A daiquiri is a cocktail that shows just how far you can get with only three ingredients: rum, sugar and lime. Our version includes fresh shiso leaves for herbal notes you don’t expect, but absolutely want with rum (and if you use red shiso, the vibrant pink colour it imparts just makes everything cooler). If you have time – even just half an hour – it’s worth chucking a few shiso leaves into the rum ahead of time, then giving it a good shake and leaving it to steep. The syrup can be made with white sugar, but soft light brown sugar will remind the rum of home, and add a warmer, richer finish that works well with the lemongrass.
Shiso daiquiri
Serves 4
For the lemongrass syrup
200g light brown sugar, or white sugar
2-3 lemongrass stalks, chopped
For the drink
8-12 red shiso leaves, plus 4 leaves extra to garnish
200ml white rum – we use DropWorks’s Clear Drop
100ml fresh lime juice
60ml lemongrass syrup (see above and method)
First make the syrup. Put the sugar and lemongrass in a pan, add 200ml water and bring slowly to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar (for a stronger flavour, leave the chopped lemongrass in the sugar for a few hours before adding the water). Take off the heat, leave to cool, then strain into a clean jar or bottle, seal and store in the fridge for up to a month.
To build the drink, lightly muddle (ie, bash) the shiso leaves in a shaker, add the rum, lime juice, syrup and a good handful of ice, then shake hard for 10–15 seconds. Strain into four chilled daiquiri or nick & nora glasses, garnish each with a shiso leaf and serve.
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Abie Lamin, general manager, Cafe Kowloon, London E8