Cocktails in the City Masterclass Recipes - Brugal 1888 Daiquiri

During our tailored masterclasses at Cocktails in the City in Bedford Square, you may have put your skills to the test in making this classic serve. Read on for a bit of info about the history and origins of the drink, some info about Brugal 1888, and a comprehensive how-to guide to making it at home.

The Daiquiri, generally speaking, is a family of cocktails whose main ingredients are simply rum, citrus juice, and sugar or other sweetener.

An American mining engineer in Cuba – named Jennings Cox – at the time of the Spanish–American War, supposedly invented this classic. The basic recipe for a daiquiri is also interestingly similar to the grog British sailors drank aboard ship from the 1740s as a means of preventing scurvy.

Originally the drink was served in a tall glass packed with cracked ice. A teaspoon of sugar was poured over the ice and the juice of one or two limes was squeezed over the sugar. Two or three ounces of white rum completed the mixture.

It’s evolved quite a bit since then; it’s now mixed together in a shaker rather than in the glass itself, and the range of modifications and personalisation on the original that now exist are a testament to the drink’s longevity.

Brugal 1888, the liquid used at the base of our take, is a truly extraordinary rum. It’s produced in the Dominican Republic and combines the rich flavours of bourbon and sherry casks through a double-ageing process.

It’s a complex yet balanced spirit that stimulates the senses and evolves in the glass. Equally suitable in a cocktail, or as a mellow sipper served at room temperature.

Ingredients:

– 50ml Brugal 1888 Rum.

– 25ml Lime Juice.

– 12.5ml Sugar Syrup (get creative!)

Method:

1. Get yourself a Coupette glass (if your not fussy about appearances, an everyday wine glass will do).

2. Chill your glass by brimming it with crushed ice.

3. Meanwhile, put all of your ingredients into your shaker and shake well.

4. Ensuring you remove the crushed ice beforehand, strain the mixture into your chilled Coupette glass.

5. Garnish with an edible flower, or a garnish of your choice. Drink and enjoy.

Sugar Syrup Innovation:

We encourage our guests to get as creative as possible with the sugar syrup element of this serve. This will help you develop your appreciation of this most versatile of summer-ready beverages, as well as honing your techniques as a budding mixologist! Here’s a few examples of what we had on the day to get your creative juices flowing:

Strawberry & cardamom syrup | Grapefruit, sea salt & black pepper syrup | Pineapple & rosemary syrup | Rose hip & raspberry syrup | Shiso & Kumquat syrup