Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri
Blended strawberries, lime and ice, thick enough to stand a straw in.
Photo: Virgin strawberry daiquiri (8410672999) by Saaleha Bamjee from Johannesburg, South africa · CC BY-SA 2.0 · All credits
Ingredients
Measures below are multiplied for 12 drinks. Unmeasurable amounts such as “a splash” are left as written.
- 72 berries Strawberry - Frozen ones work well, and save the ice
- 300 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 300 ml line. Lime juice - Essential - strawberries need something sharp against them
- 180 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 180 ml line. Simple syrup
- 2839 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 2839 ml line. Ice
Measured in Millilitres (UK). Sign in to read these in American measures. Print a kitchen card at this size.
What the jigger, the spoons and the jug hold, in millilitres and in fluid ounces, is on the measures reference.
Quick version
- Blend the strawberries with lime, syrup and ice, then pour into a chilled coupe.
Method
Batch (12 drinks)Batch (12 drinks) - about 3.32 l of measured ingredients, before ice and dilution.
Timings and per-glass steps below are written for one drink and are not scaled. A full jug takes longer to chill, so stir or shake until it is properly cold rather than by the clock, and pour over fresh ice one glass at a time.
- Hull the strawberries and put them in a blender with the lime juice, syrup and a cup of ice.
- Blend on high for 25 seconds, until it is smooth and thick.
- Pour into a chilled coupe or a rocks glass, without straining it.
- Split a strawberry over the rim of the glass and serve it with a straw.
Serve it
Volumes in this story are multiplied for the size above, along with the ingredients. Years, ratios and the capacities of glasses and jugs are left as written.
Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri
The frozen strawberry Daiquiri is the drink that made blenders worth owning, and the alcohol in it has never been the point - the point is that it is cold, thick and tastes of strawberries. With no rum in it, the balance shifts: the lime has to work harder, and the drink is a frozen dessert in a glass rather than a cocktail, which is a perfectly good thing to be.
Getting it right
Freeze the strawberries and use less ice, or use fresh berries and more ice - either way, the drink should be thick enough that a straw stands up in it and not so thick that you need a spoon. The lime juice is not negotiable; without it, the drink is a strawberry slushie with no edge, and the syrup is only there if the berries need it. Drink it fast, before it separates.
Tasting notes
Concentrated strawberry, with the lime cutting through the sweetness and a clean, cold finish. It is the least serious drink in this book, and the one most likely to be requested by somebody who claims not to like cocktails.