Daiquiri

The classic daiquiri has to be one of my favorite cocktails of all time. Its combination of sweet and sour hits the spot every time. It only has three ingredients, which makes it super simple to make at home, but it also means that each ingredient matters a lot. It’s the perfect Summer Cocktail when you wish you could be on vacation somewhere tropical.

Watch Me Make a Daiquiri

How to Make a Daiquiri

1. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, white rum, lime juice, and simple syrup.
2. Shake and strain into a chilled coupe glass.
3. Garnish with a dehydrated citrus wheel and enjoy!

Daiquiri Ingredients

White Rum

There are so many different kinds of rum out there — white, gold, dark, spiced, aged, black — it can be overwhelming to know what kind to get for a simple daiquiri. For this classic cocktail, we only want white rum. It’s clear and has a mild, light-bodied flavor, which makes it perfect for pairing with lime juice and simple syrup. The darker rum gets, the more robust its flavor, ranging from caramel and vanilla for gold rums to a deep rich molasses for dark and black rums. So for the daiquiri, white rum it is! I used Diplomatico Planas Aged White Rum from Venezuela!

Lime Juice

If it’s not fresh-squeezed, I don’t want it! A classic daiquiri can go from really delicious to really awful if you don’t use fresh lime juice.

Simple Syrup

Sure, you can buy simple syrup. But making your own simple syrup at home could not be easier.

Now, here’s where you can deviate from the classic daiquiri by playing with the flavors of your syrups. Simple syrup is the base for the classic recipe, but you could really play up the tropical vibes of the rum and lime by doing banana syrup or pineapple syrup.

Dehydrated Citrus

I make my own dehydrated citrus wheels, but you can also find them online and in some stores. Even if you don’t have a dehydrator at home, you can still make your own. Here’s how:

1. Start by preheating your oven to 107-200 degrees F (depending on how low your oven can go).
2. Then, ideally using a mandoline, slice your citrus into very thin rounds.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the citrus wheels on the parchment paper.
4. Pop the tray in the oven and bake for 2 hours, flip the wheels, and bake for 1 to 4 more hours until they are completely dried.
5. Let them cool completely and use to garnish all your cocktails!

If you’ve completely dehydrated your citrus wheels, they should keep in an airtight ziplock bag for a few years!

Tips for Making the Best Daiquiri

• Every ingredient matters, so if you make your own simple syrup (which is really easy), squeeze your own lime juice, and buy good white rum, you’re daiquiri will be 10 times better!
• Shake really well so the cocktail gets chilled and diluted. You want to shake it until the outside of the shaker turns frosty!
• Strain your cocktail into a chilled glass. Straining removes any lime bits and ice chips, making it a super smooth cocktail.

Daiquiri Variations