How to Make a Strawberry Daiquiri at Home (It’s Easy, We Promise)

Haven’t gotten around to booking that tropical getaway just yet? No worries: In the meantime, let’s drink. As it turns out, one of the season’s most essential cocktails is a breeze to shake up. Here’s how to make a strawberry daiquiri like a pro, plus eight creative versions to make for your friends this summer. We’ll order the tiny umbrellas.

Quick history lesson: The standard daiquiri was invented by American engineer Jennings Stockton Cox in 1898, according to Difford’s Guide. At Cox’s request, the engineers exploring Cuba’s Sierra Maestra Mountains were given monthly rations of local rum. Legend has it that while in the small town of Daiquirí, Cox combined the spirit with lime and sugar. The specifics are a bit murky: These ingredients were either simply what Cox had on hand or specifically combined after he ran out of gin while entertaining American visitors and didn’t want to serve them rum straight.

The strawberry daiquiri’s popularity rose at the start of the 1990s with other tiki and tropical drinks at the start of the cocktail renaissance. It’s essentially the same recipe as the original but blended with strawberries.

Today, daiquiris tend to be on the sweeter side. Real lime juice and granulated or powdered sugar are often replaced with sour mix. While we’re all about convenience, the bottled stuff is a far cry from fresh-squeezed lime juice. Simple syrup also sometimes subs in for granulated sugar, to eliminate the grainy texture.

Here’s the nice thing about cocktails: You can pretty much adjust any recipe to your taste. Want it frostier? Add more ice. Like your drinks strong? Add more rum. Dying to feel like you’re on an island? Use coconut rum instead of silver. This recipe makes about four cocktails depending on the size of your glasses, so invite your friends over and fire up the blender.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (8 oz.) light rum
• 4 cups (32 oz.) frozen strawberries (if you only have fresh, remove the leaves, hull and chop the berries and add extra ice)
• ¼ cup (2 oz.) simple syrup (homemade or store-bought; see below for instructions)
• ½ cup (4 oz.) lime juice
• Ice to taste

Step 1: To make simple syrup, bring 1 cup water to a boil and stir in 1 cup sugar until dissolved. Let cool.

Step 2: Add the rum, strawberries, simple syrup and lime juice to a blender.

Step 3: Add the ice. Start with a ½ cup and add more later if you want it thicker.

Step 4: Pulse the blender on low a few times to warm it up. Blend on high until smooth. Taste it to see if it’s to your liking and adjust rum or ice accordingly.

Step 5: Serve in a glass (we like margarita glasses) with a lime wedge or strawberry on the rim.