A little daiquiri blasphemy for (eye-roll) #nationaldaiquiriday. Five things you may not know about the Daiquiri:
It could be another Royal Navy invention…
Like the Mojito, gin & tonic and pink gin, the Daiquiri could be another feather in the Royal Navy’s dipsological cap. Records show that by 1795, the Royal Navy’s daily grog ration, the morale-boosting method of getting anti-malarial and anti-scurvy supplements down the throat of booze-hungry sailors, was made up of rum, water, lime juice and sugar. Sound familiar?
…But was probably invented in Cuba
As with most Royal Naval drinks, it is more likely that the recipe had been kicking about in Cuba for many years before it was ‘discovered’ by a British sailor. A competing story claims that an American mining engineer, Jennings Cox, discovered the drink whilst working at the Daiquiri iron mine in Santiago de Cuba in around 1902. He shared one with his boss, former congressman William A Chanler, who went on to popularise the drink in the clubs and bars of New York in the early 1900s.
FDR played an important role in its popularity
Back in 1940s America, rationing had made whisky and vodka hard to come by after the end of the Second World War. At the same time, Franklin D Roosevelt’s ‘Good Neighbour’ policy towards Latin America had increased trade and travel between the USA and its southern neighbours. As a result, Latin America became fashionable amongst middle-class Americans. Although the Daiquiri had been introduced to New York in the early 1900s, rum-based drinks had long been seen as the tipple of drunken sailors and down-at-outs. However as the middle classes gravitated towards anything with a Latin American feel, the Daiquiri was suddenly elevated to exotic, must-have status.
It Had A Host of Famous Fans
The Daiquiri was (one of) the favourite drinks of writer and bon viveur Ernest Hemingway. However, as Hemingway was diabetic he used to drink his own variety – the Papa Doble (or Hemingway Daiquiri) which contained 90ml of rum, six dashes of maraschino liqueur, the juice of two limes and half a grapefruit.
Back in North America, John F Kennedy, always referred to the Daiquiri as his favourite drink and was reportedly drinking one on a cold night in November 1960 as he found out he’d just been elected the 35th President of the United States.
And over the Atlantic, German actress Marlene Dietrich always dropped in for a Daiquiri at the Amercian Bar at The Savoy whenever she found herself in London.
But it was really invented in Glasgow…
…By Hamish MacQuiri, an ironworker from Gorbals. Ok, this last one isn’t true, it’s just an excuse to shoehorn in the recipe for the Irn Bru Daiquiri, inspired by the orange of a Glasgow sunset:
- Shake 30ml white rum, 10ml 1:1 sugar syrup and 10ml fresh lime juice with cubed ice.
- Strain into a chilled coupe glass and top with Irn Bru.
- Garnish with lime.