This shaken cocktail is made with passion fruit juice, white rum, citrus juice, and your preferred triple sec. My daiquiris are more flavorful and exciting than the regular-shmegular drink. Passion Fruit, to me, is a fruit that transcends seasons and cultures. What’s great about this cocktail is that it serves incredibly well during the Spring and Summer months. And, so, my Classic Passion Fruit Daiquiri is making its way to you.
This recipe also includes pitcher instructions if we are free at some point to socialize like normal human beings.
What is a Classic Daiquiri?
A classic daiquiri is a rum cocktail that includes citrus juice (lime here), triple sec, and some type of sweetener. The drink shares the same name as a Cuban town which actually was the sight of a landing invasion during the Spanish-American War. I mean, if ever there’s a reason to drink, it’s because you’re in combat. YouknowwhatImsayin?
The story is that Daiquirí (the town, not the drink) is (or was) a booming iron ore mining town. Jennings Cox, an iron exec, made his way to the island and, needing respite from the tropical heat, took the bounty of Cuban rum, mixed it with citrus and sugar (also plentiful on the island), and the daiquiri was born. I’m with it.
Here in the States, we associate daiquiris with Old Man Hemingway. His drink of choice was a more boozy daiquiri, which was soon named after him: the Papa Doble.
What’s the difference between a “Classic” Passion Fruit Daiquiri and a Frozen one?
The OG daiquiri wasn’t served a la slushy like many of us in the States are used to. Instead, it was shaken with ice and served chilled. It wasn’t until post Prohibition that bartenders like Constantino “Constante” Ribalaigua Vert started concocting his daiquiris with shaved ice. The frozen version came to be on the heels of Constante’s. Nowadays, we’re used to seeing daiquiris frozen like 7-Eleven Slurpees.
Personally? I prefer to drink my daiquiris without getting brain-freeze, which always seems to happen when I drink the frozen version. Instead of blending mine, I shake vigorously with ice and serve it straight-up. That’s the only difference between the classic and the frozen version.
You who like to live on the edge and give your brain hypothermia can most certainly make this recipe a frozen one. Instructions for that are included in the notes down in the recipe card.
What do I need to make this Classic Passion Fruit Daiquiri?
The thing I like most about my daiquiri is that you can ebb and flow with the ingredients. Again, for it to be a “classic” daiquiri, it must have rum, citrus juice, and sugar. Since “passion fruit” is in the cocktail’s name, I feel like passion fruit is also a must, but I’m just its creator, so what do I know? I use fresh passion fruit pulp for textural contrast in addition to passion fruit juice. Triple sec (Cointreau) is a bonus ingredient that adds more interest to the drink’s overall flavor.
While I prefer Cointreau here, you can use your favorite brand of triple sec, orange curaçao, or Grand Marnier as a replacement. Since it’s not a must-have daiquiri ingredient, you can omit it altogether, as well.
Though I use turbinado sugar here, regular brown sugar or even white sugar are adequate substitutes. You can also use agave, honey, or simple syrup to sweeten your daiquiri. Papa Hemingway wasn’t a fan of overly sweet daiquiris, what with being a diabetic and all, so his namesake cocktail wasn’t sweetened to the same degree as this one is. Like ol’ Ernie, you can reduce the amount of sweetener here.
Citrus juice is the name of the game. Swap the lime juice out for lemon, grapefruit, or orange; just don’t omit the citrus altogether.
How do I pick the right passion fruit?
Rant: one passion fruit costs me $5 here in Texas. Do you know how frustrating that is for me when I can literally pick them off the tree at my aunt and uncle’s house for free!!?? And theirs aren’t puny, pathetic passion fruit, either. Alas, I have no choice but to be gouged if I want fresh passion fruit pulp.
Picking the perfect passion fruit (parcha in good Puerto Rican-Spanish) is easy. The skin of the fruit should be wrinkled, and the fruit should feel heavy for its size. The larger the fruit, the better it is because it means you’ll have more pulp to extract. The more purple on the skin, the riper it is. Likewise, the more wrinkles you see, the riper the fruit. Because they’re so expensive for me, I can’t afford to use the pulp to make the juice. Instead, I use juice from a carton. You can store the carton (or bottle) of passion fruit juice in the pantry, making it great when you want to prepare this cocktail on a whim.
