Frozen Lime Daiquiri

The short drink in the older book

Harry Craddock's 1930 Savoy entry offers lemon or lime juice, powdered sugar and Bacardi rum, shaken and strained. The ingredients are familiar to a Daiquiri drinker; the fine, pourable slush of a frozen version takes them somewhere else.

The formula here follows bartender Tom Macy's Frozen Daiquiri, with rounded metric liquids, a specified small-cube ice form and the batch divided into two modest servings.

Read the syrup as an ingredient

The syrup is made with equal volumes granulated sugar and water. That description matters: a bottle labeled rich syrup may contain a different proportion, and equal weights of sugar and water are another specification. The measured spoonfuls aren't interchangeable just because all three mixtures pour.

Prepared syrup also keeps loose sugar out of a very cold mixture. There is no need to wait for granules to dissolve while the blender is already breaking down the ice. Chill it ahead of time so the sweetener doesn't bring extra warmth into the jug.

For the first batch, keep to the listed liquid measures. Lime juice varies, and a later serving may need a small adjustment to suit the fruit. Make that a measured change; reaching for more syrup, then more lime, then another handful of ice can move the drink a long way from the starting formula.

Same cup, same ice form

The retained US cup measure describes solid ice, with gaps between the pieces. It isn't a cup of water waiting to be added to the rum. Nor does a cup filled with large cubes necessarily contain the same quantity of ice as one packed with crushed pieces.

Use small cubes, fill the measure without packing and repeat that approach when making another batch. The particular tray and blender will still affect the result. Consistent preparation gives you a better basis for choosing an adjustment than a different handful each time.

Stop at a pourable slush

A frozen drink should reach the glass while its ice texture is still present. Blend only until the small cubes have broken down into an even slush. Letting the motor run while finding the glasses leaves the drink warming and changing before anyone takes a sip.

Have both glasses ready before the blender starts. A frozen drink is good company for a short pause on a warm afternoon, but it won't wait patiently while you find somewhere to sit. Leave room at the rim and serve the pair together.

Optional lime peel adds an aromatic finish to the surface. Give each disc a gentle squeeze over its glass, stir briefly and serve. Keep the garnish small enough that the first thing a guest meets is the cold lime-and-rum slush.