What does daiquiri mean?
A daiquiri is a classic cocktail made from white rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar, usually shaken with ice and strained into a chilled glass; when blended with crushed ice it becomes a frozen daiquiri, and countless fruit variations — strawberry, banana, mango — are common on modern menus. The drink is named after Daiquirí, a beach and mining village near Santiago de Cuba, and is generally credited to American mining engineers working in Cuba at the end of the nineteenth century, though its exact origins are debated. The word carries relaxed, festive connotations: it belongs to the vocabulary of vacations, poolside lounges, and cocktail hours rather than formal settings. Because the name is so strongly associated with tropical leisure, 'daiquiri' functions both as the precise name of a canonical drink and as a shorthand for fruity rum cocktails more broadly.
nounA cocktail made with rum, lime juice, and sugar, traditionally served chilled or over ice. It is named after a beach in eastern Cuba where it is said to have originated around the turn of the twentieth century.
- A cocktail of rum, lime juice, and sugar, served shaken and chilled or blended with ice (the frozen daiquiri).
- Any of many flavored variants of this drink, typically named for the fruit added to the base recipe.
"She ordered a strawberry daiquiri while the band set up on the terrace."
"The bartender shook the daiquiri hard and strained it into a coupe glass."
"On the hot afternoon, nothing seemed better than an ice-blended mango daiquiri by the pool."
The standard plural simply adds -s; it is used when referring to multiple servings of the drink, as on menus or in orders.
"They ordered three daiquiris and a plate of empanadas."
The daiquiri takes its name from a Cuban beach and mining town — and Ernest Hemingway was such a fan of one Havana bar's version that the bar still sells a 'Papa Doble' in his honor.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of daiquiri
The word 'daiquiri' comes from Daiquirí, a coastal area in eastern Cuba near Santiago de Cuba, borrowing the Spanish-derived place name directly into English. The cocktail associated with the site became known in the United States in the early twentieth century, particularly during Prohibition, when Americans traveled to Cuba and brought the drink home. The term entered widespread English use through bars and bartending manuals of that era and has since become a standard fixture of cocktail vocabulary worldwide.
How daiquiri is actually used
The word is casual and social in register, appearing almost exclusively in contexts involving bars, parties, menus, and travel. In American usage, 'daiquiri' often refers loosely to any sweet blended fruit drink containing rum, which can blur the classic three-ingredient original.
Easily confused with daiquiri
A dachshund is a long-bodied breed of dog, whereas a daiquiri is a rum-and-lime cocktail — the two share no meaning despite superficially similar spellings.