Cocktail of the Week: The Daiquiri Cocktail

Did you know that April 20th is National Look Alike Day?

You can celebrate by dressing like your best friend, dressing your dog like your cat, or sitting around watching the Patty Duke show- a TV comedy about two identical cousins who get involved in all sorts of hijinks.  Cathy Lane, played by Patty Duke, is the refined cousin; raised in a cultured world of travel and minuets.  Patty Lane, also played by Patty Duke, is a Brooklyn Heights girl who loses control over rock and roll and hotdogs.

In celebration of National Look Alike Day, we really wanted to feature a drink of the week that looks identical to another cocktail, but tastes entirely different.  This, of course, is an easy task.  A Forever Amber looks an awful lot like a Briar Patch, though they taste quite different.  The Forever Amber tastes like strawberry, while the Briar Patch tastes like raspberry.  A Manhattan looks like Franks Drink, a Tornado looks like a Rat Pack, and a vodka tonic looks identical to a gin and tonic.

Instead, we decided to challenge ourselves by featuring a cocktail that has an identical name to another cocktails, but is entirely different.  Sounds confusing, but it really isn't.  There are two cocktails, both named "Daiquiri".  Much like Patty and her cousin Cathy, these cocktails are identical in name, just like two matching bookends, but they are different as night and day.

Our featured cocktail this week is the original Daiquiri Cocktail.  About 75% of people equate a Daiquiri with a blended icy drink that tastes like lime or strawberry or maybe raspberry.  It may be blue or purple or red, and it may or may not be made with rum.  At Bryant's Cocktail Lounge, in general, we are a fan of blended cocktails, but the Daiquiri is an exception.  Why?  Because the original, un-basterdised Daiquiri Cocktail is so darn good.

The original Daiquiri Cocktail, as we understand it, is quite simple.  Rum, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup- shaken and strained in to a cocktail glass.  The rum plays with the lime, and the lime plays with the sugar, and the sugar plays with the rum.  It's like a playground in your mouth- a playground made of booze!

This original concoction can also be blended, as it was at the Floridita in Cuba, where Ernest Hemingway hung is hat.  However, we don't recommend it.  Just try it in it's pure form.

This week we want you to find out for yourself why the original Daiquiri is so much better than the blended Daiquiri of the 1980s.  The Daiquiri Cocktail is only $5 during Old Fashioned Happy Hour, which takes place from 5 to 9, Tuesday through Friday.  In addition, we will be offering the Daiquiri Cocktail for only $5 all night on Sunday!  How can you go wrong?

As an added bonus, we have some delicious Fish House Punch, which is a potent and delicious rum punch.  The predominant flavors are lemon-lime, with a hint of vanilla.  Try this after your Daiquiri Cocktail for only $5 for a big glass.