What is the difference between tiki and tropical? This is a subject of a lot of debate if you get out there into the wilds of the real world or go to r/tiki or whatever. People HAVE opinions. To me, it seems like something of a moot point. We love to make these arbitrary distinctions about what something is or isn’t and argue vociferously to our point, and certainly plenty of ideas have shapes and definitions and boundaries, but frequently it’s more important to enjoy life than to be so ardent that you refuse to enjoy something because you define it a little differently. Like, what’s the point then?
Certainly in my vision board for whatever Trader Jane’s is in the future, I’m sure I’ll get scolded for it “not being tiki enough”. Think Mr. Susan meets an Edward Hopper painting and you get an idea of the aesthetics I like. I’m not interested in statues and fuselages and fake rain. That’s fun to visit, it’s just not what I want. I’m more concerned about the drink, first and foremost. Of course, yes, yes, the place sets the mood and tiki is all about escape.
So fuck it, maybe you’ll just call whatever I open in the future a tropical bar or a rum bar or whatever. Y’all can fight over that and then I can make daiquiris in peace.
Someday, if the US ever gets over comprehensively sanctioning Cuba, I’d love to go to the place that gave us the most perfectly sublime of beverages, the Daiquiri No. 3. Not the first daiquiri, that was invented elsewhere, but let’s be honest, Constantino Ribalaigua Vert perfected the daiquiri. It’s his world, and we are just living in it. So I’m stuck with a bit of a quandary, because really, this should be Cuban rum but as a financial crimes professional I cannot advocate you spend any American dollars on sanctioned goods (this is not me being tongue-in-cheek, do not do it, OFAC does not fuck around).
That means we are stuck working with what we got. But hey, much like the debate between what is or isn’t perfectly right for tiki, innovation means you get to put your stamp on it, and frankly, it’s not like I’m hauling out bottles of rum from the 1920s anyway. Times have changed, and like Ribalaigua once did, it’s incumbent upon us to innovate. Here’s my take on five classics, as someone who loves agricole rum in my daiquiris
Daiquiri No. 1
This is your old standby, the original formula, and certainly one you’ve had before. There is little better than lime, sugar, and rum in the right proportions. In its simplest form:
2 oz rum (I use Neisson Blanc or Plantation 3 Star when I want something different)
.75 oz lime juice
.5 oz 2:1 simple syrup
Put that in the old mixing tin, and shake the hell out of it. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lime wheel, and maybe float a little Stiggins Fancy on top like the winner you are.
Daiquiri No. 2
In this one, you are getting a little more orange flavor, both from orange juice and triple sec. So if you like oranges this one is for you!
2 oz rum (another one where I go with Neisson)
barspoon triple sec (Cointreau in this house)
.5 oz orange juice
.5 oz lime juice
.25 oz 2:1 simple syrup
Do what you did last time, put that in the tin and mix the hell out of it, give it a nice double strain into a coupe or a martini glass or whatever makes you feel fancy. Again, get your fanciest lime to garnish
Daiquiri No. 3
I’m certainly willing to hear other opinions, but this is the best daiquiri. And if you haven’t had one yet, well, this is hardly my fault. Take the basic formula and kick it up just a notch with the addition of maraschino and grapefruit? Don’t mind if I do:
2 oz rum (here’s where you can get more flexible. I still go with my tried and true Neisson, but Ron del Barrilito 2 Star would be great here too)
.5 oz lime juice
.5 oz 2:1 simple syrup
.25 oz grapefruit juice
barspoon maraschino liqueur (Luxardo if you have it)
Again, you’ve mixed a drink before, do that. No need to double strain this time, though, strain it into a rocks glass and top with fresh crushed ice. Garnish with a lime
Daiquiri No. 4
The maraschino’s so good we’re keeping it on this spin on a classic daiquiri. Since it’s such a sweet liqueur it makes sense to take the simple down a notch, as Ribalaigua did originally. It goes a little something like this:
2 oz rum (again, I ride the horse I got here on, Neisson, but any white rum that you like will do)
.5 oz lime juice
.25 oz 2:1 simple syrup
.25 oz maraschino liqueur (Luxardo for life)
Shake shake shake, shake shake shake, double strain into a chilled coupe. For my money not a whole lot different than a No. 1 which is usually what I want when I want that, but you know…good to have some other skills in your back pocket
Daiquiri No. 5
Finally, rounding things out without getting into anything too wild…we’ll save the Papa Doble for another time when you just want to get wasted and channel your inner Hemingway. Terse sentences. No emotion, only oblique description. Double the liquor. Isn’t it pretty to drink so?
Anyway…rounding out the numbered daiquiris largely credited to Ribalaigua is the No. 5. In this one, he employed a time-honored syrup of my childhood, grenadine. Because who hasn’t had a million Shirley Temples in their life? Perhaps that was an artifact of a certain time, but it was definitely a staple of my childhood. Now, you can get that electric red Rose’s stuff, but let’s be honest, you’re better than that. You can either get a nice bottle from Small Hand Foods or make it yourself pretty simply with sugar and pomegranate juice. It’s a nice thing to have around, then you can make Ward Eights (and of course read up on Ken’s own take on a classic Daiquiri if you are looking for a more economical choice than keeping a bunch of agricole rum around).
Here’s how this one goes:
2 oz rum (I decided to bust out the Neisson Eleve Sous Bois just because I wanted that slight French oak kick I guess?
.5 oz lime juice
.25 oz 2:1 simple syrup
.25 oz grenadine (home batch for me)
barspoon of maraschino liqueur (Luxardo of course)
You’ve done all the other parts before, right? Mix, double strain, chilled coupe (well, I grabbed a Nick and Nora glass just because), viola! (sorry my camera apparently did not want to focus on this one)
Next time we’ll return to a place of firm tiki standing, and maybe I’ll rant some more about statues and skulls and shit. Octopuses and sea horses, fun! Weird, racist iconography, maybe we can get that out of bars?
This is Trader Jane’s, a periodic newsletter about drinks (mostly tiki) and other fun writing. Follow me on Substack for something every week or two (if we are being honest), and follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more timely updates on my beverages (and for lots of other things of course!)
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