What does daquiri mean?
A daquiri is a variant spelling — generally treated as a misspelling — of the daiquiri, a classic Cuban cocktail made by shaking white rum with lime juice and sugar, or blending those ingredients with crushed ice to make the popular "frozen" version. Named after a beach and mining village near Santiago de Cuba where American mining engineers are said to have devised the drink around 1898, it became one of the world's best-known cocktails, celebrated by writers including Ernest Hemingway. In everyday use the word evokes holidays, poolside bars, and tropical fruit flavours such as strawberry or mango, which is why countless variations appear on bar menus. Because the standard spelling is firmly established as "daiquiri" across dictionaries and style guides, writers should prefer that form in formal text, reserving "daquiri" recognition only when correcting or reading informal sources.
noun"Daquiri" is a common variant spelling (widely considered nonstandard) of "daiquiri", a cocktail made with rum, lime juice, and sugar.
- A cocktail of rum, lime juice, and sugar; also used of blended or 'frozen' versions of this drink.
"The bartender mixed her a frozen daquiri while they waited for a table."
"She ordered a strawberry daquiri from the beach bar."
"The recipe calls for white rum, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup shaken over ice."
Pluralises normally; note the standard plural of the correctly spelled form is "daiquiris".
"The waiter brought a tray of frosty daquiris to the table."
The daiquiri was supposedly invented around 1898 near an iron mine in Daiquirí, Cuba — and its most famous fan, Ernest Hemingway, drank doubles at Havana's El Floridita.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of daquiri
The name derives from Daiquirí, a village and beach on Cuba's southeastern coast near Santiago, where the cocktail is said to have been created around 1898 by American engineers working at local iron mines. The word entered English through Spanish, borrowing the place name directly, and spread internationally during the twentieth century as the drink grew popular in the United States. It has no deeper Indo-European root beyond its Cuban toponymic origin, so its closest relatives are other Cuban cocktail names rather than cognate words.
How daquiri is actually used
"Daiquiri" is the standard spelling in all major English dictionaries; "daquiri" appears frequently in informal contexts such as menus and signage but is regarded as a misspelling. The drink connotes leisure, tropical settings, and casual socialising.
Easily confused with daquiri
"Daiquiri" is the standard, correct spelling of the cocktail's name; "daquiri" is a frequent but nonstandard misspelling of it.