David Wondrich, a beverage writer, did us all an enormous favor at the start of the pandemic by tweeting “Drinks of the Day” live from his home with “who gives a shit photography and old person threading skills.” I’d forgotten about the series because I don’t drink much anymore.
Someone retweeted a daiquiri from March 2020 on my timeline, and I noticed an important detail:
David Wondrich, a beverage writer, did us a great favor at the start of the pandemic by tweeting “Drinks of the Day” live from his home with “who gives a shit photography and old person threading skills.” I’d forgotten about the series because I don’t drink much anymore.
Someone retweeted a daiquiri from March 2020 on my timeline, and I noticed an important detail:
Wondrich’s daiquiri was as easy to make as any good recipe. But it was the absence of simple syrup which caught my attention. He used plain table sugar mixed with lime juice instead of water to dissolve the sugar. Then he added rum and shook it with ice.
Even in small amounts, simple syrup is easy to make. However, I am notoriously lazy and always look for ways to simplify recipes. It’s much easier to use plain sugar than make syrup.
I added two ounces of rum to my shaker after adding a half lime, a teaspoon of sugar, and a quick stir. After adding the ice, I gave it a temporary move. When I strained the drink into a coupe glass, I saw very few undissolved sugar grains at the bottom. (I only saw very little; I did not feel any in my mouth.)
The same technique can be used to make A whole world of Sours. Just use a template consisting of a half-lemon/lime, a heaping tablespoon of sugar, and 2 ounces of liquor. Make sure you dissolve the sugar first in the liquids at room temperature before adding ice—strain into a chilled coupe. Wondrich says you should always keep one in your freezer for such a situation.
