Recipe

This recipe was developed by Constantino Ribalaigua Vert at The Floridarita Bar in Havana, Cuba during the early-mid 1900's, but more on that in the "History" section below.


  • 2 oz of white rum
  • 1/2 oz of simple syrup
  • 1/2 oz of lime juice 
  • 1/4 oz of grapefruit juice
  • 1 tsp of maraschino liqueur 


  1. Combine all of the above in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until well chilled(usually when the shaker begins to frost over). 
  2. Pour over an old fashioned glass(also known as a lowball, rocks glass, or short tumbler) filled with crushed ice. 
  3. Garnish with a lime wedge is traditional, though I like the lime wheel and grapefruit twist that is shown above. 


Tip: To make easy crushed ice, fill a gallon zip lock bag with ice, seal, wrap in a dish towel, and tap not-so-lightly with a hammer or meat tenderizer until a fine crush is achieved. 

History

Though Constantino Ribalaigua Vert is certainly owed credit for the popularization of the Daiquiri, the story of The Daiquiri predates the beginning of Constantino's at The Floridarita  by more than a decade. The Daiquiri's creation is somewhat up for debate as some credit Mining Engineer Jennings Cox in 1898 and others credit US Congressman William A. Chanler in 1902 with the drinks origin. Regardless of who you choose to believe the creator was, the namesake and original recipe are the same. The Daiquiri's name is attributed to the beach and iron mine in Santiago de Cuba where Jennings worked and that Chanler eventually purchased, and the recipe was simply sugar, lemon juice, and rum poured over glass of ice and stirred until the glass began to frost. 





It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when Constantino, known by his regulars as Constante, created the famed Daiquiri No. 3, but it was most assuredly after he stepped behind the bar of The Floridarita for the first time in 1914. Constante quickly garnered a reputation for his ability to amaze guest and became known as "El Rey de los Coteleros" or "The King of Cocktails". Just Four years later after, shortly after The Floridarita's 100th anniversary, Constante saved enough to buy the bar from owner Don Narscisco Parrera who had decided to retire.





After purchasing the bar in 1918, Constante continued his craft for three more decades earning the bar the nickname "La Cuna del Daiquiri" which translates to the "Cradle of The Daiquiri". The bar's and Constante's reputations drew tourist from far and wide, particularly those seeking a reprieve from prohibition, including the famous writer Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway, though not particularly a fan of The Daiquiri No. 3, avidly imbibed a variant called the "Papa Doble" also known as The Hemingway which cuts out the sugar and doubles the rum, he so enjoyed this drink and was such a staple of The Floridarita that to this day a bronze statue of the famous writer can be found sitting at the end of the bar with a smile on his face.