Happy 4th of July Weekend to everyone! I’ve been thinking about what I really want to drink/serve at my 4th of July party and honestly, I just want a Daiquiri! Daiquiri Prrrrrrrrrty!

If you want to join in the fun on Instagram and Twitter, use the hashtag #4thOfJulyDaiquiriParty.

That being said, “I just want a Daiquiri” means so many things to me, and there are many variations one can make by adding one or two ingredients to the Rum + Lime Juice + Sweetness formula. I mean, just by switching out the Rum itself or changing from refined sugar to turbinado sugar can have a profound effect on the flavours of the drink.

First, let’s start with the basics. Flor de Caña 7 Year is my all time fave aged molasses Rum. It is viscous as hell, creamy, with caramel smoothness for DAYYYYYYYS. It will make the best damn Daiquiri you’ve ever had. No lie.

Flor de Caña 7 Year Aged Rum Daiquiri

• 2 oz Flor de Caña 7 Year Rum
• 1 oz Lime Juice
• 3/4 oz Demerara Sugar Simple Syrup (1:1)
• Garnish: Lime Wheel

Combine ingredients over ice and shake. Strain into coupe and garnish with Lime Wheel.

Now that we’ve got a nice basic Daiquiri down, we can get a little more creative. For this one, we’re going to use a funky Rum from Jamaica that has been aged in the UK: Smith & Cross Navy Strength Rum. Our sweetners are going to get more complex with the addition of Falernum and some of my patented (I wish! Soon!) DD Mix. The spice set will come from the funkiness of the Smith & Cross, DD Mix, and one dropper of Bittermen’s Elemakule Tiki Bitters. Highly recommend these bitter’s y’all!

DP Daiquiri

• 1 1/2 oz Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum
• 1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
• 1/4 oz DD Mix
• 1 oz Lime Juice
• 1 dropper Bittermen’s Elemakule Tiki Bitters
• Garnish: hollowed out Lime half*

In tin combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Pour entire contents of shaker into mason jar. Garnish with one of the Lime halves you used when you juiced the Lime.

For this next one we’re going to go to the books and use a totally fabulous recipe from the 1970’s, Don’s Special Daiquiri. This variation was created to commemorate Don the Beachcomber and use his 1934 Daiquiri recipe while adding a couple of modifiers. I altered the recipe a tad because I felt it needed to be a bit more tart.

Don’s Special Daiquiri

• 1 oz Jamaican Rum (Smith & Cross)
• 3/4 oz Aged White Rum (Denizen Aged Rum)
• 3/4 oz Lime Juice
• 1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
• 1/2 oz Honey Syrup
• Garnish: Maraschino Cherry

Combine ingredients over ice and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with Maraschino Cherry.

Lastly, we’re going to use three different Spirits in a Daiquiri that I named after my family. It uses two kinds of Rum and one of my all time favourite infusions, Pineapple Plymouth Gin.

DeLuna Daiquiri

• 1 1/2 oz Denizen White Rum
• 1/2 oz Flor de Caña 7 Rum
• 1/4 oz Pineapple infused Plymouth Gin
• 1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
• 1/4 oz Cinnamon Bark Syrup
• 1 oz Lime Juice
• Garnish: Pineapple Chunks

Combine ingredients in over ice and shake. Strain into coupe. Garnish with Pineapple.

Well, that’s it for this roundup. If you’re looking for more recipes, you could always try Or-zah Gabor or a classic Hemingway Daiquiri. Happy Independence Day USA!