Bacardi Cocktail

The Bacardi cocktail is a drink built with Bacardi rum, grenadine, and lime juice!

Bacardi Cocktail Info

After the repeal of Prohibition, the drink was one of America's most loved drinks. This cocktail is a variant of the Daiquiri, which uses grenadine instead of sugar. It was a staple of the 1930s bar menu. However, it can be traced back to several decades before Repeal Day.

The Oakland Tribune published a report on a new cocktail that contained Puerto Rican Rum, lime juice, and grenadine, which had been imported from New York. Although the Bacardi Cocktail was not named in detail, it may have been the first written description of the drink. The 1914 edition of Drinks included the Bacardi Cocktail, which featured Bacardi rum as its base spirit. It was included in many other influential cocktails over the next decade, cementing its place in history.

When the 1930s rolled around, Americans, especially those who drank in Havana during America's dry years or those who'd already sampled the Bacardi Cocktail, were thirsty for a familiar recipe. The Bacardi became a popular staple in many bars in New York. The Bacardi brand quickly realized that not all Bacardi Cocktails were made using Bacardi Rum. The brand reacted to this by suing establishments that poured Bacardi-less Bacardi cocktails. The Bacardi Cocktail was made a government-protected beverage, much like the Dark and Stormy which can only be made using Gosling's Rum. (Use whatever rum you want in a Dark N Stormy... just make sure it's dark.)

Make the cocktail today using homemade grenadine if you can, rather than buying artificial bright red versions in the stores. Real grenadine has a rich and delicious flavor but is usually less sweet than commercial versions. It is more similar to what people would have poured back in the 1930s!