Sharkbait’s Cocktail of the Week: Daiquiri Days Are Here Again

Ok so maybe not completely here again, but they are getting close. Though an argument can be made that any day can be a daiquiri day and I’m OK with that logic. Despite being a warm weather/summer mainstay, I say let them be made any time! Especially in the late winter/early spring as a teaser of the nice weather coming soon.

So, as you’ve probably surmised, I’m making a daiquiri this week. I’m just as surprised as you are that I haven’t done one yet, technically. I did make a Nuclear Daiquiri a while ago when I was in Vegas, but that isn’t the traditional recipe. I needed something simple this week given that it’s the second full week of 7am training classes, on top of a recovering sharkbait 2.0. Also, some light flight anxiety for a trip to visit a friend tomorrow, for the weekend. It’s not a long flight thankfully (also NOT on any kind of Boeing) but the mild anxiety is still there. Not enough to keep me from traveling places because I need to explore, but it’s annoying as hell, and I think a simple cocktail will help take the edge off, and the daiquiri is as easy as they come. For this recipe, I’m using the Waldorf Astoria Bar Book:

Classic Daiquiri

2 oz. Bacardi y Cia Heritage White Rum (I subbed Burnettes White)

.75 oz. Fresh lime juice

.5 oz. Simple syrup

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. Add ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

This is excellent. It’s cool and very well balanced. The fresh lime is the leader when it comes to the aromas, but it doesn’t take over. It leaves room for some muted rum notes in there as well. The flavors start out the exact same way. The lime juice shines through first, adding a nice fruity, citrus-y sour taste. But the simple syrup comes in sans flavor to work it’s magic and reign in the sour notes, leaving a subtle base sourness that is an excellent compliment to the rum. Of which, is a minor player here. I wonder if it is the label of rum I got, but it provides just enough flavor to let you know there’s booze at play here, and nothing more. The finish is a nice mixture of lime and rum, with a touch of sweetness, with nothing much lingering on the palate.

Now this isn’t the first time I’ve made a daiquiri, so they are a recurring selection in the Sharkbait house. I’m gonna make more of these this spring and summer, that’s for sure. Though I think I’m gonna specifically get the rum called for by the Waldorf. If their bar calls for it, I really should use it. Have a good weekend, I know I will.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)