A simple syrup is required to make a Daiquiri or any other Sour.

During the pandemic, beverage writer David Wondrich did a tremendous favor by tweeting a “Drink Of The Day,” live from his kitchen using “who-gives-a-damn home photography and old person threading skills.”

I was captivated when someone retweeted his March 2020 daiquiri recipe onto my timeline.

Wondrich’s good daiquiri recipe was simple and easy to make, but what caught my attention was the absence of simple syrup. Instead of preparing sugar syrup in water, Wondrich mixed plain table sugar and a bit of lime juice. Then he shook the mixture with room-temperature Rum before straining it into a chilled glass.

Simple syrup is easy to make, even in small amounts. However, I am notoriously lazy and always look for ways to reduce steps in recipes, cocktail or otherwise. It is much easier to use plain sugar than make syrup, regardless of how simple the formula may be. So I tried Wondrich’s method.

I squeezed half of a lime into my shaker. Next, I added a heaping teaspoon of sugar to the juice. Finally, I added two ounces of Rum. After giving it a quick shake, I added ice to the mixture and chilled it. It was straightforward to strain it into a glass, and I was amazed at the amount of undissolved sugar in the bottom. (I saw very few; I didn’t feel any on the tongue.

This technique can be used to make a whole new world of sours. Use a template that consists of half lemon/lime + heaping spoonful of sugar + 2 ounces of liquor. Make sure to dissolve all the sugar in warm liquids before adding ice. Then strain into a chilled coupe. Wondrich says that you should always keep one in the freezer for any eventuality, or in this case, certainty. Simple syrup is easy to make, even in small amounts. However, I am notoriously lazy and always look for ways to reduce steps in recipes, cocktail or otherwise. It is much easier to use plain sugar than make syrup, regardless of how simple the formula may be. So I tried Wondrich’s method.

I squeezed half of a lime into my shaker. Next, I added a heaping teaspoon of sugar to the juice. Finally, I added two ounces of Rum. After giving it a quick shake, I added ice to the mixture and chilled it. It was straightforward to strain it into a glass, and I was amazed at the amount of undissolved sugar in the bottom. (I saw very few; I didn’t feel any on the tongue.