The pulp is mainly for textural contrast, visual interest, and to say there’s pure passion fruit in it.
What kind of rum is best for daiquiris?
Bacardí is a Cuban-born rum. So, it’s the most sensible one to use when it comes to making this Cuban-born daiquiri.
We’re mixing this daiquiri with other things, so I don’t need a top-shelf sipping rum. Bacardi Superior (white rum) is not only a fine mixing rum but also economical and tastes delicious. Don Q, Havana Club, or Myer’s Plantation are all great subs for the Bacardi.
To add more caramel notes to this cocktail, you can replace the white rum with gold or spiced rum. Don’t go too dark, though, or the passion fruit juice will get lost in the sauce.
Do I have to use fresh lime juice?
You know I don’t like to tell you what to do, but yes, you have to use fresh lime juice here. That crap stuff in the plastic squeeze bottle is full of sulfites. So, on top of muddling up the bright, refreshing flavors of your daiquiri, you’ve just added a headache to the mix.
Limes don’t require that much effort and pay you back in a tasty way. Add the juice of your lime to a cocktail shaker along with the turbinado sugar. Swirl things around a bit to encourage the sugar to dissolve. Once the sugar dissolves (or is close to it), add a handful (or a cup) of ice to the shaker.
What’s the best type of passion fruit juice to use?
I can only find a passion fruit juice cocktail, which means it’s mixed with other juices. You can rarely find a good-quality, fresh, non-perishable passion fruit juice (pure passion fruit) outside of a tropical country. It’s not impossible; it’s just not that easy. Try to get pure passion fruit juice. But, if you can’t, look at the carton’s ingredients list and choose a brand that has passion fruit juice among the top three ingredients. Avoid passion fruit pulp. It’s too thick and viscous for this cocktail. Sunberry Farms passion fruit juice is the juice that I use most often.
Add the passion fruit juice to the cocktail shaker along with the rum and Cointreau.
Place the cap on and shake it vigorously for 30 seconds or until the shaker frosts over. The cocktail needs to be really cold since we’re serving it straight-up (and not on ice).
What’s the best glass to serve this classic passion fruit daiquiri in?
Once the cocktail is thoroughly chilled, divide the drink equally between two daiquiri glasses (also called a margarita glass).
This glass design makes it conducive to a daiquiri because its long stem prevents you from warming up the drink with the body heat from your hand. Its wide bowl also allows the alcohol to breathe before you sip it, which opens up the cocktail’s flavors.
I garnish my classic passion fruit daiquiri simply: with just a couple of edible flowers and the passion fruit pulp. You can do either or leave the garnish out altogether.
Can I make this a pitcher daiquiri?
Make this a pitcher daiquiri by quadrupling the ingredients. Mix the cocktail in a cocktail pitcher and give it a vigorous stir with a cocktail spoon. Since you won’t use a cocktail shaker and, as a result, are losing the chill of the ice, try to make your pitcher daiquiri a few hours in advance. Give the cocktail time to chill in the fridge before you serve them. Give the mixture another hearty stir once you’re ready to serve, then pour into your glass of choice.
You can make this passion fruit daiquiri a day before serving it and storing it in the fridge.
How can I change up this recipe?
If you’re not a fan of rum, this cocktail can morph into a martini (with gin or vodka) or a gimlet (with gin). Yes, it ceases to be a daiquiri once you remove the rum, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.
Replace the passion fruit juice and pulp with your favorite tropical (or non-tropical) juice. Just use equal amounts to transform it into a variety of flavors.
Alter the citrus juice to suit whatever you have on hand.
Can I make this a mocktail (alcohol-free)?
Need an alcohol-free version? Too easy! Just omit the rum and the Cointreau. Replace either with more passion fruit juice or float a sparkling tonic or water on top after pouring it into the glass.
This is an excellent option for kiddos or those abstaining from alcohol. I’d probably serve this in a highball glass if it’s not being served with rum, too.
Need some other rum drinks? Try these:
Well, now that Spring is rounding the corner, it’s time to whip a few glasses of this Classic Passion Fruit Daiquiri. Surely you can find ways to enjoy it. Be sure to pin it to your cocktail boards and share it with your rum (or Hemingway) loving friends and family.
