Daiquiri
Rum, lime, and sugar, shaken until ice-cold. Three ingredients, no shortcuts, and the standard every rum sour gets judged against.
About the Daiquiri
People hear “Daiquiri” and picture a slushy, neon-pink machine drink from a beach bar menu. The real thing is nothing like that. A classic Daiquiri is just white rum, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup, shaken hard and strained into a chilled glass with nothing else added.
It’s named after a small town near Santiago de Cuba, where an American mining engineer called Jennings Cox is credited with putting the recipe together in the late 1890s. He was reportedly low on gin and reached for the local rum instead, added lime and sugar to soften the edges, and stumbled onto one of the best-balanced drinks in the cocktail canon.
The drink later became a favourite of Ernest Hemingway, who liked his version doubled up on rum and cut with grapefruit juice and maraschino — a variation that still carries his name today. Away from the frozen fruit versions that took over in the 1970s, the classic Daiquiri has quietly stayed exactly as it started: sharp, cold, and simple.
The Classic Recipe
Classic Daiquiri — Serves 1
- 50ml white rum
- 25ml fresh lime juice (roughly 1 large lime)
- 15ml simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water)
- Lime wheel, to garnish
Method
- Chill a coupe glass in the freezer, or fill it with ice water while you build the drink.
- Add the rum, lime juice, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice.
- Shake hard for 12 to 15 seconds. This is a sour, so it needs proper energy behind it to chill down and get that light foam on top.
- Double strain into your chilled glass and garnish with a lime wheel. Serve straight away — this one doesn’t hang around on ice.
Tips for the Best Daiquiri
- Fresh lime is non-negotiable. With only three ingredients, there’s nowhere for a bottled substitute to hide. Squeeze it just before you shake, not an hour before.
- Get your ratio right, then adjust to taste. The classic 8:4:3 ratio of rum to lime to syrup is a great starting point, but limes vary in sharpness. Taste as you go and nudge the syrup up or down.
- Choose a clean white rum. This isn’t the place for an aged or spiced rum — you want something light and clean that lets the lime do the talking. A pot-still Jamaican-style rum can work if you want more character, but taste it neat first.
- Don’t skip the double strain. Shaking with ice knocks small shards loose, and a fine strain on top of your regular strainer keeps the drink silky rather than slushy.
- Serve it cold and drink it fast. A Daiquiri is at its best in the first few minutes after straining. It has no ice in the glass to keep it cold, so this isn’t a sipping drink — it’s a short, sharp one.
Popular Variations
Frozen Daiquiri
Blended with crushed ice instead of shaken. Ideal for hot weather and endlessly adaptable with fruit — try our Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri for the most popular version.
Hemingway Daiquiri
Also called the Papa Doble. Doubles the rum and adds grapefruit juice and maraschino liqueur, dropping the sugar. Drier, boozier, and named after its biggest fan.
Mango Coconut Daiquiri
A tropical spin built on the same base ratio, swapping some of the lime and syrup for fresh mango and coconut. See our Mango Coconut Daiquiri for the full recipe.
Banana Daiquiri
Ripe banana blended into the classic mix for a thicker, sweeter frozen drink. Works best with a very ripe banana and a touch less syrup than usual.
How to Serve
Glass: A coupe is the traditional choice and keeps the drink looking sharp. A martini glass works as a substitute if that’s what you’ve got to hand.
Ice: None goes in the glass for the classic version. All the chilling happens in the shaker, so the drink stays undiluted and properly cold when it’s poured.
Batching for a crowd: Scale up the rum, lime, and syrup in the same 8:4:3 ratio and keep it in the fridge, but shake individual servings to order. Pre-mixed batches lose their chill and their fizz of freshness fast.
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