After the Negroni, the Daiquiri is probably my favorite cocktail. This seemingly simple drink – rum, lime juice, sugar – is refreshingly sublime when made with a good rum. Actually, this is an excellent test for any rum – if it doesn’t make a beautiful Daiquiri, then maybe something is wrong with it…
A rhum agricole Daiquiri (and a Pegu Club) at Pegu Club
This post is devoted to Daiquiri variations that use rum as the base, with a little bit of this or that added.
From the archives…
May 10, 2012
I just tried a Daiquiri variation tonight with Jamaican rum (I used Appleton 12 yr) and Angostura bitters called Captain’s Blood.
So simple and so delicious. It really highlights the flavor of the rum.
July 9, 2012
On the thread about honey in mixed drinks, I discussed the Brooklynite, a daiquiri with dark rum, honey syrup, and Angostura bitters.
Another daiquiri variation that I tried last week for the first time is the Daiquiri no. 2. It’s a classic daiquiri (white rum, lime juice, simple syrup) with a barspoon each of orange juice and curaçao.
I broke open my new bottle of Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao for the occasion. Compared to Cointreau, it is drier and has a more complex aroma (heavy on the peel) – really nice. I can’t wait to use it in a Mai Tai.
I am not a huge fan of orange juice in cocktails and like blood oranges much better, so that’s what I used. To me, they have a berry flavor that comes out in the finish and is very pleasant. Plus I love the color.
July 12, 2012
Hemingway Daiquiri for me last night.
1.5 oz white rum (Flor de Caña), 1 oz (oro blanco) grapefruit juice, 0.75 oz maraschino liqueur, 0.5 oz lime juice, brandied cherry garnish.
It felt great, especially after having a particularly bad one at a bar not too long ago (I suspect their grapefruit juice was stale, because their second attempt was not much better than the first).
July 18, 2012
I made a simple Daiquiri Naturale last night using rhum agricole.
2 oz rum
1 oz lime juice
3/4 oz simple syrup
It is my favorite way to enjoy a good unaged rhum agricole. La Favorite has a very distinctive grassy/funky flavor that is wonderful in this drink. I never get tired of it.
September 20, 2012
Daiquiri Naturale again, this time with a newly acquired bottle of J.M white rhum agricole. I could not resist – it was only $26 at my local Bristol Farms.
Less grassy/green than La Favorite but still plenty of “funk” with great tropical fruit/coconut flavors.
September 25, 2012
A couple of drinks with orgeat, inspired by the 7 daiquiris in 7 days from The Mix Lab.
First, the Look Normal by Rumdood. White rum (I used Flor de Caña) and lime juice sweetened with orgeat, maraschino, simple syrup and absinthe (I used pastis). It’s reminiscent of the Hemingway Daiquiri with a kick from the absinthe (I had reduced the amount from 2 to 1 tsp). The orgeat mellows the flavors so it’s quite mild and refreshing.
The second drink was the Freshman Daiquiri by Theo Lieberman. White rum, lime juice, orgeat, falernum, orange slices. I think this was our favorite. The combo of orgeat + orange + falernum is a great one.
October 9, 2012
Last night I tried the Rum Crawl (rum & lime sweetened with ginger syrup and falernum + whiskey-barrel aged bitters), a creation from Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco that was documented in a blog post by Dave Stolte/Home Bar Basics.
It reminded me of the Captain’s Blood, another great drink that I mentioned upthread, with an additional layer of flavor imparted by the ginger syrup and falernum. I used Canton ginger liqueur and store-bought falernum, but I would love to make my own falernum at some point. The rum was Appleton 12-year old.
November 3, 2012
Daiquiri Naturale with Banks rum.
January 11, 2013
The Hotel Nacional, a Daiquiri variation from the namesake hotel in Cuba, made with the ratios from PDT. It’s a daiquiri with aged rum (PDT lists Ron Pompero Aniversario; I used Plantation Barbados 5 year which is another nice sipping rum), pineapple juice and apricot liqueur, in addition to lime and simple syrup. I initially forgot the simple syrup and added it later, but honestly I don’t feel that it was really need with the sweetness already imparted by the pineapple and the apricot liqueur.
