Don's Special Daiquiri
Tiki daiquiri, passion and honey.
Two rums, Jamaican and Cuban, blended with lime, passion fruit syrup and honey. It is the Daiquiri as reimagined by Don the Beachcomber: richer, more tropical and more aromatic than the original.
- IBA · New Era
- Aperitif
- Blended
- Glass
- Goblet
- Method
- Blended
- Strength
- Medium
- Time
- 4 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Ice
- Crushed
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Jamaican rum
30 ml
-
White rum
15 ml
-
Passion fruit syrup
15 ml
-
Lime juice
15 ml
-
Honey syrup
15 ml
Garnish
- Half passion fruit
Proportions
How to make
- Pour the Jamaican rum into the blender.
- Add the Cuban rum.
- Add the passion fruit syrup.
- Add the lime juice.
- Add the honey syrup.
- Add crushed ice.
- Blend briefly.
- Pour into the footed glass.
- Top up with more crushed ice.
- Garnish with half a passion fruit.
The story
Origins
ProbableA plausible account, without definitive proof.
Don's Special Daiquiri is credited to Donn Beach, alias Don the Beachcomber, father of tiki culture. Its ancestor is the 1934 Mona Daiquiri, built on a thirty-year-old Jamaican rum, Myers's Mona, with passion fruit and honey syrups. When Mona went out of production, in 1946 or 1947 depending on the source, Donn replaced it with a blend of gold Jamaican and light rum, true to his motto that what one rum can't do, several can. The recipe popularised by Jeff Berry is described as the 1970s version; a direct descendant is the Special Daiquiri of the Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale.
Sources (4)
- The Atomic Grog — Mai-Kai cocktail review: Don's Special Daiquiri (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- IBA — Don's Special Daiquiri (opens in a new tab) recipe
- Punch — Don's Special Daiquiri (recipe) (opens in a new tab) history
- Punch — Mastering Don's Special Daiquiri (opens in a new tab) history
Taste profile
- Fruity
- 4 out of 5
- Sweet
- 3 out of 5
- Sour
- 3 out of 5
- Strong
- 2 out of 5
