“Sir, we don’t do frozen drinks here”
My first hack post. An ode to the daiquiri. The proper daiquiri. And as you will discover on this blog, it will be a spectrum of interesting hacks and tips, but also sharing things I have found that have opened my eyes to better experiences.
The daiquiri actually wasn’t going to be its own post. Until a friend of mine reminded me that this was kind of where this all started. It took me to the age of 37 to realize what an actual daiquiri was — and it’s not the frozen kind you get at your all-inclusive resort in Mexico, although delicious.
After enjoying one myself at my regular watering hole (pre-pandemic), I began to share this discovery and evangelized to anyone I knew — “Did you know that a real daiquiri isn’t a frozen drink?” It has become my go-to drink during the warm months, until it gets cold and I switch to old-fashioneds.
It is never not a crowd-pleaser. And it’s always a bonus when you get the “wait, what?!” reaction you had when you yourself first learned the truth. It can have a bunch of variations, but the classic has only three ingredients — white rum, lime and sugar. I tend to go back and forth between the classic and the pineapple daiquiri. But there are endless versions you can make with various rums, different simple syrups and even bitters.
It can also be a good test of a bar, by their reaction to your order, to see if you should trust their cocktails or maybe just stick to whatever beer selection they have. Daiquiris are so simple, but the balance of the basic ingredients is important and not to be underestimated. The less ingredients, the more important it is to balance it all out correctly. Sometimes bars even use this drink to test their new bartenders — like restaurants do to chefs with the omelet. Can’t make a daiquiri? Maybe you should be a bartender at Applebee’s.
So keep the blender hidden away and grab your three ingredients and a coupe glass (yes, a coupe glass) and be ready to start educating your friends.