And the Valley Cooks: A Louisiana Daiquiri

We’ve always been fans of the ol’ KISS method here, and for the most part that extends to food as well. Sure, there’s a time to go haute cuisine and take your game up a couple notches.

But there’s also a testament to the very simple, especially when it comes to cocktails.

Behold, the daiquiri. You’d be surprised at how many people view it exclusively as something that comes from a frozen drink machine in the fluorescent color of their choice (and no judgment — if that’s what you like to drink, go ahead). But originally, a daiquiri was just rum, simple syrup and lime juice.

But let’s put a Louisiana spin on it, with some Steen’s Cane Syrup, and a little local rum from Lula Restaurant and Distillery in NOLA.

(Full Disclosure: the ownership at Lula are good family friends, however, the food is excellent and they are making their own rum, vodka and gin from 100-percent gluten-free Louisiana sugar cane — if you are in the Crescent City, I highly recommend, especially for brunch).

Ingredients

2 oz light rum

1 oz Steen’s Cane Syrup

¹⁄₂ oz fresh squeezed lime juice

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add the syrup first so that it coats the cubes, then the lime juice and rum, shake well and serve in a chilled glass. Pure cane syrup brings a rich, deep sweetness that pairs really well with lime juice. They cut through each other really well and then the sweetness of the rum just brings it all together well.

Break this out for company on a hot day this summer, or go ahead and fancify up your tailgate this fall a little. Yes, using a cocktail shaker at a tailgate will look fancy.