Celebrating the Daiquiri, New Rums from Bacardi, and Creative Cocktails

The sound of (vigorous) shaking, not stirring, came from the bar as Juan Coronado was preparing a round of Daiquiris at the Mercy Bar patio in downtown Minneapolis last week (which is a great patio, by the way.) I was greeted with a glass of this cold creation to start off a tasting event showcasing Bacardi’s new rum offerings. As Bacardi Category Rum Ambassador, Coronado knows a thing or two about mixing up a delicious drink.

At first it may sound old-school—I recall my mom having a container of Daiquiris at the ready in our basement deep-freeze for a slushy variation—but the simple original cocktail deserves a look if it is not on your radar. Some things are classics that stand the test of time for a reason.

The Daiquiri is mixed up with the brand’s white rum, Bacardi Superior, which is made using distilled sugar cane molasses. The spirit is double-filtered through charcoal, making it a good choice for mixing up classics such as the Daiquiri or Mojito as well as some new  cocktails we also sampled later (recipes below) because its smooth flavor doesn’t overpower the cocktail. Made with only rum, lime juice, and sugar, the Daiquiri couldn’t be easier or more refreshing. When I asked Coronado what his personal favorite cocktail is—which may be like asking someone who their favorite child is—he said the Daiquiri. It’s just the right mix of tart and sweet.

The new Bacardi offerings, which are aged rums, are designed for a twist in cocktails or sipping neat—especially the longer aged rums. They include:
• Añejo Cuatro: Aged a minimum of four years, with tasting note profiles that say it has notes of vanilla, toasted oak, clove, and honey
• Reserva Ocho: Based on the original family reserve created by Don Facundo and launched in 1996, it’s aged a minimum of eight years and is slightly smoother than the Cuatro. Tasting notes include warming notes of apricot, nutmeg, and butterscotch.
• Gran Reserva Diez: A new signature offering based on the Master Blender’s Reserve, is aged a minimum of 10 years matured in American white oak barrels under the Caribbean sun. The accelerated maturation of tropical aging provides richness of flavor and luxurious smoothness that rivals single malt scotches, according to the tasting notes. I found this to be the smoothest of the three as well.

 

The other cocktails we tasted had more ingredients in the mix, which is often why drinks crafted at a bar taste so good. If you would like to try your hand at making them at home, the recipes follow. In addition to the Daiquiri I also especially enjoyed the Father’s Advice with its hint of banana flavor.

Rum is a culture, says Coronado—start thinking about rum and you can start feeling the sand in your toes. I think I can. With a number of delicious drinks to try throughout the summer, that sounds like a good place to start.

 

The Daiquiri Juan Coronado made for Mary Subialka at the tasting. Courtesy Mary Subialka.Daiquiri

2 ounces Bacardi Superior
1 ounce fresh lime juice
¾ ounce simple syrup

Shake vigorously with plenty of ice and double strain into a chilled coupe glass.

Note: Juan Coronado also likes using sugar in place of simple syrup—but make sure to shake vigorously for a little longer than you would if using simple syrup in order to dissolve it. And don’t let your lime juice sit around; try to use freshly squeezed.

Mulata Daisy

2 ounces Bacardi Superior
2 teaspoons of fennel seeds
1 ounce fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons of casters sugar
3/4 ounce crème de cocoa
½ ounce Galliano liqueur
cocoa powder, to rim glass

Muddle the fennel seeds first. Add the sugar and the lime juice so it can dissolve, and then add the Bacardi Superior and the creme de cacao and shake vigorously. In a cold coupe glass delicately rimmed with cocoa, add the Galliano and then pour the cocktail in it.

Father’s Advice

1½ ounces Bacardi Superior
½ ounce Cardamaro
½ ounce Punt e Mes sweet vermouth
½ ounce Amontillado sherry
¼ ounce Giffard banana liqueur
lemon peel, for garnish

In a mixing glass, stir all ingredients with plenty of ice until very cold, strain into a chilled coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon peel.

El Presidente

11/2 ounces Bacardi Añejo Cuatro Rum
3/4 ounce Martini Rosso Vermouth
¼ ounce orange Curaçao
1 barspoon grenadine
lemon peel, for garnish

Stir all ingredients with plenty of ice until very cold and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Mary Subialka is the editor of Real Food and Drinks magazines, covering the flavorful world of food, wine, and spirits. She rarely meets a chicken she doesn’t like, and hopes that her son, who used to eat beets and Indian food as a preschooler, will one day again think of real food as more than something you need to eat before dessert and be inspired by his younger brother, who is now into trying new foods.