National Daiquiri Day ~ Celebrate Cuban Style!

National Daiquiri Day is on July 19, 2020, so let’s shake it up with rum and lime and celebrate in Cuban style.

According to a popular cocktail book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, “It is said that the daiquiri was invented (in the sense that ‘necessity is the mother of invention’) at the turn of the twentieth century by two copper mine engineers who used what was readily available all over Cuba – rum, limes, and cane sugar. That was the original Daiquiri. It was good, too. Even without the sugar, the lime had a perfect chemistry with the rum.”

The author of Vintage Spirits, Ted Haigh,  offers this classic recipe:

• 2 ounces (1/2 gil, 6 cl) rum (I like Havana Club.)
• Juice of 1/2 lime (If your limes are small, use the whole thing.)
• 1 teaspoon sugar or sugar syrup (increase if too tart.)
• 1 teaspoon maraschino cherry liqueur
• Blend with crushed ice. Serve in a saucer cocktail or champagne glass. Garnish with lime wheel and maraschino cherry.

Most everyone associates Earnest Hemingway with the daiquiri.One of the most well known bars where he hang his hat and enjoyed daiquiris when he finished writing for the day is El Floridita in Old Havana. They have a statue of Hemingway at the end of the bar where he used to sit.

Many a bartender will tell you that they judge other bartenders on how they make a daiquiri. If they prepare this cocktail skillfully, chances are they will prepare other cocktails with the same care and attention to detail.

Here’s some enticing reasons to shake up some daiquiris on this celebratory day:

1. Perfectly refreshing on a hot summer day – icy cold and citrusy.
2. This lovely libation is so easy to make – it has only 4 ingredients. Traditionalists will insist that this is the only way to serve up a daiquiri, but it is okay to play around with the ingredients in this cocktail to suit your own taste.
3. For those who like a frozen cocktail – frozen daiquiris are delightful and easy to mix up in a blender. Craving a sweeter fruitier drink – add strawberries or bananas in the blender with your daiquiri ingredients.
4. You can personalize your daiquiri recipe with spiced rum + pineapple or banana or with grapefruit juice – the way Earnest Hemingway preferred his daiquiri. Cuban rum is traditional, but Caribbean rums make a mighty fine daiquiri too.

How will you celebrate National Daiquiri Day…traditional, spiced, fruity or frozen?