Harper's Daiquiri

Author Notes

The template. The standard. A classic. 3 ingredients; 1 drink. The daiquiri, at its core, is a sour. The formula being: spirit, plus citrus, plus sugar, equals a sour. The first record of a daiquiri dates back to Cuba in 1896 (and it’s worth noting that while Jennings Stockton Cox Jr. may have been the first to put it to paper, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone giving him the credit for its creation).

Rum is the most widely produced spirit in the world. Anywhere there’s cane sugar, there’s rum (rum is a direct distillate of cane sugar) and anywhere that cane sugar is traded, there’s rum. And often, where there’s cane sugar, there’s also citrus—e.g. the lime used in this recipe. As a result, the daiquiri has been opened up to interpretation and variation all to the benefit of the drinking world at large. While ostensibly originating from Cuba, history will show that politics have not been kind to continued production or sales (the name literally originates from the town where the U.S. first invaded Cuba during the Spanish-American War). But, a daiquiri by any other name would drink just as sweet…especially if that name is Caipirinha (made with Brazilian cachaça), Ti’ Punch (Martinique), Grog (sailor’s delight), etc. —Harper Fendler