Daiquiri

About this Cocktail

It's that time of year (here in New Orleans at least) when the heat becomes so oppressive that there's little choice but to shutter the windows and hide indoors. Pretend you're holed up in some shack in Cuba and shake up Daiquiris to pass the time. If you can block out enough of the sun you can sit in the near-dark and pretend that your furnishings aren't just thrift store finds but instead pre-embargo goods. Yeah, that's why nothing around you is newer than 1960.

Use a good white rum, something you'd be happy to drink on the rocks if it came down to it. My current favorite is the Plantation 3 Stars, a blend of spirits from Trinidad, Barbados, and Jamaica. It's actually got a little oomph to it instead of being some near-flavorless vodka substitute produced by a gigantic megaliquorcorp. Give it a try. Plus, hey, the bottle is 1lt and it's cheap. I actually don't know how they do it.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz white rum
• 3/4 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 - 1/2 oz simple syrup

Preparation:

Combine in tin, shake, strain, enjoy.