Mixology at Home - Traditional Daiquiri

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Does a good home bartender know how to make the same drinks as a pro? When it comes to the top favorites, I think so. But what are the top 10 drinks?

I looked at several sources for a top 10 list of cocktails even the amateur home bartender should know. Most are similar, with maybe one or two drink differences. Surprisingly, many of the lists did not have the classic martini.

When it comes to this top 10 list, I fall short. I can only make seven of them. Not having all the ingredients stocked in the bar is what stops me from completing the list. But I’m not going to go on a shopping spree unless someone I make drinks for on a regular basis develops a taste for one of them.

1. Old Fashioned. This is my “go-to” drink and I have several variations.

2. Moscow Mule. I’ve never made one; mostly because I don’t have ginger beer or the traditional copper mugs you serve it in.

3. Negroni. I’m starting to warm to this drink. Alena Neves? Not so much. One thing that helped is taking it up a notch with better sweet vermouth.

4. Mojito. I can make it, but it is kind of a pain, and you need fresh mint leaves.

5. Whiskey Sour. Another favorite. Try it with egg white.

6. Daiquiri. The original, and it isn’t frozen. Oddly, I’ve never made it, and it really is simple.

7. Margarita. No lie, I make a great one.

8. Mai Tai. Take a look at the ingredients. Even the original Trader Vic Mai Tai has ingredients not found in my home bar.

9. Bloody Mary. Like Mai Tai, there are a lot of ingredients. And I don’t stock tomato juice.

10. Manhattan. Last on the list but personally, for me, number four.

11. Traditional Martini. It should be on this top 10 list, but it is missing from many, so I feel I can ignore it simply because I’m not a fan. But I can make it!

We made four of these on Mixology at Home, so we added the traditional daiquiri to bump up my score. Notice it is not a frozen concoction.

Ingredients

2 oz light rum (using gold rum gives cocktails a little bolder rum taste)

1 oz lime juice, freshly squeezed

3/4 oz demerara sugar syrup (a substitute could be brown sugar syrup)

Lime twist garnish

Directions: Add ingredients and shake with ice, strain into a chilled coupe, and garnish with a lime twist.

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