Classic Passion Fruit Daiquiri
at Sense & EdibilityEquipment
- cocktail shaker
- daiquiri (or margarita) glasses
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 ounces lime juice freshly squeezed from 1 medium lime
- 1/2 tablespoon turbinado sugar
- 4 ounces passion fruit juice
- 3 ounces white rum
- 1 ounce Cointreau or triple sec (optional)
- 1 ripe passion fruit pulp extracted, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large cocktail shaker combine the lime juice and turbinado sugar. Swirl the mixture around to dissolve as much of the sugar as possible. Add 1 cup (or a generous handful) of ice cubes to the shaker.
- Add the passion fruit juice, white rum, and Cointreau to the shaker with the ice and lime juice. Cap the shaker.
- Give the shaker a vigorous shake for 30 seconds or until the outside of the shaker frosts over.
- Scoop out the pulp from half of a fresh passion fruit into a daiquiri glass. Add the other half's pulp to the second glass. Divide the classic passion fruit daiquiri equally between the two glasses pouring it over the pulp.
- Garnish with edible flowers and enjoy responsibly.
Notes
Swaps and Subs:
- Use white or brown sugar instead of turbinado. You can also replace the sugar with 2 tablespoons (or less) of liquid sweetener like: agave syrup, honey, or simple syrup.
- Replace the rum with vodka or gin and the Cointreau with sweet vermouth to make a Passion Fruit Martini.
- Replace the rum with gin to make a Passion Fruit Gimlet.
- Any tropical fruit juice can replace the passion fruit juice and pulp.
- Use your favorite citrus juice in place of the fresh lime juice.
Frozen Passion Fruit Daiquiri:
1 1/2 ounces lime juice
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
4 ounces passion fruit juice, frozen in ice cube trays, plus more for the blending
3 ounces white rum
1 ounce Cointreau
1 cup ice cubes
pulp of 1 passion fruit (optional)
edible flowers to garnish (optional)
- Combine the lime juice, turbinado sugar, passion fruit ice cubes, rum, cointreau, and ice cubes in a high-powered blender.
- Blend the mixture together on high speed for 30 seconds. Add more passion fruit juice, as needed, to get the mixture flowing.
- Pour the frozen daiquiri into glasses and garnished as desired.
Classic Passion Fruit Mocktail (Alcohol-Free):
- Omit the rum and the Cointreau from the recipe.
- Replace the alcohol with 4 more ounces of passion fruit juice or a float of sparkling tonic or water.
- Serve this mocktail in highball glasses instead of a daiquiri glasses.
Classic Passion Fruit Pitcher Daiquiri (make your pitcher daiquiri a few hours in advance):
6 ounces (3/4 cup) lime juice
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) turbinado sugar
2 cups passion fruit juice
1 1/2 cups white rum
1/2 cup Cointreau
pulp of 2 passion fruit (optional)
edible flowers to garnish (optional)
- In a cocktail pitcher, dissolve the sugar in the lime juice.
- Add the passion fruit juice, white rum, and Cointreau to the cocktail pitcher and give it a vigorous stir with a cocktail spoon.
- Chill the cocktail in the fridge for an hour (up to 24 hours) before you serving.
- Give the mixture another hearty stir once you're ready to serve, then pour into your glass of choice.
I love coming back to your site for the cocktail recipes! When I had a few too many passion fruits from the local farmer market, I knew I had to make these cocktails. They were AMAZING! I can’t wait to go get more so we can make them again.
I’m so glad to hear you were able to use up those passion fruits!
This drink hit the spot, Marta. And I was able to pick the perfect passion fruit for it with your tips. Thank you!
I’m so glad the tips helped, Jazz!
Passion fruit is one of my top three fruits and this i HAD TO make. Its sweltering in March here in Kenya and this was perfect for my balmy late evening drink. Defo trying this again!
Yay!! I’m so glad that, even in Kenya, this is a loved cocktail!
I love learning about the original daiquiri recipe, so enlightening. I made it and it was delicious, plus it was nice not to get a brain freeze for once.
LOL! I HATE brain freeze!
I need a few of these after this week. (Yes I know it’s only Tuesday) hahah Looks yummy!
I hear you girl!
Another great cocktail I can’t really wait to try soon because I love passion fruit x
Let me know what you think, Marina!