It is a pleasant “beginner” daiquiri; with the rum I used it had undertones of coconut. I still much prefer the crispness of a regular daiquiri.
January 17, 2013
After an unremarkable daiquiri from the PDT cocktail book (see the Hotel Nacional above), I tried the Winter Daiquiri from the current issue of Imbibe Magazine. I was a little nervous to use vanilla syrup thinking that it would be another overly sweet daiquiri.
It’s a creation from Mindy Kucan (from Hale Pele, the relatively new tiki bar in Portland owned by Blair Reynolds) and it has aged rum (I used Plantation Barbados 5), lime juice, vanilla syrup, allspice dram, and Angostura bitters.
Lovely spice and the balance is right, the vanilla is there as an undertone but does not overwhelm the drink. Very well done.
May 2, 2013
Daiquiris with J.M and La Favorite rhum agricole. J.M has more citrus while La Favorite has coconut, pear and lychee flavors.
May 21, 2013
A comparison of Hemingway Daiquiris last night with Banks 5 Island white rum and an oro blanco grapefruit.
PDT version [on the left]
2 oz rum
0.5 oz grapefruit juice
0.75 oz lime juice
0.5 oz maraschino liqueur
Bartender’s Choice App
1.5 oz rum
1 oz grapefruit juice
0.5 oz lime juice
0.75 oz maraschino liqueur
The PDT version puts more emphasis on the citrus. The flavor of the maraschino is more pronounced in the Bartender’s Choice version and it is a touch sweeter. Both work with a preference for the Bartender’s Choice version (I don’t think that I am biased, but in any case I also included my husband in the study as a blinded subject and he had the same conclusion).
June 19, 2013
The Navy Dock Daiquiri, found on cocktail virgin slut blog. The flavor profile is very Cynar-forward so this is definitely a stretch from a classic Daiquiri.
1.5 oz Smith & Cross Jamaica rum
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz lime juice
1/4 oz maraschino liqueur
Oil and smoke in a daiquiri base, with bonus funk from the maraschino.
June 21, 2013
Daiquiri with rhum J.M and J.M cane syrup. I think I actually prefer a sugar syrup in my Daiquiris.
June 25, 2013
The Cloak and Dagger, a Daiquiri with a mix of rums. The recipe in the Bartender’s Choice app called for Gosling + aged rum. I went with Coruba dark Jamaican rum and Flor de Cana 4 year extra dry rum. Simple but to the point.
August 7, 2013
Last night I tried the Oh Gosh from Tony Conigliaro’s Cocktail Lab with aged white rum, triple sec, lime juice, simple syrup. It’s an orange-flavored Daiquiri, a bit similar to the Daiquiri No. 2. The cocktail is well balanced but I struggled a bit with the large amount of triple sec. I still prefer a classic Daiquiri. In any case, it went down very easily.
March 12, 2014
Daiquiri No.2 with J.M rhum agricole, lime juice, simple syrup, Clément créole shrubb, orange juice.
April 5, 2014
Daiquiri (Difford’s ratio) with El Dorado Demerara rum (3 years). This rather is rather sweet and doesn’t pop as much as I would like in a Daiquiri.
April 8, 2014
Either my taste buds have evolved, or I have finally seen the light. But I have now officially switched to the Difford’s 10:3:2 ratio for my Daiquiris (I omit the chilled water, and make sure to stay away from Bacardi though!). I’ve even done a side-by-side to be absolutely sure, and they are indeed better this way, with the rum front and center. The only drawback is that, with my American jigger, the measurements end up being awkward with 2 oz rum, 0.6 oz lime, 0.4 oz 2:1 syrup. (I am aiming for a total of 3 oz.) Maybe just up the rum to 2.5 oz and use bigger glasses next time…
First test with 2:1 demerara syrup and J.M rhum agricole.
Side-by-side with the Bartender’s Choice version.
The Difford’s ratio has the advantage of using less lime juice, which is very appropriate given the lime shortage in the US!
April 19, 2014
This rum passes the Daiquiri test with flying colors.
