Drink 124: The Daiquiri is a Lie

When I checked our drinking calendar (side note: I love that we have a drinking calendar) and saw that we were having a Daiquiri it seemed the perfect way to kick off the holiday weekend.  I called-in sick, pulled out our industrial-strength blender, picked some strawberries at the local patch, grabbed a jug of rum, and sat in the kitchen waiting for Mrs. Bottle to return from work so we could whip up a delicious frozen creation.  I was certain it would knock the socks off the ones we have at our favorite local restaurant, Applebees.

When Mrs. Bottle pulled a cocktail glass out of the freezer and started pouring rum, lime juice, and simple syrup into the cocktail shaker it left me shocked and saddened.  It turns out that a traditional Daiquiri has very little to do with the frozen drinks you get at Fat Tuesday or your favorite drive-through.  Inside Edition should investigate how this drink got bastardized from a simple cocktail into a sot's Slurpee instead of hassling people who have busy lives and enjoy the convenience of a to-go adult beverage.  I’m not sure it required much investigative journalism to deduce that some people who get buy drinks at a drive-through consume them while driving.  On the next Inside Edition: There is pornography available on the Internet!

Yes, this is what a
Daiquiri looks like



The classic Daiquiri was invented in the early 1900’s in Puerto Rico, at least according to this full page tourism ad disguised as an article.  According to the ad, a group of mining engineers were sitting around the bar when one of them said, “Caballeros Y amigos, we have been enjoying this delicious mixture for some time, but strange to admit the drink has no name. Don‘t you think it is about time something was done to extricate us from this sad predicament.”  I, for one, believe that quotation is 100% accurate and shows no signs of being completely fabricated.  I’m just relieved that they were extricated from their sad predicament.  I wonder which mine-related hardship was worse: Not having a name for their fruity rum drink, or spending 69 days trapped in a collapsed mine? The Chilean miners did have TV, so it is a tough call.

They look fine to me

The rating for the Daiquiri was also a tough call.  The flavor was very tart due to the ounce of lime juice.  It almost overwhelmed the rum and made the drink somewhat one-noted. On the other hand, Mrs. Bottle and I had no problem finishing it off, so it definitely wasn’t bad.  At one point I turned to Mrs. Bottle and said, “We have been enjoying this delicious mixture for some time, but it is strange to admit I think it could be better.  Don’t you think that if we added just a touch more rum or simple syrup it would counter the lime juice and extricate us from the sour taste?”  She agreed.

Overall Rating for the Daiquiri

Taste: 4 – Just barely squeaked past a 3
Presentation: 3
Ease of Preparation: 4
Drinks Until Blackout: 6 – 22% Alcohol

Ingredients

1 .5 oz Light Rum
1 oz Lime Juice

1 tsp Superfine Sugar or Simple Syrup