Having a cocktail served as a sorbet is commonplace these days and things can sometimes get out of hand when choosing which cocktail gets the extra special treatment. For this occasion, I've chosen a Daquiri as my next cocktail sorbet recipe.

The trouble with cocktail sorbet

As a cocktail, a Daiquiri is pretty simple to make. In fact, it's listed in our article titled "5 cocktails you can make in your sleep." A basic formula consists of a 9:5:3 ratio of rum to lime juice to sugar syrup. However, when it comes to adapting it for sorbet, things can get challenging.

The liquid to sweetener ratio, for a sorbet formula, isn't universal and can vary depending on the kind of sorbet being made. For example, a really sweet sorbet would require a 2:1 ratio of liquid to sweetener but the sweetener can be scaled back for those who don't have much of a sweet tooth. Hence, you could be looking at a ratio of either 3:1 or 4:1.

There's also the addition of the alcohol to consider. So to get things right or at least acceptable, I literally had to go out my way to compare the formulas for similar recipes to find some common traits to work with. Finally, I managed to settle on the 3:1 ratio for my recipe. It's neither too strong nor too weak in flavor.

A word of caution needs to be addressed before serving this sorbet.

In terms of alcoholic content, the only real difference between the cocktail and its sorbet is the way its served. Therefore, since the original formula hasn't been adjusted in scale for the sorbet, it remains an alcoholic-heavy food item and thus one must maintain responsibility with the serving and consumption of it.

The recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz granulated sugar
  • 2 oz water
  • 4 oz cups Light Rum
  • 8 oz squeezed lime juice, unsweetened
  • 1 cup ice, crushed or cubed
  • Lime twists for garnishing (optional)

Directions:

  1. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture while it boils. Remove from heat once it begins to thickens into a syrup and forms large bubbles. Set aside to cool.
  2. Pour the sugar syrup, rum, and lime juice into a shaker. Shake several times until chilled and fully combined.
  3. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker or slush machine and churn until cold and slushy.
  4. Serve the Daiquiri sorbet in 2 sorbet glasses and garnish each with a lime twist. If not ready for serving, seal in a container and freeze until the time comes.

Serves: 2

Variations

  • Pineapple Daiquiri - Substitute pineapple juice for the lime juice.
  • Daiquiri Sherbet - Add 4 ounce of heavy cream or milk to the mixture before shaking in Step 4.
  • Banana Daiquiri - Scale back the lime juice to 1 ounce. Combine 2 large bananas with the rest of the ingredients in a blender as opposed to shaking.
  • Strawberry Daiquiri - Substitute strawberry puree for the lime juice.