The recipe
for your table
Add the rum, lime juice and sugar syrup to a shaker with plenty of ice.
Shake hard for 12 to 15 seconds – the Daiquiri thrives on ice-cold dilution.
Double strain into a chilled coupe or daiquiri glass.
Garnish with a thin lime wheel on the rim.
The story
The Daiquiri takes its name from a mining town near Santiago de Cuba, where American engineer Jennings Cox served his guests rum with lime and sugar around 1898, when the gin ran out. The recipe travelled to Havana, where bartender Constantino Ribalaigua of El Floridita bar made it world-famous. His most famous customer? Ernest Hemingway, who reportedly drank it by the record. The Daiquiri became a symbol of Cuban cocktail culture and remains in the international top ten to this day.
The right glass
A Daiquiri is served straight up and therefore belongs in a stemmed glass. A coupe or dedicated daiquiri glass of 19 to 26 cl is perfect: wide enough to let the fresh lime aroma come through, yet small enough to keep the cocktail cold until the last sip. Always place the glass in the freezer for a moment before serving – a lukewarm Daiquiri would be a waste of your good rum. If you prefer to serve it in a wide coupe, take a look at our champagne coupe glasses.
RCR Timeless Champagne Glass / Coupe 26 cl (6 pieces)
Onis N.Y.C. Cocktail Coupe 19 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets — € 77.94 together, free shipping from € 50.
Variations & twists
The Hemingway Daiquiri (with grapefruit and maraschino, and less sugar) is the most famous variation. Frozen from the blender is a beach classic, while brown sugar and aged rum create a deeper, warmer version. The basic formula works with endless amounts of fruit: strawberry, mango, or passion fruit. Looking for more inspiration? Browse all 80 cocktail recipes.
Servingtip
Always use freshly squeezed lime juice; bottled juice makes this cocktail taste flat. Want to vary it? A bar spoon of maraschino liqueur turns it into a Hemingway-style twist.
The ratio of rum, lime, and simple syrup
The classic build is 4.5 cl white rum, 2.5 cl fresh lime juice, and 1.5 cl simple syrup—roughly a 3:2:1 ratio. That ratio is a starting point, not a law: with a particularly tart lime, increase the simple syrup to 2 cl; with a sweeter rum, reduce it to 1 cl. Taste before straining. What you should not adjust is the shaking time of twelve to fifteen seconds, because a Daiquiri depends on dilution. Without that layer of meltwater—about twenty percent—it remains hard and sharp rather than rounded.
Making a strawberry daiquiri
For a strawberry daiquiri, muddle four to five ripe strawberries in the shaker before adding the other ingredients, or use 4 cl strawberry purée. Reduce the simple syrup to 1 cl, because strawberries already add sweetness. Shake for fifteen seconds and double-strain, otherwise the seeds will end up in the drink. Frozen fruit almost always works better than a pale winter strawberry, because it was picked at peak ripeness and also provides more color. A slice of fresh strawberry on the rim makes it immediately clear what is in the glass.
Frozen daiquiri from the blender
Frozen is not a different recipe but a different technique. Add 4.5 cl rum, 2.5 cl lime juice, 1.5 cl simple syrup, and about 150 grams of crushed ice to a blender, then blend briefly at high speed until the texture resembles wet snow. Do not blend for too long, or the ice will melt and you will end up with a watery slush. Use crushed ice or cubes that you have broken up first; whole cubes put unnecessary strain on the blades. Serve immediately in a well-chilled coupe or a larger tulip glass, with a straw.
Make your own sugar syrup
You rarely buy sugar syrup, because you can make it in five minutes. Dissolve equal parts sugar and warm water—for example, 200 grams of sugar in 200 milliliters of water—stir until everything is clear, and let it cool. This 1:1 syrup is the standard in most recipes, including this one. If you want less volume in your cocktail, make a rich syrup with two parts sugar to one part water and halve the amount. In a clean bottle in the refrigerator, 1:1 syrup keeps for about a month.
Frequently asked questions
What goes into a Daiquiri?
Three ingredients: 4.5 cl white rum, 2.5 cl fresh lime juice, and 1.5 cl sugar syrup, shaken with plenty of ice and garnished with a thin lime wheel. There is nowhere to hide, so freshly squeezed lime juice and a good white rum really determine the result here.
What is the ratio for a Daiquiri?
Roughly 3:2:1: here, 4.5 cl rum, 2.5 cl fresh lime juice, and 1.5 cl sugar syrup. If you want it drier, use 1 cl syrup; for a sweeter version, use 2 cl. Shake for twelve to fifteen seconds, because the dilution is part of the recipe.
How do you make a strawberry daiquiri?
Shake five fresh strawberries with the basic recipe and double-strain for the clear version, or blend everything with a handful of crushed ice for a frozen strawberry daiquiri. Reduce the sugar syrup to 1 cl, because the strawberries already add sweetness.
Which glass do you use for a Daiquiri?
A coupe or daiquiri glass holding 19 to 26 cl, chilled in the freezer beforehand. The Daiquiri is served straight up, so without ice in the glass, and a stemmed glass is the only way to keep it cold: see our daiquiri glasses.
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