Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Rum Cocktails

Winter Daiquiri

Written by
Liquor.com
Updated 07/04/21
Winter Daiquiri cocktail in a coupe glass with a floating lime wheel garnish
Image: Kirsten Opsahl

Rum has a reputation as a warm-weather drink, and for good reason: It stars in several island classics like the Mojito, Daiquiri and Piña Colada. But the versatile spirit isn’t a one-trick wonder. With a few tweaks and the occasional ingredient swap, your favorite summer thirst-quencher can quickly become a delicious fireside companion.

The simple formula for crafting rum-spiked winter cocktails? Spice is nice, darker spirits and bitters add complex flavors perfect for slower sipping, and if it’s in the produce section during the winter months, juice it.

To make her Winter Daiquiri, Eden Laurin of the esteemed Chicago bar, The Violet Hour, swaps standard white rum for a duo of more complex bottles: Banks 5 Island rum and Cruzan black strap rum. Banks 5 Island is a blend of 21 distillates from six producers on five islands, so there’s a lot going on within. And Cruzan black strap rum is rich and dark, with notes of molasses, coffee and cloves.

“Splitting the classic Daiquiri base with an aged rum adds a depth and warmth that’s perfect for cold Midwestern months,” says Laurin. “So I like to add a bit of Cruzan black strap rum and give the drink a rich molasses-y twist.” She was stirred to create it, she adds, after the year she fled the Windy City for an island vacation over the Christmas holiday. Make a Winter Daiquiri, and find your own inspiration at the bottom of the glass.

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Ingredients

  • 1 ounce Banks 5 Island rum

  • 1 ounce Cruzan black strap rum

  • 3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed

  • 3/4 ounce simple syrup

  • Garnish: lime wheel

Steps

  1. Add the Banks 5 Island rum, Cruzan black strap rum, lime juice and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake until well-chilled.

  2. Strain into a coupe glass.

  3. Garnish with a lime wheel.