ETHANOL

FROZEN DAIQUIRI

Constantino Ribalaigua, El Floridita, Havana, early 1930s.

COUPE
ETHANOL 19 G131 KCAL FROM ETHANOL4.73 OZ SERVED

SPEC

2 oz · 60 mlWHITE RUM40 %
1 oz · 30 mlLIME JUICE
½ oz · 15 mlSIMPLE SYRUP

1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.

METHOD

  1. 01COMBINE ALL INGREDIENTS WITH 1 CUP CRUSHED ICE IN A BLENDER
  2. 02BLEND ON HIGH UNTIL SMOOTH (~10 SECONDS)
  3. 03POUR INTO A CHILLED COUPE
  4. 04GARNISH WITH A LIME WHEEL

1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.

STRENGTH // WORKED

Pre-batch3.5 oz mixed with ice, 0.8 oz of it pure alcohol
MeltBlended: +35 % of the pre-batch, +1.23 oz of water
Served3.5 + 1.23 = 4.73 oz in the glass
Strength0.8 ÷ 4.73 = 16.9 % 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 Daiquiri · Piña Colada · Hemingway Daiquiri · Caipirinha · Mary Pickford · El Presidente · Beachcomber · Cuba Libre

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 · Daiquiri · Whiskey Sour · Gimlet · Moscow Mule · Paper Plane · Aviation

CHEMISTRY

A blended Daiquiri. Ice is physically integrated into the drink rather than shaken into it. The slushy texture insulates the spirit from room temperature, so the drink stays cold much longer than a standard coupe-poured Daiquiri. Hemingway reputedly drank sixteen one night at El Floridita.

PROVENANCE

Constantino Ribalaigua Vert ('Constante') is credited with inventing the frozen daiquiri at El Floridita in the early 1930s, motivated by Cuba's heat: the drink stays cold. Hemingway was a regular customer; the 'Hemingway Daiquiri' is also from this bar. His frappe daiquiris began with finely shaved ice; the Waring Blendor only reached the market in 1937. El Floridita still serves the original recipe and a life-size bronze of Hemingway (2003) still stands at his corner of the bar.

RUM // NEARBY

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