History of the Daiquiri: From Cuba to the World

Nestled in the southeastern part of Cuba, the unassuming town of Daiquiri holds a significant place in both military and cocktail history. The town, with its iron ore mines, was pivotal during the Spanish-American War and it also gave its name to the iconic cocktail. The drink was a product of American ingenuity and it gained popularity in the United States after an intrepid Admiral’s port-call.

Classic Daiquiri Recipe: How to Make the Perfect Daiquiri

Classic Daiquiri Recipe

This drink has increasingly become one of our favorites. It's super simple to make, delicious and refreshing, and somehow transports us to the islands as we sit in our galley kitchen.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Course Drinks

Keyword Daiquiri, Lime, Rum, Simple Syrup, White Rum

Equipment

Ingredients

2 oz white rum
1 oz fresh lime juice (usually about 1 lime)
3/4 oz of simple syrup or Demerara syrup , for simplicity, some stick to a 2:1:1 ratio
Slice of lime for garnish

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients excluding the garnish into a shaker.
Shake vigorously, then strain the liquid into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with the lime wedge & enjoy!

Notes

*For instructions on making Frozen Daiquiris, please click here.

** If you’re someone who wants nothing to do with sugary drinks, check out Hemingway’s Papa Doble daiquiri.

Tried this recipe?Hit us up @barwarriors or tag #barwarriors!

History of the Daiquiri

Jennings Stockton Cox is said to have invented the Daiquiri around 1898 in the small iron-mining town of Daiquiri, near Santiago de Cuba. The story goes that Cox, an American engineer who stayed in Cuba after the Spanish-American war, ran out of gin while entertaining guests and turned to the local rum. He mixed it with lime juice and sugar to improve its palatability, creating the first simple version of the Daiquiri.

Was this truly the first time the drink was ever made? No, but who cares! It was a delicious hit. The drink was quickly named after the town of Daiquiri, and its fame began to spread.

Military Ties

Around ten years later, in 1909, Admiral Lucius W. Johnson visited Cox in Cuba during a port-call (I mean, what awesome fun doesn’t happen during port-call?). The Admiral, a U.S. Navy medical officer, fell in love with the drink and returned to the states where he introduced it to the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C.. From there, the drink’s popularity continued to grow.

While the American military’s presence in Cuba after the Spanish-American War undoubtedly contributed to the spread of the Daiquiri’s fame, the drink’s popularity is largely attributed to Admiral Johnson (1882-1968). But the RADM didn’t stop there. After introducing the cocktail to the U.S., he would later “pioneer the use of Mobile Surgical Hospitals during World War II,” and he served as the Officer-in-Charge constructing the Navy hospital that would become Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Truly, this was an amazing individual. Here’s a great link recording the RADM’s accomplishments and portrait dedicated to him at the Army and Navy Club in 2017.

The Drink Evolves

The Daiquiri was further popularized and refined by Constantino Ribalaigua, a bartender at El Floridita bar in Havana, Cuba, who began serving the drink in the 1910s and 1920s. Ribalaigua is credited with perfecting the Daiquiri, creating variations, and making El Floridita known as “the cradle of the Daiquiri.”

Who else loved to booze in Cuba? Ernest Hemingway, of course. The Daiquiri gained even more fame when Ernest Hemingway, who lived in Cuba for many years, became a fan of Ribalaigua’s frozen Daiquiri variations, which were tailored to Hemingway’s taste (no sugar and a double shot of rum). This drink, because of the double shot of rum, would go on to be known as the Papa Doble.

Modern Legacy

The Daiquiri, a descendant of the British Royal Navy’s Grog, was transformed and popularized by America, turning a practical drink into a global sensation. Its rise to fame was bolstered in the post-WWII era with the emergence of tiki bars. Although the ’80s and ’90s saw sweeter deviations from the classic recipe, the Daiquiri reclaimed its esteemed position in the cocktail world during the cocktail renaissance of the early 2000s.

Since its inception, the Daiquiri has become a staple in the cocktail world, a simple yet elegant drink that can be served shaken or blended into a frozen concoction. Its versatility has led to many variations, from fruit-flavored Daiquiris to elaborate mixologist creations. Its dissemination was aided by American military personnel in Cuba, a pioneering U.S. Navy Admiral, and an American literary giant. Its enduring legacy is shaped by historical events and larger-than-life figures.