Yesterday (July 19) was Daiquiri Day. I hereby claim authority to dismiss any tickets you get from the cocktail police for celebrating a day late. Or days late.

Seriously, I try to stay up on all the cocktail “holidays,” but I almost missed this one. I apologize. I happened to drop in on www.diffordsguide.com for work purposes (no, really—it was work!) and there it was. It was just in time for me to make and enjoy a daiquiri (specific recipe below, courtesy of the Difford’s site), but not in time for me to summon the energy and focus to write a coherent post.

Of course, the Diffords article notes that “Today bars the world over will be celebrating National Daiquiri Day.” In my haste to do this make-up post, I’ve given no time to pondering how a worldwide National Anything Day works.

Look—daiquiris are great any day. On a hot summer day (such as today around Western New York) take a sip, close your eyes, and a daiquiri summons a beautiful, sandy beach, an umbrella, and a lounge chair. Not so oddly, it does the same thing for me on a bitterly cold winter night.

So grab your favorite rum, some limes, and some sugar, and celebrate your own personal Daiquiri Day!

I love daiquiris in all forms, and there are many. They are best enjoyed freshly made with fresh ingredients, shaken until the shaker almost freezes your fingers. The zing of the lime and the sweetness of the rum (not to mention a stiff level of alcohol) should be perfectly balanced. I love this particular recipe’s addition of some grapefruit juice and maraschino liqueur. I cannot tell a lie; I liked the first one so much that I had a second after dinner.

DAIQUIRI NO. 3
2 oz Rum of choice (recommended: light or gold rum)
½ oz Freshly squeeze lime juice (half of a lime)
½ oz Simple syrup
¼ oz Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
1 tsp Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur

Shake all of the ingredients with lots of ice, then strain into an Old Fashioned or double-rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a wedge of lime on the rim of the glass.