Coconut Daiquiris
This week on "What am I drinking in place of water?" we're talking rum!
First let me clear up that Beau and I drink way less than we make it sound like on here. Well, like, a little less. Quit giving me that eye. Anyway, I made another cocktail.
If my brain were Twitter, the hashtag daiquiri would be a trending topic, next to Donald Trump, and the pile of dishes Beau left in the sink. Daiquiris are one of the most simple classic cocktails you can make. And look, we're talking traditional daiquiris, the ones that were invented in the late 18th century. Somewhere in the past two hundred years someone made a frozen drink with cheap liquor and corn syrup and called it a "daiquiri," and now most people seem to think that's what a daiquiri is. But no, we're talking about the drink that's made from just rum, sugar, and lime juice before it's shaken, strained, and poured down your throat by a bartender wearing nothing but a top hat and briefs.*
*in a perfect world
Daiquiris fall under what's called the "sour" category of cocktail, which basically just means it involves citrus juice. Margaritas, sidecars, whiskey sours: these are all also sours. Sours are fun to mess with because the classic ratio of a sour (2:1:1 spirit, sugar, and citrus) makes it super easy to think up small alterations that can slightly or drastically change the finished product. So for this recipe, all I did to change the classic formula was use a coconut simple syrup instead of a regular simple syrup. Then to spice things up a bit, I pulsed some sea salt with a little lime zest to make a lime salt for the rims of the glasses. And voilà, drinking to forget just got a bit more delicious. Put the lime in the coconut, and call me in the morning.
Coconut Daiquiri
Makes one
1.5 oz. white rum
.75 oz. coconut water simple syrup (recipe below)
.75 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
lime zest salt for rim of glass (recipe below)
Prepare a coupe glass by wetting the rim and dipping it in the lime salt to line the rim of the glass with the salt. Wipe out any salt that gets on the inside of the rim so that only the outside is salted.
Add rum, syrup, and lime juice to a shaking tin. Add ice. Shake, then strain into salt rimmed glass.
If you have a coconut handy, like I did, do yourself a favor and drink this cocktail out of it. Studies have shown that drinking stuff out of coconuts is good for your mental health. It would be difficult to cover the coconut rim in the lime salt, so if you go with this option, just add a pinch of the lime salt to the shaking tin, or sprinkle over the top once the drink is in the coconut shell.
Coconut Simple Syrup
Makes enough for about 12 cocktails
1 cup unsweetened, pulp-free coconut water
2 cups granulated sugar
Combine in a sauce pan over medium high heat.
Stir frequently until brought to a low rolling boil.
Boil for roughly 30 seconds. Make sure all sugar has dissolved, then remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature before using.
Store, refrigerated, up to one week.
Lime Salt
.5 Tbsp lime zest (zest of about 1 lime; save the lime to juice it for the cocktail!)
1 Tbsp sea salt
Pulse lime zest and salt in a blender until incorporated
