The Cocktail Spirit with Robert HessRum and the Daiquiri Cocktail
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Rum is a spirit who's history is tightly intertwined with the discovery and formation of America. It's traditionally made from molasses, and is often commonly used in tropically inspired cocktails. In this episode we will examine the origins of rum and how it evolved from being barely drinkable into becoming the foundation of such wonderful cocktails as the Daiquiri.
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Recipe
The Daiquiri
- 2 oz Rum
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- 3/4 oz simple syrup
shake with ice
strain into a cocktail glass
garnish with lime wheel
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Comments
These days it seems like most people think of the Daiquiri as being a “frozen” drink, which is unfortunate. Those drinking it that way are missing out on a great drink, and those who are “wanting” a great drink are avoiding it because they don’t like frozen drinks.
You can use the Daiquiri to get a good handle on the whole “balance” thing with the lime juice and the simple syrup. Just play around with the ratios a bit until you feel that it isn’t too sweet or too sour for your palate. One thing I’ve learned is that the sweet/sour balance really does tend to vary from one person to another.
-Robert
Robert, Do you think that the Vodka added to the simple syrup actually makes a difference? The effective concentration of alcohol would be pretty low, and fungi can tolerate reasonably high levels of alcohol since they produce it themselves. You can try a side by side test (with and without the vodka) to test your hypothesis.
I’ve never done a true scientific “side-by-side” test on this, but I have simply noticed that without alcohol, mold. With alcohol, no mold. But you’re right, I should try to get some more data. Would also be good to find out how much alcohol is needed and how long the ‘protection’ lasts (wrt. alcohol evaporation)
Robert,
What is the right proportions for simple syrup? I’ve seen 1 pound sugar (about 2 cups) to 1 cup water - and 1 cup sugar to 1 cup water.
There are essentially two main recipes people tend to use for simple syrup, either a 1 part sugar and 1 part water (by volume), or 2 parts sugar to 1 part water.
Obviously the second results in a sweeter syrup, it is often refered to as “rich” simple syrup.
Which you choose to use can be a bit of a personal choice. I personally prefer the 2-to-1 version myself. But I have several friends who swear by the 1-to-1 version.
-Robert
When you specify simple syrup in your instructions, are you using 1:1 or 2:1?
Merry Christmas.
Robert, I also notice that your syrup is tan. What kind of sugar do you use to make it?
And I salute you atop your Soap Box regarding sour mix. Good speech!
We get so much lovely sunshine here in Seattle that lots of things take on that wonderful tan color.
Ok, maybe not :->
Actually I used “Demerara” (aka. raw cane) sugar to make my simple syrup for this episode. I find that it has just a little bit of extra character to it.
-Robert
I’m a little confused by your comments regarding simply syrup. In the episode you say you use a 1:1 ratio. Here in the comments you say you prefer to use a 2:1 ratio. When you use simply syrup in the episodes, are you giving us the recipe for 1:1 syrup or the richer 2:1 syrup.
Thanks,
Owen
Owen,
Good catch… as I was rattling off at the mouth I should have said “two cups of sugar” instead of one. I personally prefer to use a 2:1 ratio in my syrup.
Which of course raises another issue as to if “you” might happen to prefer the 1:1 ratio, how does that alter your drink? Well as you might expect it won’t be “quite” as sweet, and so you may need to slightly adjust the recipe to your palate, which is part of what makes “mixology” such a fun thing because we are each providing our own slight interpretation of a drink every time we make it.
I can see the dense Seattle rainforest outside your window there, so I knew you were joking about the sun.
I recently tried finely granulated raw sugar in some bar syrup and it turned out kind of greenish. The coarser dememera or turbinado sugar you suggest here creates a better color. And a touch of molasses odor (but not flavor).
Thanks for the tips!
Robert,
Granted, we all should be using fresh squeezed juices and simple syrup when making a daquiri. Have you had any experience with the Freshies brand?
I’ve never tried Freshies, but I personally can’t imagine any “mix” product being even close to fresh ingredients, except in very few cases and situations.
Robert,
I absolutely love your series here. After watching a number of episodes, I decided to come back to this one to ask a question about your simple syrup. Exactly how much vodka do you add to keep it from molding? I’m afraid that I will add too much and have my drinks hint of vodka, or that I will add too little for it to be effective.
Jon,
To add enough vodka so you could taste the alcohol (since that is of course the only flavor that would come through) you’d have to add quite a bit. I use perhaps one ounce (or perhaps a little more) of vodka per pint of simple syrup. And I use a 151 proof vodka just for good measure. I’ve never tried any exhaustive tests to find out what the best amount to use is, but this appears to work fine for me.
-Robert
Robert,
I am a bit confused here. On your drinkboy.com site, recipe for daiquiri calls for 1oz lime juice to one teaspoon sugar.
In this video you do 1/2 oz lime juice to 3/4 oz (rich?) sugar syrup. Isn`t this too much of a difference?
Thanks,
Ivana
Ivana,
Great Point! What this shows, is a gradual evolution that each of us will go through on our cocktailian journey. Many of the recipes on my website were ones I put up when I first started the site over 10 years ago. Over the years, many of my thoughts on what makes a “great” cocktail, and more importantly, a properly “balanced” cocktail, have evolved, and while I mentally make the adjustment when making these cocktails, I haven’t been as dilligent as I could be at making sure that all of the reicpes on my site are evolving along with me…
In the past it was very difficult for me to change recipes on my site, since to change just a single page on the site would essentially necessitate an entire day’s worth of work. But with the recent update to DrinkBoy.com, I’ve set it up so I can just make a simple update in the database, and the changes are automatically visible… so if you look now, the recipe has been updated! :->
What I really need to do, is just take the time to go through each recipe, one at a time, and make them as-indicated, and verify that they still reflect what I feel is a well balanced drink.
Thanks for the clarification. I`ve made 5 daiquiris so far and I can`t make up my mind which one is “properly balanced” for my inexperienced palate
Good luck on your site updates!
For all cocktails, a key aspect of balance is so that as you are finishing off the drink, you wish the glass were “just a litlte” larger. Sometimes, if a drink is too sweet or too sour, the initial sip can be quite tasty, with your taste buds enjoying that extra little kick of flavor, but by the time you are finishing the drink you are getting a little fatigued from it. That, in my mind, is an unbalanced drink.
The Daiquiri has quickly become a favorite when entertaining at my home bar. Recently I’ve started using Key Limes instead of the regular Persian Limes with good success. You have to be careful to not let any of the pith or the seeds make their way into the drink but if you can manage you’ll get a really nice treat.