Celebrate those sweet remaining summer days with our favorite warm-weather cocktail – the daiquiri!
Let’s clarify right away: this post is going to feature some variations on the *classic* daiquiri. This is different from the frozen slushy variety you’ll find on chain restaurant menus – the classic daiquiri is more like a crisp, freshly squeezed limeade. It doesn’t require hauling out a blender to taste like liquid air conditioning, and it’s absolutely delicious. We’ll cover three of our favorite daiquiri variations in this post: the classic, the pineapple, and the passion fruit.
What Rum to Use in a Daiquiri
The chief ingredient in a daiquiri is rum, which comes chiefly from the Caribbean and is made of distilled sugar cane. The quality and flavor of the rum will have a major impact on the drink here, so a decent-quality rum is necessary for a delicious drink.
We’ve had tremendous success sampling Plantation rums and have specified three of the rums from their lineup for the drinks below. (Thanks to 14 Parish, a great rum bar in our neighborhood in Chicago, for getting Adam started on his rum kick.) You’re welcome to experiment with what you have on your liquor shelf, but do know that the flavor of the daiquiri will change significantly with the rum variation you choose.
How to Make Daiquiris for a Crowd
If you plan to make a bunch of these at a party, pre-squeezing the lime juice a day before and storing in the fridge will make you a much happier host. We love these bottles for easy pouring, but you can also use a mason jar.
Three Summertime Daiquiri Recipe Variations
Classic Daiquiri
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz white rum (we use Plantation 3 Star White Rum)
- 1 oz lime juice (or a wee bit more if you like lime as much as Anna)
- ¾ oz simple syrup
Directions
Shake and serve in a chilled coupe glass. For a fancy garnish, add a lime skin twist (learn how to do that here – this peeler is invaluable).
Pineapple Daiquiri
This recipe requires a pineapple rum. We love Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple Rum — real pineapple pieces are added to the rum during the distilling process, so the flavor is nuanced and not too sweet. Bonus fun fact: the name is a reference to a character from Charles Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers who particularly loved pineapple rum.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz Plantation Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple Rum
- 1 oz lime juice (or a wee bit more)
- ¾ oz simple syrup
Directions
Shake and serve in a chilled coupe glass with a pineapple garnish.
Passionfruit Daiquiri
This is Anna’s absolute favorite summer cocktail.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz dark rum (we use Plantation Original Dark Rum)
- ½ oz lime juice (or a wee bit more)
- ½ oz passion fruit puree or pulp. Make sure this is unsweetened! We use these frozen puree packets from Goya.
- ¾ oz simple syrup
Directions
Shake and serve in a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with an edible flower if you want to be extra. (We have not done this yet, but Adam has big dreams).
