Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri

Without rum, strawberries turn into a smoothie

A Daiquiri is rum, lime and sugar, and the rum holds the other two apart: it thins the texture and stops the sugar reading as syrup. Strawberries bring their own water and fructose, so blended with ice and sugar they give a smoothie in a cocktail glass. Lime at 22 ml and a pinch of salt keep the fruit honest.

Measures in ml and oz

Under-ripe strawberries need the syrup; over-ripe ones need less and more lime, so taste the fruit first.

Technique: frozen fruit, short pulses, cold glass

Hull the strawberries and freeze them in a single layer for two hours. Frozen fruit blended with ice gives a thicker, colder drink that does not taste diluted. Blend the lime, syrup, salt and strawberries first for ten seconds, then add the ice and pulse in four bursts of three seconds.

Giving it body and bite

Salt is the cheapest fix here: it suppresses bitterness and makes the fruit taste riper without sugar. Top the glass with 30 ml of soda water for a longer drink, or use tonic for quinine bitterness. A 15 ml measure of a 0,0 % white spirit alternative gives a faint prickle.

Mistakes and repairs

• Tastes like a smoothie. Add 10 ml of lime and 15 ml of soda, and no more syrup.
• Too thin. You blended too long; pulse next time and start from frozen fruit.
• Too sour. Add 5 ml of syrup and re-blend for one second.

Variations with a name

• Virgin mango Daiquiri — mango replaces the strawberry and needs less syrup.
• Frozen raspberry Daiquiri — raspberries bring more acid, so add 5 ml of syrup.
• Strawberry basil smash sin alcohol — shake hard with ice and two basil leaves.

Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri FAQ

Is this just a strawberry smoothie?

Only if you build it that way. A smoothie is fruit, dairy and sugar; a Daiquiri is fruit, citrus and sugar with a strong acid-to-sweet balance.

Do I need a blender?

No. Shake everything hard with cubed ice for fifteen seconds and strain into a chilled coupe: thinner and clearer, closer to a shaken Daiquiri.

Why does my drink separate in the glass?

Ice that melted in the blender rises and leaves water on top. Serve it immediately in a chilled glass, and freeze the fruit so you need less ice.