Drink History: Legendary cocktail writer David A. Embury listed the daiquiri as one of the six basic drinks in 1948’s revered The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. This unpretentious mixture of rum, lime juice and sugar dates back to the 1700s, when the British Navy began adding lime to its sailors’ daily ration of rum to prevent scurvy, although this cocktail didn’t acquire its name until the late 1800s/early 1900s. While first blended in the 1930s, in the 1990s the daiquiri was often served as a blended slush, flavored with chemically-made syrups. While a blended version can, if made with love, be OK, it will never be as good as the original.

The Update: When developing the summer menu for Leschi bar Meet the Moon (120 Lakeside Ave., 206.707.9730), bar manager Casey Estrada and Heavy Restaurant Group’s spirits director, Casey Robison, included the Extra Fancy Daiquiri. The drink matches the bar’s mission to elevate classic cocktails for the modern palate using high-quality, interesting ingredients. Here, that starts with Stiggins’ Fancy Plantation pineapple rum, a lush tropical treat with notes of pineapple and other tropical fruit, vanilla, clove and citrus. It’s an ideal base for this hot-weather star.

The Twist: Traditional daiquiri ingredients are like a chic beach outfit—well curated but scanty. For this daiquiri, one more item has been added: Plantation O.F.T.D. (old-fashioned traditional dark) overproof rum. At 138 proof, it provides a spirited blanket to cover a Northwestern July night’s chill; along with brown sugar, molasses, banana, fruit and smoke accents, it gives a nod to the heartier rums used in traditional tiki drinks.

End Game: The Extra Fancy is approachable, tasty and fun, mirroring Meet the Moon’s unfussy but well-crafted beach aesthetic and Leschi’s vibe in the sunniest months, as well as the outgoing, friendly personality of Estrada (previously at Daniel’s restaurant in Leschi). It’s a dandy combo of drink, place and bartender coming together in a Caribbean party, Seattle style.  

The Cocktail
Extra Fancy Daiquiri

The Bar
Meet the Moon 

The Bartender
Casey Estrada

Photograph by Hayley Yyoung. The Extra Fancy Daiquiri calls for an extra-fancy coupe glass to enhance the drink’s timeless quality.

Extra Fancy Daiquiri
Makes one drink. You’ll need a good cocktail shaker and a fine strainer, and, since fresh juice is a must, you may want a serious juicer, too. The rums can be hard to find. Try looking for them at Total Wine and More.

Ice cubes 

1 ½ ounces Stiggins’ Fancy Plantation pineapple rum

¾ ounce Plantation O.F.T.D. (old fashioned traditional dark) overproof rum

1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

¾ ounce simple syrup (1:1 cane sugar to water) Lime wheel, for garnish Spiced bourbon cherry, for garnish (see below for Meet the Moon’s house-spiced bourbon cherry recipe)

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the rums, juice and syrup. Shake well. Strain through a fine strainer into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with lime wheel and spiced cherry.