May 9, 2014
Tom Walker’s Maid in Cuba last night, as a nod to his win in the Bacardy Legacy Competition.
2 oz rum (Havana Club añejo), 1 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz simple syrup, shake with a handful of mint and 3 slices (Persian) cucumber, fine strain into a coupe rinsed with (St. George) abinsthe, top with club soda (I would omit it next time), cucumber slice garnish.
June 3, 2014
Daiquiri (Difford’s 10:3:2 ratio) with Plantation 3 Stars rum. It does make a great Daiquiri. And as a bonus, it’s quite cheap (I paid $16.99 + tax for 1 liter).
I want to say that the flavor of this rum is not very far apart from Flor de Caña, maybe a little fuller/richer when the FdC is a bit more grassy/coconut-y, although I no longer have a bottle of FdC to compare against.
June 20, 2014
I had a Daiquiri with Neisson blanc a couple of days ago. Difford’s 10:3:2 ratio. That might be perfection.
July 2, 2014
A bloody Daiquiri, why not. Benjamin Barker Daiquiri by Brian Miller with aged rum (El Dorado 8), lime juice, Campari, demerara syrup, absinthe (St. George). Pretty well done because the Campari blends harmoniously and does not become obvious until the end. A good option for an aged rum Daiquiri with a slightly bitter finish.
July 15, 2014
Here is a 10:3:2 Daiquiri with La Favorite from this weekend. No surprise here, I am still a huge fan. As a side benefit, the rhum starts releasing its fragrance as soon as you open the bottle, and perfumes the whole room by the time the drink is ready.
July 18, 2014
I was reading the chapter on citrus in Morgenthaler’s book, saw the photo of the Daiquiri No. 3 (aka Hemingway Daiquiri), and had to have one immediately. I used his ratios.
First with Plantation 3 Stars; just the rich touch of grassy sugar cane. Then with El Dorado 3 for a richer, almost buttery version.
July 31, 2014
I forgot to post this nice Daiquiri variation a while back, Phil Ward’s DWB. It’s a white rhum agricole Daiquiri with a touch of Batavia Arrack. What I found exciting was the combination of the funk from the rhum agricole and the batavia arrack. It’s not something I had experienced before.I would not mind having one now.
August 20, 2014
Here is last night’s Daiquiri 10:3:2 with Damoiseau rhum agricole from Guadeloupe.
September 4, 2014
I made a coconut orgeat last weekend and used it in a Daiquiri variation. It needs some tweaking but it has potential. The orgeat is fabulous in water – instant coconut water. I am enjoying some right now.
September 16, 2014
With the heat wave in San Diego, a Daiquiri was a must-have last night. Clement Canne Bleue (2011) is a single varietal rhum agricole, made from a variety of sugar cane from Barbados that has a violet-greyish tinge. I brought it back from a trip to Paris a while back, and had not made a Daiquiri with it yet, just a Ti Punch.
On its own, in terms of intensity, it’s on par with Neisson but less powerful than La Favorite. It makes a wonderfully aromatic Daiquiri, very nuanced and elegant.
November 20, 2014
A recent Daiquiri No. 2 with Plantation 3 Stars, lime juice, orange juice, simple syrup, Clement Creole shrubb.
January 5, 2015
Daisy de Santiago (Charles H Baker Jr) with Clement VSOP rhum agricole, lime juice, yellow Chartreuse, simple syrup.
February 3, 2015
10:3:2 Daiquiri with La Mauny rhum agricole.
March 4, 2015
Jovencourt Daiquiri (Phil Ward), a Daiquiri variation with Barbancourt white rum (Plantation 3 Stars white rum), Del Maguey Vida mezcal, lime juice, simple syrup.
Very nice little hint of smoke and agave from the mezcal. It reminds me of Phil Ward’s FWB (same idea, with batavia arrack).
Rhum agricole with absinthe, green Chartreuse and fresh basil. Based on the Daisy de Santiago (Daiquiri with Chartreuse). It sounds overly busy, but it’s actually sublime… The Green Mile (Phil Ward) with Barbancourt white rum (La Mauny white rhum agricole), lime juice, green Chartreuse, simple syrup, Vieux Pontarlier absinthe (St. George absinthe), Thai basil (Italian basil).
