Frozen Fernet Daiquiri Recipe

By
Maggie Hoffman
Maggie Hoffman is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Maggie Hoffman
Maggie Hoffman is a writer and editor focusing on cocktails and food. She was the managing editor for Serious Eats until 2016 and is the digital director for Epicurious.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated May 28, 2019
20170808-frozen-daiquiris-vicky-wasik-4.jpg
Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Freezing the ingredients first means you can use less ice, leading to a more flavorful, less diluted drink.
  • Turbinado sugar, such as Sugar in the Raw, provides a richer, more flavorful base for the simple drink.
  • A quick taste before serving allows you to adjust for the sweetness level of the rum you use.

Fernet blasts through a simple tart frozen daiquiri, adding a slightly bitter edge and a shock of minty freshness. It's a great introduction to the bitter digestivo. In this recipe, adapted from Chicago bartender Daniel Kmieciak, you'll batch the spirits, citrus, and sugar in the freezer to make sure the mix is super-chilled before blending. You may want to adjust the lime and simple syrup quantities slightly to taste, depending on the sweetness of your rum.

Recipe Details

Frozen Fernet Daiquiri Recipe

Active 5 mins
Total 8 hrs 5 mins
Serves 1 serving

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces aged rum (45ml)
  • 1/2 ounce Fernet Branca (15ml)
  • 3/4 to 1 ounce (20-30ml) fresh juice from 1 lime
  • 3/4 to 1 ounce (20-30ml) 1:1 turbinado simple syrup (see note)

Directions

  1. At least 8 hours before you plan to serve the drink, add rum, fernet, 3/4 ounce lime juice, and 3/4 ounce turbinado simple syrup to a resealable container or zipper-lock bag. Place batched mix in the freezer until freezer-cold, about 8 hours.

  2. When ready to serve, pour mix into blender and add 8 ice cubes or 160 grams crushed ice. Pulse blender 5 times, then blend until uniform. Taste and add up to 1/4 ounce additional lime juice or turbinado simple syrup as needed. Blend once more briefly and serve immediately, with a straw if desired.

  3. If you want to make multiple drinks, you can pre-batch up to a double recipe (a blender may not hold much more than that easily) in a single container, add 14 ice cubes, then divide after blending; if making more than two drinks, use separate containers to hold more servings.

Special equipment

Blender

Notes

To make turbinado simple syrup, combine equal volumes of turbinado sugar, such as Sugar in the Raw, and hot water in a tight-fitting resealable container such as a mason jar. Shake vigorously until sugar is completely dissolved; extra simple syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

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