new era · shaken
Don's Special Daiquiri recipe
A tiki-era daiquiri with grapefruit and maraschino.
A Don's Special Daiquiri is 60 ml (56.4 g) White Rum, 20 ml (20.6 g) Fresh Lime Juice, 15 ml (15.6 g) Grapefruit Juice, 5 ml (5.2 g) Maraschino and 5 ml (5.6 g) Sugar Syrup, shaken and served in a coupe. It pours to about 105 ml before ice, at roughly 24.4% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glasscoupe
- Methodshaken
- Pour volume105 ml
- Strength (est.)24.4% ABV
- Time5 min
Don's Special Daiquiri ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Rum | 60 ml | 56.4 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Fresh Lime Juice | 20 ml | 20.6 g | 1.03 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Grapefruit Juice | 15 ml | 15.6 g | 1.04 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Maraschino | 5 ml | 5.2 g | 1.04 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Sugar Syrup | 5 ml | 5.6 g | 1.11 | Weighed by the coaster |
How to make a Don's Special Daiquiri
- Set your coupe on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Add White Rum, Fresh Lime Juice, Grapefruit Juice, Maraschino and Sugar Syrup to a shaker, weighing each ingredient rather than eyeballing a jigger.
- Fill with ice and shake hard for 12–15 seconds.
- Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
Don's Special Daiquiri: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Don's Special Daiquiri?
Roughly 24.4% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Spirit-forward. Sip it, do not sink it.
What glass should a Don's Special Daiquiri be served in?
A coupe. Chill it first — a room-temperature stemmed glass will undo half the work you just did in the mixing tin.
Can I make a Don's Special Daiquiri without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
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