“The moment had arrived for a daiquiri … It elevated my contentment to an even higher pitch. it gave the heart an adventitious feeling of superiority and momentarily vanquished all the celebrated, the eternal fears…”– From Joseph Hergesheimer’s San Cristobal de la Habana

Purists argue that a real daiquiri has nothing to do with a blender or a host of fruity options, but sometimes the summer heat dictates otherwise.

The original daiquiri – invented around 1905 in Santiago, Cuba –consisted simply of rum, lime juice and sugar poured over cracked ice. The drink’s popularity peaked in the 1940s, when World War II rationing affected whiskey and vodka distribution. Rum, however, remained accessible because of President Franklin Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor policy, which opened up trade with Latin America, Cuba and the Caribbean.

There have since been numerous adaptations of the drink – frozen or not, exotic fruit or classic lime juice. No matter your preference, the daiquiri in all of its diversity is the essence of summer in a glass. Here are some ideas to turn up the heat on your cocktail party.

From Food & Wine Books’ Cocktails 2009, try these cool, fun twists on the summer staple.

Strawberry-Basil-Balsamic Daiquiri: Inspired by the classic Italian pairing of strawberries and balsamic vinegar.
8 ounces dark rum
1 cup halved hulled fresh strawberries, plus 4 whole strawberries for garnish
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup loosely packed basil leaves
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
½ pint strawberry ice cream
2 cups ice
In a blender, combine all of the ingredients except whole strawberries and blend until smooth. Pour into chilled red wine glasses and garnish with strawberries.

Hemingway Daiquiri: A favorite of the late, great American writer.
Ice
2 ounces white rum
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce fresh grapefruit juice
½ ounce maraschino liqueur
1 lime wheel, for garnish
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the remaining ingredients except for lime wheel and shake well. Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with lime wheel.

La Bomba Daiquiri: Proof that fruity drinks don’t always have to be super sweet.
5 raspberries
Ice
2 ounces white rum
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce simple syrup
1 teaspoon pomegranate
Molasses
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the raspberries. Add ice and the remaining ingredients and shake well. Double strain into a chilled coupe.

Other classics include the La Floridita:
2 ounces white rum
¼ ounce maraschino liqueur
1 ounce lime juice
2/3 ounce sugar syrup
Shake with a glassful of crushed ice. Pour into frosted cocktail glass.

And the basic Frozen Daiquiri:
1 cup ice
1½ ounces rum – light, dark or 151-proof
1 ½ ounces lime juice
½ ounce triple sec
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Frappe all ingredients in a blender. Directions for variations:
• Strawberry Daiquiri: Omit triple sec and add 4 to 6 hulled strawberries.
• Banana Daiquiri: Add 1 ripe banana, peeled.
• Pineapple Daiquiri: Omit triple sec and add 4 to 6 chunks (1 inch) of peeled pineapple.
• Melon Daiquiri: Omit triple sec and add 1 ounce melon liqueur and 4 to 6 chunks (1 inch) of peeled and seeded cantaloupe.
• Peach Daiquiri: Add 1 ripe peach, peeled and pitted.

Although daiquiris are quintessential warm weather drinks, here are a couple of blends that would work well when the weather starts to cool off:

Mocha-Spice Freeze
1 orange wedge and mocha sugar (a mixture of 2 tablespoons each of sugar, ground allspice, instant coffee and cocoa powder)
8 ounces spiced rum
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup instant coffee
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 pint vanilla ice cream
2 cups ice
Moisten the outer rim of 4 chilled martini glasses with orange; coat lightly with mocha sugar. In a blender, combine all of the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses.

Autumn Daiquiri
Ice
2 ounces aged or spiced rum
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce pineapple juice
¼ ounce rich simple syrup
¼ ounce cinnamon syrup
Dash of Angostura bitters
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all of the remaining ingredients and shake well. Strain drink into a chilled coupe.