipe & method: 
Recipe:
4.5 cl White rum
2.5 cl Fresh lime juice
1.5 cl Sugar syrup

Method:
Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice cubes, shake & strain into chilled cocktail glass. 

Variations: 

• Most recipes call for a lot of lime juice - which suggests that it's meant to be more sour. But there are some which calls for equal amount of sugar and lime, which I prefer.
• If you're concerned about holding a martini glass (so silly lah you), it's perfectly acceptable to have it served in an old-fashioned (aka whisky) glass. 

Thoughts & Observations:

• While I have a natural preference for sour-tasting stuff, the IBA recipe is t0o hardcore sour for me. I needed to cut down on the lime juice amount by a little bit.
• It must be made super, super cold and consumed super cold (and fast before it becomes warm). So shake harder & a little longer, and use straight-out-of-the-freezer ice (not the melting ones).
• Definitely not something to have when you're hungry, on an empty stomach or prone to gastric. If you're running a snack business, targeting outlets that serve sour drinks like the daiquiri will make you rich beyond your dreams (I may exaggerate a little).
• A perfect thirst-quenching summer drink especially when you're hot, sweaty and thirsty.

Drink up!

My Preference: 
4.5 cl White rum
1.5 cl Fresh lime juice
1.5 cl Sugar syrup

Sources & More Reading :
http://www.diffordsguide.com/class-magazine/read-online/en/2012-04-10/page-3/classic-cocktail
http://www.esquire.com/drinks/daiquiri-drink-recipe
http://www.primermagazine.com/2012/learn/the-daiquiri
http://www.alcoholprofessor.com/blog/2014/05/14/classic-cocktails-in-history-the-daiquiri/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daiquiri
www.slate.com

Click me for the list of drinks that's been covered in the IBA Project