I like a lot of drinks. Some people like boozy drinks or bitter drinks or sweet drinks, but I like pretty much anything. Which makes picking a favorite pretty tough. But if I were stuck with just two drinks (because I couldn’t ever pick just one), one would be the Sazerac, and the other would be the Daiquiri. If I’m ever feeling lazy and don’t want to put together something elaborate, I throw together a Daiquiri because I know, no matter what, that it will be awesome and I will love it. – Andrew

The Daiquiri

2 oz Aged Rum
1 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Cane Syrup

Shake everything with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. That’s it. No garnish, no fancy footwork needed. Just enjoy!

The Daiquiri is a beautifully simple combination of rum, lime, and sugar. Which means that this classic cocktail is tremendously versatile. In the summer, use silver rum; in winter, use dark rum. You can throw in other citrus, like grapefruit or pineapple; you can mess around with the sugar, getting fancy with falernum or cinnamon syrup; you can even throw in some orange curacao or another liqueur. It’s a simple, classic template that allows for lots of great experimenting.

Or you can just keep it simple, like the original. Rum: smooth and dark this time of year. Lime: fresh squeezed is always best, but no one will judge you if you’re in a hurry. Sugar: there are a lot of ways you can do this, but cane syrup – a deep and rich syrup made from boiling down sugar cane juice – adds a wonderfully flavorful, rustic layer to the Daiquiri. So: sweet, tart, rich, delicious. Go make one.

(Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, where we’ve been posting our experiments before they make their way onto this column!)

Glassware by Liquorary

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper