The Daiquiri Revisited for the Patio Season

Jennings Cox

     The Daiquiri is one of the forever type of cocktail that can be traced to the copper mines in the Cuban province of Oriente and a near by village of Daiquiri.  Jennings Cox is credited with its original creation out of desperate situation of only having white run, lime, ice and sugar when friends were coming by.   The cocktail later came to be very popular when a master of the cocktail named Constante Ribailagua head barman and later owner of the El Floridita in Havana put his mind to the daiquiri.  Besides making the first frozen daiquiri, he made a very special daiquiri for "Papa" Hemingway.

     Today, the daiquiri has taken many forms, from the "slushy machine" sugar drizzle to the classic daiquiri named for the village in which it was invented.   I still love to fool around with new daiquiri recipes, they can be a very rewarding cocktail with widely accepted results.  From my position behind the Rum Bar in Key West I get the opportunity to introduce this classic to many new enthusiasts every day.   Most are looking for something very clean and not really sweet, so the "La Floridita Daiquiri" or the "Papa Doble" are very popular with my guests.



     I was fooling around with a new idea using Dry Curacao the other day and I came up with a new daiquiri that really has some very special flavor.  This is in the classic daiquiri style in that it is not a frozen daiquiri. 

Bahama Bob's Dry Curacao Daiquiri

• 2 oz. Matusalem Platino White Rum
• 3/4 oz. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
• Juice of a Half Lime
• 1/2 oz. Cane Syrup

Placing all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice, shake until fully chilled and strain into a chilled fluted cocktail glass and garnish with an orange zest.  To make this by the pitcher, just multiply the amounts by 12.

     I think you will find this to be a very refreshing summer patio cocktail that you can make one by one or in a pitcher for a group of friends.  ;o)