Daiquiri

Invented by an American mining engineer working in Cuba around 1900, the daiquiri is a cocktail made from a combination of rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar syrup. These ingredients are shaken over ice, strained, and served in a chilled cocktail or martini glass. The cocktail is then garnished with a slice of lime.

The daiquiri’s name is derived from the name of both the iron mine where the engineer worked and the small town and beach located nearby. Though the daiquiri first appeared at the Venus bar in Santiago, Cuba, it shortly thereafter became a staple of the El Floridita bar in Havana. The drink was first served in the United States in 1909 at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C., after a Navy admiral who had tasted the cocktail in Cuba brought the recipe back home.