Daiquiri Recipe

Rum, lime, and sugar define the classic daiquiri; no garishly-colored slushies, please.

Side angle view of a daquiri

Serious Eats / Two Bites

Two things you'll probably notice about this daiquiri:

1. It's not frozen.

2. It's not laden down with strawberries, bananas, mangoes or what have you.

No, this is the daiquiri at its purest, its original, its most authentic. True, there are perfectly tasty variations on this theme (we'll ignore the flavored glop that you see tourists gulping from bucket-size go cups on Bourbon Street), and a frozen daiquiri, made with all due attention and respect, is not a bad thing.

But an old-school daiquiri is an exercise in purity, as beautiful in its unadorned simplicity as a well-made martini or Manhattan. Of course, "well made" is a big factor here, as well: to fully realize the daiquiri's inherent beauty, be sure to measure your ingredients; free-pouring, while easier and cooler-looking than eyeballing a measuring cup, frequently leaves you with an odd-tasting drink. And while you can mix the daiquiri with different rums or in one of its fruit-enhanced variations, the use of fresh lime juice is absolutely essential; those little green plastic limes and day-glo bottles of Rose's should stay as far from your daiquiri as possible.

The daiquiri achieved timeless-classic status for a reason; take a moment this weekend to see what all the original fuss was about.

Recipe Details

Daiquiri Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Total 5 mins
Serves 1 serving

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces light rum (you can also use gold rum, but dark rum can be too heavy)

  • 3/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice (about 1/2 of a lime)

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

  1. Pour sugar and lime juice into a cocktail shaker and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the rum and fill shaker with ice; shake well for 10 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

    Four image collag of making a daiquiri

    Serious Eats / Two Bites

Special equipment

Cocktail shaker, cocktail strainer

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
150 Calories
0g Fat
6g Carbs
0g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 150
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 6mg 32%
Calcium 3mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 26mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)