When it comes to making a cocktail, no template is quite so acutely tuned as the Daiquiri. Balancing sweet, sour, and boozy, the Daiquiri when made correctly becomes transformative, displaying the individual characteristics of the rum with the brightness of lime and a smooth sweetness. Add too much sweetness – and the daiquiri becomes cloying and washed out. Too much lime and it’s overwhelmingly tart with no hint of the rum notes. Too much rum, and it loses the smoothness and brightness of the acidity.
A balanced daiquiri is a master class in cocktail creation.
Daiquiri
As you may notice – there’s no specific rum listed. To start with, try a lightly aged rum like Plantation 3 Star or El Dorado 3. These will give you a very traditional – light and easy going flavor. From there, feel free to play change the rum to your favorite or anything you find interesting to see how it changes the Daiquiri. For example, adding an aged rum like El Dorado 12 or Plantation XO will impart woody aged notes and hints of caramelized sweetness. Change a lightly aged rum for a young rhum agricole, and you’ll experience some of the grassy funk balancing with bright lime and sweet sugar. The template is a great playground.
One word of caution – high proof rums will be difficult to balance. So avoid high proof offerings like O.F.T.D. or Gosling’s 151. As a final thought, feel free to adjust the simple and lime juice according to the sweetness of your rum and the acidity of your limes. This template should get you most of the way there – needing a 1/4 oz tweek here or there.
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