We are in the last full week of May, and a few days past my birthday. Hence, it’s time for more refreshing cocktails, this week featuring Daiquiri.
One thing that has been on my mind lately with daiquiris is getting a slightly bitter grapefruit version of it right. The classic recipe for Hemingway daiquiri has been rubbing me the wrong way for a while, in particular because I am not the biggest fan of Maraschino liqueur. Within the past half a year I have explored the curious world of superjuices following the tips, ideas and using the calculator by Kevin Kos. While overall for things like limes and lemons I still prefer fresh juices, for more oddball citruses in the cocktail sense, I did quite enjoy the superjuice journey.
Hence it’s time to dig into some recipes for daiquiris, grapefruit uses and more!
Dry. Polished. Modern.
2.5oz El Dorado 3yo Demerara rum (trust me, this is the rum you want here)
0.75oz lime juice
0.5oz 2:1 simple cane sugar syrup
Add all ingredients into the shaker and shake with ice for 10-15 seconds. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass, and optionally garnish with a lime wheel or wedge.
Grapefruit Superjuice (SJ)
45g grapefruit peels
9g malic acid
36g citric acid
1.5g MSG
750g water
Combine grapefruit peels with the acids and let infuse for 2-3 hours (the resulting product is called oleo citrate). Then combine oleo citrate, water, juice of one grapefruit, and MSG in a blender, and blend until acids are dissolved. Filter through a fine mesh strainer and bottle. The superjuice will retain optimal flavor for up to two weeks and the fridge. After 2 week period it is still usable, but the flavors get muted over time.
Grapefruit Daiquiri
2oz light rum (I prefer Flor de Caña 4 Extra Dry or Cruzan Light Aged)
1oz grapefruit SJ
0.5oz 2:1 simple cane syrup
0.25oz grenadine
Add all ingredients into the shaker and shake with ice for 10-15 seconds. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass, express oils from a grapefruit peel, and optionally garnish with one.
SJ Hemingway Daiquiri #2
2oz light rum
1.25oz grapefruit SJ
0.5oz Maraschino liqueur
1 barspoon 2:1 simple cane syrup
1 dash absinthe
Add all ingredients except absinthe into the shaker and shake with ice for 10-15 seconds. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass, express oils from a grapefruit peel and add a dash (or preferably an atomizer spray) of absinthe on top of the drink. Optionally garnish with a grapefruit twist.
Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Daiquiri
2oz gold rum
0.5oz falernum (I used Velvet)
0.25oz Grand Marnier
1oz fresh lime juice
1 barspoon 2:1 demerara sugar syrup
3 drops 20% saline solution
Add all ingredients into the shaker and shake with ice for 10-15 seconds. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass, and optionally garnish with a lime wheel or wedge.
Comparison and thoughts
The Dry Modern version is surprisingly mellow, mainly due to the wonderful qualities of the the El Dorado 3yo rum. However, it definitely does taste drier than a typical daiquiri you’d get from a standard recipe. The generous 2.5oz pour of rum lets it shine as the main star in this daiquiri, while the mellow choice of rum itself doesn’t make the drink lopsided. While I recognize that this might not be everyone’s favorite in the bracket, I highly recommend giving this version a try, especially id you don’t mind a drier spirit forward drink.
In the realm of grapefruit/Hemingway daiquiris I distinctly prefer #2, since the tiny amount of absinthe adds nice complexity and amplifies the grapefruit essential oils without stealing the drink away from its rum core. In fact, for rum lovers I would suggest upping rum from 2oz to 2.25-2.5oz in this drink for drier balance and more rum centered finish. The grenadine in the grapefruit daiquiri recipe works beautifully by boosting both the color of the drink (especially prominent if your grapefruit peels were not bright ruby red colored) and the flavors. I need to mention that I was using a homemade grenadine (recipe coming soon), which usually ends up slightly more acidic and thick than the store bought version. However, unlike #2 the grapefruit daiquiri lacks complexity, making it easier, but also more boring, to drink.
Finally, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Daiuqiri is a recipe I spotted on Difford’s Guide and it was attributed to British Army officers frequenting the eponymous club, and later noted down in its present form in Trader Vic’s Bartnder’s Guide. For my taste this drink falls short of the expectations. I don’t find Grand Marnier to be a particularly strong flavor agent here, and falernum feels distracting rather than properly contributing to the complexity. I tried several other re-specs of this recipe, and always ended up with either too dry and tart of a drink, or too gooey of a falernum mess. However, I believe that this recipe might find its champions out there, especially among the folks who like margaritas, as some re-spec of this drink can get quite close to a rum based margarita.
Overall, I aimed to present three very different takes on a daiquiri to jump start your own creative journey with this wonderful cocktail. However, this is far from all the variations and tweaks I do to my daiquiris. As the time goes on I will likely make a separate post on dark rum daiquiris, as well as some other daiquiri adjacent cocktails.
Now, let’s pick your favorite!