Strawberry Rhubarb Daiquiri

We’ve moved on from winter – although it seems like we bypassed spring (typically a lovely season here in Washington, D.C.) and went right into summer! The good news is that fresh produce is now available at our local farm market. During the winter we tend to drink dark spirits (bourbon, rye, brandy, dark rum) and the only fruit in our cocktails is citrus or fruit brandy. When fresh fruit becomes available, we can’t wait to get out of our rut and freshen up our cocktails with something locally grown added to a light spirit (gin, vodka, tequila, light rum).

Last week we picked up local rhubarb and strawberries at the farm market and went right home and captured their fresh flavors in a home-made simple syrup. We put this to good use in margaritas and even a rye-based cocktail, but we think that the daiquiri fully captures the fresh sweet/tart flavor of the fruit. The bonus of making a fruit syrup is that you can add it to club soda for a fresh non-alcoholic drink (or pour it on your pancakes!) The syrup recipe follows the cocktail recipe in this blog post. 

In keeping with the local theme of our drink, we mixed the cocktail with rum from Cotton and Reed – D.C.’s first rum distillery. Their white rum is a blend of two different distillates and has a citrusy and floral flavor profile up front and a spicy finish. It's then blended with a separate distillate, which uses yeast harvested from pineapple. All of this makes for an excellent base that helps to highlight strawberry and rhubarb in our cocktail.

We love a good basic daiquiri (see this recipe on the blog), but this version is going to be the cocktail we’re drinking to officially launch summer during the up-coming Memorial Day weekend.  The Cocktail Artist has captured the spirit of this drink in a couple of watercolor paintings depicting the farm in strawberry-rhubarb shades of pink.

Cheers to summer!


Strawberry Rhubarb Daiquiri

2 ½ ounces White Rum 
1 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 ounce strawberry rhubarb simple syrup (see recipe below)

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a strawberry.


Strawberry Rhubarb Simple Syrup

½ pound fresh strawberries (cut with stems and leaves removed)
½ pound fresh rhubarb (cut into 1 inch long pieces)
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
1 lemon
1 ounce vodka

Put strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and water into a small saucepan with a couple of pieces of lemon peel. Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Take the pan off of the heat and add juice from half of the lemon. Stir and let cool to room temperature. Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer (pressing with a spoon). Pour the liquid into a bottle, add an ounce of vodka (to help preserve the syrup), and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. 

Simmering the strawberry and rhubarb simple syrup


Pink Barn - original watercolor by The Cocktail Artist


Farm at Sunrise - original watercolor by The Cocktail Artist


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