How to Make a Daiquiri

Rum, lime, sugar — three ingredients with nowhere to hide. The Daiquiri is the drink that separates a serious bar from a slushy machine, and bottled lime juice ruins it every single time. Done right, it's one of the most refreshing cocktails ever built.

The spec

• 2 oz white rum
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 0.75 oz simple syrup

How to make it

Add everything to a shaker with ice. Shake hard for about 12 seconds — this drink has citrus, so it gets shaken, not stirred. Double-strain into a chilled coupe to catch the ice shards. No garnish required, though a lime wheel doesn't hurt.

Fresh lime, always

This is the whole game. Bottled lime juice is flat and slightly bitter; fresh lime is bright and sharp. Squeeze it the same day you pour. If you take one thing from this page, it's that the Daiquiri lives and dies on fresh citrus.

Balance it to your rum

The 2 : 1 : 0.75 ratio is a starting point. A funkier, more aromatic rum can take a touch more syrup; a clean, light rum needs less. Taste and adjust — the drink should be tart but not puckering.

Served up

The classic Daiquiri is shaken and served straight up in a chilled coupe — no blender, no ice in the glass.

Frame the recipe with the Daiquiri spec print, and round out your setup with our home bar guide.