DAQ.
The Daiquiri, the beast, the vacation, the bartender’s whim, or known simply throughout the industry as “Daq.” It is a workhorse. When in doubt Daiquiri. Daquiri Time Out. It can even be split up into the industry favorite shot and ever reliable “Snackquiri.” There’s a reason why it is the industry-wide “test” in craft bars to get to know a bartender. Any interview I’ve ever done ends with asking the bartender to make a Daquiri of their choice. It is a window into the personality, creativity, temperament, and skill level of a bartender.
The Daiquiri is the final hurdle in the foundational education of a bartender. In Ep 1, making a Daq is the final exam of palate training. A good Daquiri, like an actually good one, is a huge feat of skill, knowledge, and palate excellence. The ability to make a consistently good Daquiri is like having an unlimited cache of Mario Kart disco/rainbow stars to spread joy with whenever, wherever.
The daiquiri is last in our discussion of the great mother cocktails for a reason. It is the single most difficult cocktail to make. Although technically a sour, the Daquiri is explored separately because this drink has something a typical sour doesn’t.
For many years my daqs stank. Like, rlllllll bad. I could never Figure out why. I measured, I balanced, but they weren’t right. Like when a pair of shoes “fits” but they aren’t you. Then one day, it dawned on me. The magical missing link, the thing that makes a daiquiri unique from all other types of cocktails, the “FUNK.”
Rum is a highly dynamic spirit. There are multitudes of styles, flavors, and diverse terroir resulting in a kind of intangible yet unmistakably present Funk. Every single daq is different. Even if you make the same cocktail, with the same rum, and the same specs, the drink will still be different every time. The trick is to balance the Funk, creating harmony in the rest of the drink. The Daiquiri is truly one of the first cocktails that, if made well, will transport you instantly to another place and time. Insta-beach! When I figured this out (after years of sub-par daqing) my daiquiris became magical.
Funk Master Jelly Daq. Keepin’ it rrrrl chill.
Balancing Daq
Listen to the spirit. First step to daq mastery is to pay attention to your rum. Is it Aged or Silver? Is it spiced? Charcoal Filtered? What country is it from? Is it made from cane juice or molasses? Is the Rum Flavored? All of these have a huge factor the character of the cocktail. For example, Silver rums made from molasses tend to have a slightly medicinal flavor with really delicate subtle fruit notes. Cane juice distilled rums are grassy and wild. Aged rums have a great deal of vanilla, wood, and smoke as well as stone fruit. Terroir plays a huge role too. Jamaican rum (fruit and shade) vs. Barbados Rum (hot) vs. Brazilian Cachaca (grass) vs. Michoacan Charanda (minerale) all create different flavor experiences.
Sugar. Pair your sugar accordingly. As a basic rule, I use light sugar with unaged spirits and dark sugar for aged spirits (except for charcoal filtered ones, tricksters that look unaged but have the flavor of aged sprits.) There’s also a great deal of sugars available out there to get weird with. Palm sugar for one is excellent for aged rums.
I stick to 1:1 simple syrup in general. There’s a lot of claims about the superiority of “rich syrups” that use bigger sugar ratios like 2:1, 3:1, even 4:1 (sheesh). In truth, dilution is dilution is dilution. If your syrup has less water in it (which may help it be more shelf stable w/o refrigeration) you will have to shake more, if the syrup has more water, you will have to shake less. Either way, a properly diluted drink will end up with the same texture and taste regardless of syrup ratio. I prefer a reliable syrup that is consistent for pouring than an overly thick, gummy syrup that slows down service, makes for a slightly longer shake time, and really does not improve the drink in a meaningful way.
Juice. Fresh Lime Juice, that’s it. Whoo! That’s the lowest maintenance part of this drink. Oh, and remember to consult your handy dandy juice chart. You’ll find that unlike sours of equal parts acid and sweet, daqs have slightly more acid because lime juice is not as tart as lemon.
Back in “Mojito” Day the Daq was just a beach.
*FUN FACT
The Mojito came first. The Daq was invented when a Mining Engineer working in Cuba didn’t have any mint for his “after work and chill.” He made the drink sans mint and named it after the beach where he was staying.
FUNK. The key to a magical Daq is harnessing the funk and balancing accordingly. I use this method to dial in every last Daq:
Build Daq to your liking. Taste the drink. While holding the taste on your palate, close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Imagine yourself on a beach. Feel the breeze, taste the salt / dust / grass/ sunshine. Feel your toes sinking into the sand. Hear the ocean waves lapping the shore. Ask yourself honestly, if the drink you have made is in your hand. If not, make it more sour or more sweet, until it is.
Classic Daiquiri
2oz Rum of choice
1oz Lime Juice
3/4oz Simple syrup or Raw Sugar Dem (Pair with light or dark rum)
Taste and balance the funk. Shake, serve up in a prechilled coupe.
Mechanical Parts of Daiquiri:
2oz strong
1oz Lime
.75oz sweet
From left to right, Lime Sugar, Lime Salt, and Zero Waste Lime Powder.
Zero Waste Technique
Most of the flavor, perfume, and nuance of a humble lime can be found in the rind. The skin has a wonderful oily, floral, perfume, while the pith has a subtle pleasing bitterness. Craft bars juice mountains of lime daily and usually just toss the rind. That’s a lot of good flavor being tossed. Instead of trash, spent lime rinds can be dehydrated. The dehydrated husks can be steeped in hot water to make a strong tea to make the most incredible syrup. Husks can also be ground with a coffee grinder into a fine powder that will keep for months and can be combined with sugar or salt to easily amp up rims. I like to use syrup that has the lime husk incorporated because it provides more complete experience of the awesometude that is lime.
Jelly’s Daq
2oz Aged Rum
1oz Lime Juice
.75oz Raw Sugar Simple (Dem) made with Lime Husk Tea
Other Special Daq’s:
Industry Night – Plantation Pineapple Rum, Dem, Lime
Oaxacan- Paranubes, Simple, Lime
Famous Classic Daqs:
Ti Punch – Martinique style, Agricole rum, muddled line, and sugar served on rocks
Caipirinha – Brazilian style, Cachaca, muddled lime, sugar, served over ice
Margarita – Seriously, Tequila, Orange Liquor, Lime, and sometimes sugar
Hemmingway – Light Rum, Maraschino Liqor, Grapefruit, Lime
Mai Thai – Original Tiki Daq with light & Dark rums, Almond syrup, Orange Liqor, and Lime
Lions Tail – Bourbon, Lime, Dem, and Allspice
Mojito – Daq’s Mother, Rum, Lime, Sugar, with mint and Soda added
Queens Park- Daq’s sassy Aunt, a mojito served layered over crushed iced with bitters on top
JUICE
VS
MUDDLE
Tid Bit: Juice vs. Muddled Lime: Juice offers the tactile sensation of acid as well as light tropical flavors of the juice, the skin has aromatic / floral/and textural oil components. Muddled lime = a slightly different texture and more aromatic cocktail. Usually drinks made this way are a bit boozier and served on the rocks more akin to an old fashioned than a shaken drink.
That’s the final chapter in the epic Mother Cocktail Saga. Martini, Manhattan, Negroni, Sour, Old Fashioned, and Daiquiri, all roads lead from here. By familiarizing yourself with the mechanics of these mother cocktails you are free to make a multitude of creative, unique libations in a practical and meaningful way. Understanding how the parts work, also allows for a better grasp of what proportions should work best in a cocktail if a guest asks for certain ingredients without a recipe. Happy riffing, happy mixing, Cheers!
<3 J