The Old School Cuban Cocktail That Pre-Dates The Frozen Drink You Might Be Used To

Utter the word "daiquiri" and beach umbrellas spontaneously bloom from the earth, the air becomes perfumed with the scent of sunscreen, and a blender starts whirling in the background. A real-deal daiquiri has little to do with the novelty beverages populating poolside social media posts, yet it's a drink so synonymous with frozen summertime imbibing (and frequently artificial flavors) that lovers of the ur-libation are often left out of the recipe. Instead, a true daiquiri a distinguished mix of rum, lime juice, and a little bit of sugar that's shaken and served in a cocktail glass.

We are typically wont to believe that many food and drink items existed in some form before being recorded and attributed to a single individual. However, plenty still end up with some purported provenance and the original daiquiri is no exception. The rummy combination, or at least its title, is frequently credited to an American engineer who was working in the Cuban village of Daiquirí in the late 1800s. The adaptations began shortly after the daiquiri was christened.

If you're familiar with the daiquiri absent its warm weather connotations, it might be thanks to literary giant, Cubanophile, and prolific drinker Ernest Hemingway. A few decades after the daiquiri's invention (or just its naming), the writer requested a less sweet, boozier version after sampling the standard from Constantino Ribalaigua Vert, "The Cocktail King of Cuba," at El Floridita in Havana. Hemingway might have liked these modified daiquiris so much that he would supposedly go on to drink 16 of another riff, made with a bit of maraschino liqueur and grapefruit juice, in one sitting. That's the combination you can expect if you order a Hemingway daiquiri at a bar.

You can make a big batch of classic daiquiris at home, too, though you may want to share them with friends instead of trying to break Hemingway's record. The single serving format typically includes 1.5 ounces of white rum, about 1 ounce of lime, and a pinch of sugar (though some may find that simple syrup combines more easily). It's all agitated with plenty of ice — but never blended! — and served up any time of year.