Daiquiris – from the garden to your glass
By Becky Ellis
Let’s make daiquiris! It’s time to celebrate because it’s National Daiquiri day on July 19, 2021. If you haven’t had a really good daiquiri lately, it’s time to grab a cocktail shaker and get a garden party started. Let’s get shakin’!
A bartender friend of mine once told me, you’ll know the quality of a bartender’s skills by the way he/she makes a daiquiri. Such a classic simple drink, but yet so easy to screw it up. To make a truly lovely refreshing daiquiri, always use the freshest fruits, vegetables and juices available and use a good quality rum (because most of this cocktail consists of rum and more rum). Liquour.com explains that we should not associate Daiquiris with “neon-colored adult slushies, the stuff of spring-break blackouts and mind-splitting hangovers”. A well made daiquiri – frozen or on the rocks – is among the finest of cocktails with subtle layers of refreshing flavor.
Wait a minute! Vegetables in your daiquiris? Yes! Rhubarb (technically a vegetable but often thought of as a fruit) makes a delightfully delicious daiquiri, especially when paired with strawberries. Find a fun Rhubarb Strawberry Daiquiri on the Bon Appétit website. If you prefer a refreshing mocktail, try the Strawberry Rhubarb Daiquiri in Clean Eating Magazine. Combine rhubarb, strawberries, pomegranate juice, lime juice and honey to make this non-alcoholic version (you can always add a little white rum if you’d like). You will find a Red Pepper Garden Daiquiri recipe on the Food Republic homepage. They describe it as “Red bell pepper, lemon, arugula, caraway-seed-infused rum and crunchy, flaky sea salt”. And such a gorgeous vibrant red color in the glass!
What about all of those aromatic herbs in your garden? Rosemary is one of the best herbs to use in cocktails – as pretty as it is tasty. It’s woodsy lemon pine aroma and taste adds a twist of the unexpected in a Plum and Rosemary Daiquiri. Fresh plums muddled with rosemary and sugar then mixed with lime juice and white rum. Like a little spice in your cocktail? How about a Thai Basil Daiquiri? Serious Eats has a recipe for a Thai Basil Daiquiri that combines the citrusy flavors of lime juice with rum and the spiciness of fresh Thai basil.
Use your imagination when garnishing garden daiquiris. Are your nasturtiums in bloom? Nasturtium blossoms make a lovely garnish for the delicate daiquiri cocktails. Fresh mint is ideal for garnishing this cocktail. Add an element of surprise by garnishing your drink with variegated pineapple mint, flavorful chocolate mint or another popular citrusy herb lemon verbena.
A recipe for Lemon Verbena Daiquaris is on the Burpbee website. Combine homemade lemon verbena simple syrup with white rum, lime juice and ice to make this refreshing citrusy cocktail.
What’s your favorite garden ingredient to make cocktails? Will you bring your garden to your glass by making fruity or savory daiquiris this summer?