Strawberry Daiquiri

Author Notes

A strawberry daiquiri is just one of many in the daiquiri canon, a classic cocktail made with rum, lime (or another citrus) juice, and sugar. While the bare-bones version, served up, was a favorite of Ernest Hemingway, this recipe is for the strawberry variation. In theory, blended fresh strawberries paired with rum and lime sounds quite lovely; but of course if you order a strawberry daiquiri at a beach bar, you’re more likely to get something a tad too sweet, maybe even from a frozen cocktail package. It may still taste good, but you’ll miss out on the nuance that comes from fresh fruit and juice.

The best strawberry daiquiri is indeed made from freshly frozen strawberries, not the packaged frozen fruit (though of course they’ll work in a pinch). But the floral, so-good-it’s-almost-fake-tasting vibrancy that comes from a sweet, in-season strawberry is impossible to beat. Freeze 5 ounces of cleaned strawberries on a parchment-lined sheet pan for at least 2 hours to make this drink, but it’s never a bad choice to make a larger batch, so you can make a full pitcher of daiquiris at once, or simply have berries ready to blend when the craving hits next time.

Speaking of which, making a big batch of simple syrup (just a one-to-one ratio of sugar and water heated together) is always the right call, considering that it’s used in numerous cocktails and lasts in the fridge for about a month. As this recipe makes significantly more than the ¾ ounce you need for one strawberry daiquiri, you’re good to go for another round of daiquiris, or for any number of classic cocktails.
—Rebecca Firkser