Daiquiri No.1

Long before the daiquiri became a class of cocktails unto itself, it was a simple three-ingredient drink: rum, sugar, and lime juice. As with all classic cocktails, much myth and legend surrounds its origination. One popular story recounts its creation in 1898 by Jennings Cox, an American mining officer stationed in Cuba at the time. However, being that rum was a popular drink among sailors, it is more likely that this drink had a history going back at least a few centuries before this. "Grog" - a combination of watered down rum and citrus - was a common way that seamen combatted scurvy dating back to at least the 1750s if not before (see the history section on the Gimlet for more details).

Either way, it's generally agreed that the drink has Caribbean, more specifically Cuban, origins. As such, the best kind of rum to use would be a Cuban white rum (although any quality light rum in your cabinet will work). The key to the drink is the rum quality; making this drink with a poor rum or one with too much burn will overshwadow the other ingredients and make the drink less than palatable.

Daiquiris nowadays exists in multiple forms: frozen, over ice, served up, and the 'Hemingway', are some of the more popular options. The recipe here makes the classic "No. 1" daiquiri, which is what you're most likely to get if you wander into a bar and say "one daiquiri please" with no further specifications to your befuddled bartender. See some of the other recipes in our catalog to explore other variants.