March 24, 2015
10:3:2 Daiquiri and Ti’ Punch with Ko Hana Hawaiian rhum.
April 20, 2015
Denizen Merchant’s Reserve was really great in the Daiquiri variation called Captain’s Blood (named after the classic movie with Errol Flynn). Rum, lime juice, simple, Angostura bitters. Tasteful and balanced; gone in no time.
September 3, 2015
A friend gave me a few fresh passion fruits and I was looking for something that could do them justice. I found a recipe for a Daiquiri variation with fresh passion fruit juice that I thought would be nice to try.
Golden Prestige (Nicolas Michel via Gaz Regan) with Bacardi Superior rum (Plantation 3 Stars white rum), fresh passion fruit juice, lime juice, Monin gomme syrup (Small Hand Foods), orange blossom water, saffron. I used 1/2 barspoon of orange blossom water per cocktail which was plenty, and I reduced the amount of gomme a bit.
Luau Daiquiri (Jeff Berry) with Plantation 3 Stars rum, lime juice, orange juice, vanilla syrup. I had to add 1/4 oz lime juice because the drink was too sweet. It was very meh. A diluted Daiquiri with orange juice. I guess I will have to do more research for the orange juice challenge.
December 15, 2015
Here is a Daiquiri no. 3 from a few nights ago (Constantino Ribalaigua Vert, ratios by Jeff Morgenthaler) with Damoiseau rhum agricole, lime juice, oro blanco grapefruit juice, maraschino liqueur, simple syrup. Well, that one didn’t work so well with the Damoiseau. It enhanced its glycerin-like notes. It wasn’t horrible by any means, but that rum wasn’t the best fit for this drink. (It was better with Plantation 3 Stars for example.)
December 19, 2015
Boukman Daiquiri (Alex Day) with Plantation 3 stars rum (substituted for Barbancourt white), Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac (substituted for Hine), lime juice, cinnamon bark syrup.
This is a great Daiquiri variation, tasty and simple. Adding it to my (long) list of favorites.
January 12, 2016
This is rather wonderful. I typically shy away from drinks with pineapple juice, but that one felt like a Daiquiri with subtle elements highlighting this incredible rum – I got a lot of banana!
The Great Pretender (Thomas Waugh) with Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, lime juice, pineapple juice, cinnamon bark syrup, vanilla syrup, cinnamon-sugar rim.
January 28, 2016
10:3:2 Daiquiri with Dillon rhum agricole, lime juice, JM cane syrup. I really like this rhum agricole. It’s cheap and very flavorful, high proof too (55).
April 15, 2016
Daiquiri No. 3 (Constantino Ribalaigua Vert via Jeff Morgenthaler) with Dillon white rhum agricole, lime, Oro blanco grapefruit, simple syrup, Luxardo maraschino liqueur.
July 2, 2016
10:3:2 Daiquiri with Ko Hana white agricole rum.
July 23, 2016
Finally tried the Rum Crawl with (the last of) my homemade falernum. It’s fabulous, complex and tropical.
Rum Crawl (Bourbon & Branch) with Appleton 12 Jamaican rum, lime juice, homemade falernum, Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, Fee Brothers’ whiskey-barrel aged bitters.
Further reading & watching:
- Difford’s Daiquiri history and recipe roundup
- The Daiquiri as a good way to gauge a bartender’s skill
Tartines to Tikis 
Uncanny that you write this just as I’m about to begin building up my rum collection having just bought the Smuggler’s Cove book – now I have all these to try as well!
Great to see you are using so many of the rums I’ve settled on buying.
Noticed you use Rothman & Winter’s apricot liqueur – ever had a chance to compare this to others such as the Giffard premium?
Can you please do the same thing but for the Mai Tai now?
Oh and where did you get those lovely ornate old fashioned glasses?
Hi Ben!
Thanks for your comments. Smuggler’s Cove is a great book! I just got my book signed by Martin Cate at a seminar he gave last week about the creation of tiki drink. He is a fantastic teacher and this was a fun hands-on presentation with fabulous rum samples, including the new OFTD by Plantation which I highly recommend.
