11. The Daiquiri: The Seasoning

Online School of Cocktailory

For drinking #alonetogether

Section 103: The Daiquiri (and other sours)

Citrus garnishes are pretty self-explanatory. Mmmm fruit. You can smell it, you can squeeze it in your drink for more juicey fun, you can just eat it and have mini plastic sword fights with your co-drinkers. What’s not to like.

We already went over what expressing a rind twist is, and that it mists citrus oil over your martini and smells nice. It is also best not to add twists from bitter pithy rinds into your drink, like from a grapefruit or pomelo, or rub them on the rim of the glass, because their oil can numb the tastebuds. Best to express those high over the drink, and if you do put it in your glass, remove it after a couple minutes.

Experiment time. We’ve had a lot of rum and lime juice, so feel free to switch those up for this week. You could go with gin & lime for a Gimlet, vodka & lemon for a Lemon Drop, a grapefruit, lime & rum Daiquiri, or look up something new. Here’s the taste test:

Prepare 3 daiquiris using your recipe of choice. You can share with a friend or make smaller servings if you wish. For the first cocktail, leave the citrus wedge on the rim of the glass as-is for smellsies. For the second one, squeeze the lime (or whatever) wedge into the drink and discard it. For the third one, squeeze the lime (or whatever) wedge into the drink and drop the spent wedge into the glass. Taste each. Obviously the second and third will be more tart from the extra juice, but wait, we’re not done! Wait for 2 minutes and taste again. How is the flavor of the third drink changing? Wait another 5 minutes and taste again. As the drink warms and the alcohol draws the flavor from the pith, the third drink will get more bitter as it sits. The second will have a little extra aroma from squeezing the lime originally, and the first will stay about the same all the way through.

*Bonus Virgin Round* I’m a big fan of soda water w/ lime at restaurants, and am perpetually growing a lime wedge graveyard in the bottom of the glass as the night progresses. But after reading this chapter, I want to modify the experiment above.

Choose 4 fruits to experiment with, I’d recommend a lime, lemon, orange, and something crazy you haven’t had in a long time, like a kumquat. Cuz it’s fun to say when the cashier scanning your produce looks at you all wtf, and you get to say kumquat again. Create opportunities for humor in life wherever possible. Ok, next in 4 glasses of plain seltzer water, squeeze in one of your citrus wedges and drop it in. Taste each and see if kumquat water should be the next big hit. Wait a few minutes and taste them all again to see how they’re changing. Are some peels more bitter than others? Wait another 5 minutes and taste again. Are some fruits losing their juicy yum and getting kinda bland? My lesson learned is squeeze in the fruit or don’t, but toss the spent wedge, cuz it ain’t doing me any favors.

Cheers y’all Happy Hallows