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Named after a baseball star, this fruity, herbal and fizzy drink is a home run.
About the cocktail
A strawberry isn’t a berry – it’s an aggregate fruit and, in this case, also a baseball player. Darryl Strawberry, AKA The Straw Man, was a baseball superstar. He’s long retired, but his legacy lives on in a cocktail with a similar hit-the-ball-out-of-the-park style flavour. This is the Darryl Strawberry cocktail, and like the player himself, there are many skilful layers to it. Strawberry, the sports star, played for the Yankees. For non-baseballers, that’s a New York team, and quite a big deal in the Big Apple. So, it’s no surprise that bartender Robin Guzman, who created this cocktail, worked for iconic New York bars Death & Co. and Raines Law Room. It’s very much a city drink, but still with the seasonal farmer’s market edge of the Hamptons. And that’s all thanks to the strawberry – the fruit, that it is. With The Straw Man in mind, only home runs will do, which means fresh ripe strawberries. Muddling them in a cocktail shaker with lemon wedges (yes, skin on), bitter amaro and spicy aged rum, together with a rich sugar syrup gives you this complex, balanced, sweet and sour drink. To make this a true summer drink, topping it all off with soda water and fresh fruit brings extra freshness to the mix.
Watch: How to make a Darryl Strawberry
Ingredients
40mL amaro (see top tips) 20mL aged rum (see top tips) 15mL rich sugar syrup (see top tips) 3 lemon wedges 1 strawberry Soda water Glass: tumbler or highball Garnish: lemon wheel and half a strawberry
Method
Add all ingredients, except the soda, to a cocktail shaker Muddle ingredients in the tin Add ice and shake until mixed well Strain into the glass Add the soda, then top with plenty of ice Garnish with the lemon wheel and halved strawberry
Dan’s top tips
For anyone who’s ever eaten a strawberry (ie. everyone), you’ll know how much ripeness impacts flavour. To find the best ones, be sure to smell the strawberries before you buy – it’s the best indicator of ripeness, outside of popping one in your mouth. They should smell just as sweet and aromatic as you’d want them to taste. Now, for the drink elements. Amaro is a key balancing ingredient. Translating to ‘bitter’ in Italian, in a very literal sense, an amaro is the overarching name for bittersweet herbal liqueurs. If you’re new to amaro, try starting with a softer style like Montenegro. Alternatively, if you want a stronger bitter kick, try Averna or Fernet-Branca. This recipe uses a rich sugar syrup, which is, as the name suggests, a richer version of this sweet elixir. Follow our easy recipe – as linked in the ingredients – to a 2:1 ratio, and it will make all the difference in this cocktail. Aged rum will also be best for added depth in the drink from its rich oaky notes, but it’s not a deal breaker – light rum will bring a brighter flavour whereas darker rum will boost the spicy sweet notes of the drink. Find your favourite style to use and feel free to bench the others. But stick with strawberries – a Darryl Raspberry wouldn’t be quite the same.
image credits: Shelley Horan (photography), Raye Scerri (videography), Bridget Wald (styling), LSS (production).