About the R&W apricot liqueur, to be honest I’ve always been on the fence about it. It has a bit of an artificial flavor to me. Often I use a wild peach liqueur from Briottet instead of apricot. That one has a fantastic and very natural flavor. I haven’t had a chance to try other apricot liqueurs. Some people rave about Marie Brizard, other like Giffard (which is rated 5 stars on Difford’s). Here is a good article on various options from Serious Eats and a long discussion on the same topic on eGullet.
Great idea about the Mai Tai! I have a bunch of variations that I like, and this is likely going to be my next blog post. Thanks for the idea!
I use different types of old fashioned glasses with patterns. Some are vintage amoeba-style design from Federal Glass, others that I use for tiki drinks are reproduction Trader Vic or new designs by Michael Uhlenkott or Tiki Tony.
I’ve checked out a number of tiki/rum-related seminars online recently where he prominently features and he always stands out being the most forward-thinking in the area. Quite jealous; must be nice having it on your doorstep! Not sure what OFTD is – but we can’t even get Stiggins Pineapple rum here in the UK so I doubt whatever it is will appear on our shelves. Sadly the same can be said of the glassware – can’t seem to find any ornate old fashioned glasses over here.
To add to my list of annoyances of what the UK gets vs the states are most certainly rums. There are a couple of notable rums that I’d love to get my hands on; most notably Coruba Dark and Hamilton 151 demerara. Will have to try Black Seal and Black Seal 151 instead and see how I fare.
Anyway I wanted to come back to your point about liqueurs. Funnily enough I had already seen the serious eats thread and obsessively combed the reviews on Difford’s, however reading through that thread was something of an eye-opener. For all my complaints about what we can’t obtain here that is so readily available in the states, it very much seems like the shoe is on the other foot when it comes to fruit liqueurs in Europe. In fact, I am convinced most of what we have will be better than the Marie Brizard line (and easier to get too), for the fact that we have direct access to the product from the Netherlands and France made from fresh fruit rather than colourants.
In terms of Apricot Brandy, I’ve been working my way through the Giffard Abricot du Rousillon. It’s performed well, but it has an unshakeable syrupy-sweet, almost artificial note that I believe will be very similar to what you’ve described as putting you off about the R&W. The R&W stood out to me from having a base of an apricot eau-de-vie and being described as more natural in flavour, but again, the research in that thread has proved this isn’t as significant as I first thought. For a while I was keen on trying the De Kuyper XO Apricot Brandy and I think I now definitely will. A lot of the time Difford is spot on with his reviews, but sometimes I think sponsorship plays a role and leads to questionable ratings (look at what he’s given Bacardi Carta Blanca, Smirnoff, Gordon’s Gin, etc).
I noted you also have an issue with the cloying sweetness in peach liqueurs and recommended Edmond Briottet. Currently I’m working through a little bottle of Lejay-Lagoute, which is nice, but again a little on the sweet side. Weighing up these two based on the notes and the thread you linked me to:
https://www.diffordsguide.com/beer-wine-spirits/liqueurs-alc-cordials/fruit-liqueurs/BWS003131/gabriel-boudier-creme-de-peche-liqueur
https://www.diffordsguide.com/beer-wine-spirits/liqueurs-alc-cordials/fruit-liqueurs/BWS001636/edmond-briottet-creme-de-peche
Have you tried the GB? I wonder how it might fare.
On a final note, you mentioned a major annoyance of mine; the lack of availability of smaller bottles to sample vendors’ products before committing to a full bottle. Over here we can get little 20cl bottles of the Lejay-Lagoute line including Creme de cassis, mure, peche, framboise, fraise and their triple sec. If you wanted to try them out I’d be quite happy to order and ship them stateside and cost price for you. Also, whilst not cheap, two of our best online retailers for spirits ship to the states if you are not already aware:
https://www.masterofmalt.com
and
https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/
I’ve been attending Martin Cate’s presentations for years now, and they are great because you always learn a thing or two while having fun. And as a bonus, he always brings interesting and sometimes rare rums to try. He mentioned that he was going to do a book signing in London sometime soon, although I cannot find the exact date or venue online.
