How to Make a Strawberry Daiquiri So You Can Finally Live Your Poolside Fantasy
Before you learn how to make strawberry daiquiris, you should probably have some backstory. The daiquiri was once a simple shaken drink of light rum, lime juice, and simple syrup. Then, with the invention of the frozen margarita machine in the 70s, the daiquiri became a different beast altogether. Fruit syrups, artificial colors, and a slushy texture became the new normal.
The overly sweet blended drink of underage Bourbon Streeters and strip mall chain restaurants bears little resemblance to the classic cocktail that inspired it.
The blended version became the unofficial drink of New Orleans (if you want to get technical, that city's actual official drink is the Sazerac). In NOLA, drive-thru daiquiri spots are a part of the scenery, and it's not uncommon to meander through the streets, massive styrofoam cup of sugary, rum-heavy slush in hand.
That being said, daiquiri purists probably don't get down with the syrupy, fruity, blended version of the drink, but it's kind of become a traditional cocktail in its own right. Here's your happy medium: a fruit-laced blender cocktail with all the fun of the to-go daiquiri and the clean, balanced flavor of a classic, no-funny-business daiquiri. Drink up.
Tools You Will Need
A blender
A measuring cup (we love these 2-ounce cups from OXO for cocktails)
A mallet or other device for smashing (optional)
Strawberry Daiquiri
1. Crush Your Ice
Starting your blended drink with crushed ice (rather than whole ice cubes) creates a smoother cocktail, not to mention it's easier for your blender to handle. If your fridge puts out crushed ice, great! You're already half way there. If not, DIY crushed ice by wrapping cubes in a kitchen towel and pounding them a few times with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or cast-iron skillet. Once it's crushed, measure out 1/2 cup ice per serving and pour it into your blender.
2. Add Flavorings
For each serving, toss in 5 large, ripe, hulled strawberries (frozen is fine, but fresh, sweet, in season berries are best), 2 teaspoons of sugar, and 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) fresh lime juice. The sugar is only there to highlight the sweetness of the strawberries—don't worry, this isn't a cloying sugar bomb—but if you'd care to leave it out, you can replace it (and amp up the flavor) by using a sweet berry liqueur in its place. If you go this route, use about 1/2 ounce of liqueur. Fresh lime juice helps too, adding just enough acid to balance out the strawberries' sweetness.
3. Add Rum
White (AKA light) rum is typically used in daiquiris, but golden rum could stand in—it's got a deeper, more caramel-y flavor than the clean notes of white rum. Either way, you'll need 2 ounces per serving. Dark rum wouldn't do well in this cocktail, though—it's too robust and smoky to fit in with the berries and lime. Similarly, skip any spiced rums since they'll overtake the berries' delicate flavor. Lastly, if anyone in your group is rum-averse, you can easily swap in tequila to turn this drink from a daiquiri into a frozen strawberry margarita. (True, most margaritas have orange liqueur, but it's not strictly necessary.)
We tasted 18 varieties of all-natural strawberry jams to determine the very best one for spreading on bread and stirring into yogurt.
4. Blend It Up
Whiz all the ingredients in a blender until a thick, slushy drink forms. Serve in a chilled martini glass, a margarita glass, a champagne flute, a hurricane glass if you've made yourself a double—or just stick a (non-plastic) straw right into the blender.
5. Garnish
No poolside cocktail is complete without a garnish. For a strawberry daiquiri, that means a lime wheel and a strawberry. If your strawberries are all large, cut them in half—or even into slices. If they're small, just make a small slit about half way up from the bottom and slide it onto the side of the glass. Slice limes into thin rounds, then take one lime wheel and slice from the perimeter to the center to make a slit and slide it onto the glass rim, next to the berry. Want to add a cocktail umbrella? Stick it right into the flesh of the perched strawberry.
Bonus: How to Make a Shaken (Non-Frozen) Strawberry Daiquiri
One last word on classic daiquiris, it's easy to turn them into flavored ones—and it may be one of the best ways to enjoy in-season fruit. To do it, add 2–3 large strawberries to a cocktail shaker with 1/2 ounce simple syrup. Muddle until the berries are crushed and their juices have been released. Fill the shaker with ice cubes, 2 ounces light or golden rum, and 1 ounce of lime juice. Shake vigorously until the shaker is frosted on the outside, about 20 seconds. Strain into a coupe glass or pour into a rocks glass over ice and garnish with a strawberry half and a lime wheel.
Originally Appeared on Epicurious
