The small port of Daiquiri, located in the south-east of Cuba not far from Santiago de Cuba, gave the cocktail its name. There was a large iron mine formerly operated by the US company Spanish American Iron Co. As previously reported, one Jennings Stockton Cox served as general manager there during the Spanish-American War.
He created the first real "Daiquiri" at the Venus Bar in Santiago de Cuba using the ingredients he had on hand when other drinks ran out during a party.
Today's version of the daiquiri, which is shaken and served in a martini or margarita glass, developed later.
The American Congressman William A. Chanler, who bought the iron mine in 1902, then popularized Cox's creation in the clubs of his native New York. Admittedly, the spread of the Daiquiri was initially limited to New York itself.
However, the daiquiri only became really popular after Rear Admiral Lucius W. Johnson, who was stationed as a naval doctor in Santiago de Cuba, was enthusiastic about Cox's creation in 1909.
Constantino (Constante) Ribalaigua Vert, the owner of the El Floridita Bar, gave the daiquiri a new boost by not preparing it in a shaker and serving it without ice, as was previously the case, but mixing it with ice in a blender.
That was the birth of the Frozen Daiquiri, which is still very popular today and can be mixed in all versions with a wide variety of fruits.
One of the most famous drinkers in the world, Ernest Hemingway, was of course a regular at El Floridita Bar during his stay in Cuba. However, he felt that the blend was too weak and demanded that the proportion of rum be doubled. And since Hemingway was diabetic, Constantino left out the sugar, resulting in a very strong, sour drink that Hemingway is said to have consumed up to 15 glasses of in one evening. This strong drink is still called “E” in the Floridita Bar to this day.
In addition, during World War II, whiskey and vodka were rationed, while rum was easily available through Franklin D. Roosevelt's "good-neighborly policy" with Central and South America was. Within a few years, rum, previously a sailors' drink, became popular across the country, and rum cocktails began to appear on menus in bars and restaurants everywhere.
Today, the Daiquiri is one of the most popular drinks in bars around the world, and in recent years more and more variations have been developed that are either mixed with brown rum instead of white rum, or by adding different fruits to create a very unique, fruity and tasty drink.