OFTD is the new overproof rum by Plantation that was developed in collaboration with Martin Cate, David Wondrich, Jeff Berry, Paul McGee, etc. More information on the Cocktail Wonk blog.
About the rums that you mentioned, Hamilton 151 is supposed to be very similar to Lemon Hart 151 so it should be pretty great. Coruba on the other hand is nothing special. It’s decent, and I’ve used it in punches for the most part, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get it. I know a few people in the UK who use Skipper black rum, so that might be a good option for a black rum (it’s also recommended in the Smuggler’s Cove book).
I think the search for the perfect apricot liquor is still on. I haven’t tried the Gabriel Boudier. It’s not so much the sweetness that bothers me, because typically you only use a small amount and can always reduce the amount of simple syrup accordingly. It’s the artificial flavor that you describe (even though R&W is made from real apricots). The peach from Briottet tastes completely natural, which to me is a big plus. So I’d be tempted to try their apricot next, or maybe just continue to use the wild peach since I’ve been happy with it.
I am very familiar with Master of Malt and the Whiskey Exchange! Two great stores. I actually visited the Whiskey Exchange while in London a couple of years ago, and I’ve ordered things from Master of Malt in the past, including their advent calendar (Armagnac edition). Here in Southern California, my main source is Hi Time which has a very solid selection, and also K&L.
Thanks for sharing all this information with me! It’s very much appreciated!
So, I just wanted to come back to you with a few more questions and an update!
Firstly on the black rum front, so far I’ve been using Gosling’s Black Seal and I’m pretty happy with it!
In terms of our 151 (Black Blended Overproof) Options over here in the UK we are very limited, so I hope the OFTD hits our shelves very soon! Failing that, one option is Gosling’s Black Seal 151, another is a Navy Demerara bottled at 57% which is Wood’s 100 (which I definitely prefer to Skipper).
I had a question I forgot to pick up with you before; I’ve noticed in your white rum rotation over time you’ve used Flor de Cana 4 year, El Dorado 3 year, and Plantation 3 stars. Do you have a favourite and is there any 1 or 2 of these you’d recommend stocking over the others?
Finally, on the liqueurs, I’ve just given in and ordered a bottle of DeKuyper XO Apricot Brandy, it sounds fantastic. I compared my bottle of Giffard Abricot d’Rousillon to a fresher one of a friends’ and found it to be noticeably different so I have some fresher liqueur to compare it with.
I was going to take you up on the recommendation of the Edmond Briottet Creme de Peche until I spotted a small bottle of the GB in the supermarket and picked it up, but I think I will still try the EB next.Was it the regular Creme de Peche or the Creme de Peche du vigne that you have?
Hi Ben!
For the white rum, I’ve been very happy with Flor de Cana 4 years extra dry. It is quite cheap and actually very flavorful, with subtle coconut notes. I think it’s a great value. Plantation 3 Stars is also excellent. I haven’t done a side-by-side but the flavor profile is a bit different. They are both great in Daiquiris which is my ultimate test for a white rum.
As for the El Dorado 3 years, it is not bad but it lacks a bit of punch for me, and is also rather sweet. So I would stay with the Flor de Cana or Plantation for my white rum. Havana Club 3 years is another great option – I rarely use my bottle since I can’t get it here, but otherwise you’d see me use it much more often!
Thanks for your update on the apricot liqueur. I don’t think we get the DeKuyper XO Apricot in the US, only their basic apricot liqueur. The Briottet I use is the peche de vigne (wild peach).
A nice collection of variations on this classic cocktail. Given the title I almost expected you to lead with Ward’s DWB! But I see it does show up along the way. One of my favorites!
Thanks for visiting the blog! I think one of my most common orders in a (good) bar is a Daiquiri variation.
A classic Daiquiri is also what I most frequently make to guests to introduce them to a proper cocktail. They are often blown away to realize it’s only rum, lime, and simple syrup! So simple, yet so delicious. And the DWB is a great twist for sure!
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