When you find sweet, fresh Tennessee strawberries, how can you not drop everything and use them in a drink, seriously. Plus, it is a stupid hot, humid, did you expect anything less from July in the South kind of day, and a cool drink is just what the doctor ordered. So join me as we stand and make a Strawberry Daiquiri, Actual. 

I say actual because this isn’t a blender drink, this is a riff on the classic daiquiri, only with strawberries. Nothing wrong with the blender version, I may make one of those next. I just wanted to try this one out and mom gave me some strawberries, so here we go. 

Grab your tins and pop in two big, beautiful, fresh juicy strawberries. They really are the best strawberries, a lot of people are saying that. Actually, be sure to cut off the crown and quarter them, it’ll be fun to use a knife anyway. Toss in a pinch of coarse sea salt and some cracked black pepper, grab your muddler and put it to some good use. Don’t get too excited or you will end up with strawberry juice in your eye, can confirm. Once your strawberries are well and truly muddled, pop in 1/2 an ounce of fresh squeezed lime juice and 3/4 ounce of simple syrup. 1 1/2 ounces of a white rum, I used Cane Run 12; and 1/2 an ounce of sherry, I went with all I had, some cheap Taylor Dry. Add ice and shake it hard, to the beat of “Guantanamera“, try not to get misty thinking about how you’d like to be shaking this one looking across a white beach into the azure blue of the Caribbean. That way lies madness. Double strain into something pretty and delicate to accentuate the flavor and garnish with halved strawberries dusted with black pepper on a pick.

Holy damn, my children. This is wonderful. Truly, unless you just want an icee-esque one there is no reason to ever again grab a blender when you want a strawberry daiquiri. This one is all of that only simplified. The strawberries and lime play off of each other for a beautiful sweet, bright top note, nice sweetness underneath and a light rum flavor complimenting the whole thing rather than fighting with it. This drink is so good and so simple. Even the black pepper aroma from the garnish just works to further tie it together. If you like a standard daiquiri I think you are going to love this one. Have I steered you wrong before? Wait, don’t answer that until I’ve had another. Stay safe, stay hydrated and stay sane, my friends.