Strawberry Daiquiri
Since strawberry season is upon us I wanted to do a strawberry cocktail. But finding a vintage cocktail made with strawberries proved somewhat difficult. The only thing I could come up with was a margarita or daiquiri. But I knew those wouldn’t work. I mean do you really think either one of those drinks was created before 1960? Well, guess what? They were! Waaaaay before it turns out. The margarita was created in the late 40’s and the frozen daiquiri in 1912, which means it totally fits into the classic cocktail category. And I can’t think of a better drink to show off the supple red fruit than the daiquiri, can you?
I’ve been a fan of the strawberry daiquiri since I was a kid. Okay, before you call the police on my parents for serving alcohol to a minor, know that before I turned 21 I was drinking virgin daiquiris. While they’re not nearly as much fun as the liquored up version, to a kid, a virgin strawberry daiquiri is the best summer drink available, especially when eating out at a Mexican restaurant. It was sweet, ice cold and came in the coolest glass. It was like a slushy from 7-11 without all the extra processed crap and food coloring. I always looked forward to going to our local Mexican restaurant because I knew before I even got out of the car that I’d be ordering up a strawberry daiquiri to go with my tacos.
While this drink was great without the alcohol, it’s even better with. The rum not only adds a nice kick, it makes the drink even sweeter since rum is actually made from fermented sugar cane. The combination of strawberries and rum make the daiquiri the perfect spring or summer cocktail. Not only do you have fresh, sweet strawberries, but the rum makes this drink the ideal choice for beach or pool parties. And come on, you know Bacardi is waaaaaay better than Cuervo.
But you’re probably wondering how a drink that’s served at every Mexican restaurant in the world could possibly be from 1912. Well, the story goes that Constantino Ribailagua of La Floridita Bar in Havana, Cuba was the first to create the frozen daiquiri. It was his idea to serve the rum over crushed ice. Since blenders didn’t exist in those days, serving drinks over crushed ice was a novelty. Unlike ice cubes, the crushed ice had an instant freezing effect, so adding it to a cocktail turned a plain old daiquiri into the sorbet-like concoction kids and adults alike have all come to know and love.
Strawberry Daiquiri
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 oz. white rum
- 1/2 oz. simple syrup
- 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
- 5 strawberries, hulled
Directions:
- Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend for 10-15 seconds. Add the crushed ice and blend for a few more seconds. Pour into a large goblet and garnish with a strawberry. Serve with a straw.
