ETHANOL

DAIQUIRI

Cuba, 1898.

COUPE
ETHANOL 19 G131 KCAL FROM ETHANOL4.5 OZ SERVED

SPEC

2 oz · 60 mlWHITE RUM40 %
1 oz · 30 mlLIME JUICE
¾ oz · 22 mlSIMPLE SYRUP

1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.

METHOD

  1. 01SHAKE ALL HARD WITH ICE
  2. 02DOUBLE-STRAIN INTO CHILLED COUPE
  3. 03NO GARNISH

1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.

STRENGTH // WORKED

Pre-batch3.75 oz mixed with ice, 0.8 oz of it pure alcohol
MeltShaken: +20 % of the pre-batch, +0.75 oz of water
Served3.75 + 0.75 = 4.5 oz in the glass
Strength0.8 ÷ 4.5 = 17.8 % ABV as served
Ethanol0.8 oz × 29.57 ml × 0.789 g/ml = 19 g · about 131 kcal from the alcohol alone

IN THE GLASS

DIACETYL

FROM WHITE RUM CANE · the butter note

Formula
C₄H₆O₂
Mass
86.09 g/mol
IUPAC
butane-2,3-dione

The butter note. Wanted in oak-aged Chardonnay and certain ales (English bitter, Czech pilsner) where a controlled amount adds body; unwanted at high concentrations, where it slides into movie-theater-popcorn territory. Yeast produces it as an intermediate during fermentation and reabsorbs it during conditioning. A rushed beer that skipped its conditioning rest often carries diacetyl as an off-flavor the brewer didn't intend.

PUBCHEM ↗

ALSO IN Piña Colada · Hemingway Daiquiri · Caipirinha · Mary Pickford · El Presidente · Beachcomber · Cuba Libre · Frozen Daiquiri

CITRAL

FROM LIME · the lemon aroma

Formula
C₁₀H₁₆O
Mass
152.24 g/mol
IUPAC
(2E)-3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-dienal

Lemon's defining note: technically a mix of two geometric isomers (geranial and neral) that read as the same aroma to the nose. Lemon peel, lemongrass, lemon verbena, and Indian chai all carry it. In cocktails it's what a lemon twist contributes that lemon juice can't: the volatile expressed from the oil glands, not the acid from the pulp.

PUBCHEM ↗

ALSO IN Margarita · Mojito · Whiskey Sour · Gimlet · Moscow Mule · Paper Plane · Aviation · Corpse Reviver #2

CHEMISTRY

White rum, lime and sugar: three ingredients and no mixer. ABV lands near 20% in the glass, and citral from fresh lime is the signature aromatic. Neutral rum means ethanol is the structural compound, not a barrel-aged congener load.

PROVENANCE

Named after a beach near Santiago de Cuba. American mining engineer Jennings Cox is credited with the first written version, mixing local rum with lime and sugar for visitors after the Spanish-American War. The blended Hemingway frozen variant came later at El Floridita.

RUM // NEARBY

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