Friday, August 11, 2017

Squid Mixes: Daiquiri

A daiquiri, in its basic form, is actually a lot like a margarita, last week's featured drink.  Rum is the alcoholic base of this one, though lime juice still carries most of the flavor.  The recipe in The New York City Bartender's Guide uses sugar syrup as the sweetener.  The daiquiri is Cuban in origin, first served in bars there around the turn of the 20th century.  The drink became popular in the United States in the 1940s.  While whiskey and vodka were rationed during the war years, rum was not.  Also, Carribean culture in general came into vogue at about the same time.  None other than John F. Kennedy was a daiquiri fan.

Rum's funny stuff.  On its own, it's every bit as warm and fragrant as whiskey.  For me, it conjures up memories of rum raisin ice cream, my childhood favorite among Baskin Robbins's 31 flavors.  But when rum mixes with fruit juices, especially citrus, its own flavor disappears.  This vanishing act is not without historical significance.


In earlier centuries, rum was a sailor's drink.  To cope with the tedium of months at sea, ship crewmen were given a ration of the stuff.  Of course, they'd get bored of the rum, too, so any stop at port provided the welcome opportunity to combine it with the local fruit juices.  You'd still get your alcoholic fix but with a more interesting taste to go with it.  Our whole modern concept of a mixed drink was spawned from this legacy.

There's a darker side to the story, of course.  As many of us learned in our history studies, rum was part of the triangular trade route that brought African slaves to the New World.  Rum is distilled from molasses, a byproduct of the sugar refining process.  Sugar production in the Caribbean was entirely dependent on slave labor.  Thus the route: slaves to the West Indies, sugar to the American colonies or Europe, rum to Africa and around again.

It's awfully heavy stuff to ponder as you sip a brightly colored, fruity, boozy treat.  There's a lot of world history in that glass and much of it ugly.  The tale is not even a new one.  The rich and powerful - and let's not kid ourselves, most of those who read this post and the man who wrote it all qualify on the global spectrum - have fed themselves through human exploitation for thousands of years.  Despite the brave efforts of some, we still do.

16 comments:

  1. I didn't know that about rum and mixed drinks.

    And, yeah... :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's actually something I find disappointing in rum. Whiskey holds up better with mixers, or even magically enhances them the as with ginger ale.

      Delete
  2. Always knew Rum was the pirates favorite! Thought it may be a stereotype. Fruit definitely makes the harsh horrible taste go away.
    I was unaware the slaves were traded for Rum though. Alcohol is an evil yet enjoyable thing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yo ho ho...

      Some stereotypes exist for good reason. Most of what we think we know about pirates comes from Robert Louis Stevenson. I can't remember anything specific about rum in Treasure Island but I wouldn't be surprised.

      Delete
  3. I've never had a daiquiri. It looks good, especially on a long, hot afternoon. I think almost all stories have a dark side.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
  4. While I like rum in a mixed drink, I don't care for it on its own, or in soda. Maybe I need the sweet fruity mix to make hundreds of years of oppression palatable? (Nah, that doesn't usually cross my mind when I get a drink.)

    Whiskey, on the other hand is fab, to me, in all its forms of consumption.

    My fave liquored ice cream, as a kid, was called brandied cherries flambé. Not sure it that stuck around through many seasons. Yummy!

    Mix on, Mr. Squid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yum... I will be getting to brandy soon. Truly sinful stuff. And who doesn't love setting food on fire?

      Delete
  5. Troubling history to be sure. I must say though, the daiquiris you made for us were quite tasty.

    ReplyDelete
  6. In India, soldiers needed quinine to prevent malaria. It was awful, so a cook conjured up rum and sugar to make quinine palatable. So, rum is medicinal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's also how the gin and tonic came to be. There's quinine in tonic water.

      Delete
  7. I knew that sailors were/are associated with rum- but I didn't know much else about its history. I do like a good daiquiri- and not very sweet. There is a bar mix my friend's father uses that is delicious. I don't know the name of it though (packets in a box I think).
    ~Jess

    ReplyDelete
  8. Theres nothing quite like a sup of the good stuff to put a spring in your step but drink has its demons. Ahhh the temptation but theres usually a price to be paid when too much is consumed.... I'm with Dr McCoy on this one. I only use it for medicinal purposes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please understand, I do not mean to promote excess. Everything in moderation.

      Delete