Spiced Rum Daiquiri

Here is how to make the rum cocktail.

Cocktail ingredients for a single serving
- 50ml Swan Knight Distillery golden spiced rum
- 25ml freshly squeezed lime juice
- 25ml simple syrup

Recipe
- Mix the ingredients together with crushed ice
- Sieve and then pour into a martini glass
- Garnish with a wedge of lime

How and when to drink this spiced rum cocktail

This elegant rum cocktail is a huge hit at parties and can be drunk all year round. Although we usually serve it in martini glasses, the colour of the cocktail can also really come out in a champagne flute. We would recommend putting the lime juice through a sieve before adding it to the mix.

If the alcohol level is too potent then the addition of juices or mixers can be a good option. Personally, we add 25ml of pineapple juice for a slightly sweeter, more tropical flavour, which seems to down very well with guests.

Inspiration for the cocktail

It is believed that the rum cocktail was created around 1898 in Cuba, by an American mining engineer called Jennings Cox. An U.S. Navy medical officer took the recipe to Washington and kickstarted the drink's subsequent popularity in the United States.

However, Royal Navy Grog was around at least 150 years prior and was often mixed with lime and sugar, in order to combat scurvy.

The early daiquiris were made with lemon juice, not limes. It was only later that key limes were used as they were native to the United States.

The basis of the cocktail is an exquisite balance of three key ingredients: rum, lime juice and sugar. These ingredients form the foundation of an entire sour category of drinks, such as the Margarita, Sidecar and the Gimlet.

One of the most popular variations of the Daiquiri, is the Hemingway Daiquiri. Legend has it that the famous author requested a Daiquiri with double the booze and half the sugar. The Cuban bar, La Floridita, where he requested the drink also named the recipe in his honour. Subsequently, bartenders have added maraschino liqueur and a touch of grapefruit juice but the base recipe remains broadly unchanged.