Bacardi Special

The Bacardi Special is a wonderful rum cocktail that also uses a bit of gin to add some extra flavour. The cocktail itself is a variation on the Bacardi Cocktail, which is relatively similar but omits the gin. So if you can make one of these, you can probably make the Bacardi Cocktail as well. That's two cocktails for the price of one!

The original recipe for the Bacardi Special (and the Bacardi Cocktail for that matter) call for the use of Bacardi Rum specifically, but we haven't specified that here. There's a lot of great white rums out there, so why limit yourself? That being said, use a good rum though! Especially since it's just a simple white rum being used. A bad rum will create a bad cocktail, as always.

Total Time 4

Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

45 mL White rum The original used Bacardi, but do what you like.
20 mL Gin A London Dry is preferred.
15 mL Lime juice
10 mL Grenadine
5 mL Simple syrup
Maraschino cherry For garnish.

Instructions

A rum, gin, lime juice, grenadine, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker containing plenty of ice.
Shake well to chill and mix the the cocktail.
Strain into a coupe glass.
Add garnish, serve, and enjoy.

Notes

As already mentioned, the Bacardi Special is a spin on the standard Bacardi Cocktail. Both the original and this cocktail are classics, with this cocktail first making an appearance in 1930 and the original being invented in 1917. So it didn't take too long for the Bacardi Cocktail to evolve into the Special!

While the original recipe for the Bacardi Special didn't specify it, we've seen recipes for this cocktail that advise to add about 10 mL of chilled water, but only if you're not getting enough dilution from the shake. Wet ice will likely do the trick, but if it's fresh ice out the of freezer, a little bit of water will do the job. A properly diluted cocktail can really change the game! Sure, we all like bold and robust flavours, but these can also be overwhelming. That little bit of extra water can really expand things. See what works best for you and make the cocktail that way.

The original also didn't specify to use simple syrup, but we think it adds something here. It's only 5 mL, but if you like a drier cocktail, perhaps omit the sugar. Again, it's up to you!

Our Review of the Bacardi Special

I’ll come right and say it: I wasn’t impressed by the Bacardi Special. All in all, it just feels like a Daiquiri with extra ingredients. And sure, a Daiquiri is great, but if I wanted a Daiquiri I would have made a Daiquiri. Yes, the addition of gin and grenadine add further flavours to the cocktail, but it’s not different enough to really stand out on its own. In my opinion at least!

Yes, those added flavours do set the Bacardi Special apart from a basic Daiquiri, and it’s actually quite nice. It’s also a fairly balanced cocktail since the recipe calls for less simple syrup than a Daiquiri but ads the grenadine; it’s the same amount of sweetness, or thereabouts. But I just didn’t feel like there was enough grenadine (or gin for that matter) to really create a new flavour profile.

Perhaps I’m being a little harsh hear, and perhaps I’m just a cretin who doesn’t appreciate subtlety of flavour. If you like a Daiquiri or variations on the Daiquiri, I’m sure you’ll really enjoy the Bacardi Special as something a little bit different. Maybe you’ll actually like this spin better than the original. For me, if I’m looking for a riff on the Daiquiri, I’ll go for a Beachcomber. I think the Beachcomber has a more obvious difference in flavour while still staying relatively close to the Daiquiri roots.

I’ll be making the Bacardi Special again, but I’ll likely reserve it for a night where I’m comparing and sharing simple rum based cocktails, and I suggest you do the same. As I already said, you may be likely to disagree with my assessment, but we all have different tastes, don’t we?

You’ll probably be surprised by my relatively high rating below, considering I wasn’t impressed by the Bacardi Special. All in all though, I liked the cocktail, I just didn’t see something special in it. So the recipe gets points for tasting very good, but it loses point for my lack of interest.

7/10

Review by Bobby

Looking for more cocktail recipes? Here you go…

We have loads and loads of cocktail recipes on this site, including our cool cocktail search engine that lets you search for cocktail recipes by ingredient. But if you’re after something more similar to the Bacardi Special, here are some areas of the website you may want to check out.

Top rum cocktail recipes: as the title would suggest, these are our favourite rum cocktails. You can’t go wrong here.

All rum cocktail recipes: or just browse through everything we have in the rum department. There are plenty!

Top gin cocktail recipes: we know that the Bacardi special isn’t predominantly gin based, but gin is in there, so check these out.

All gin cocktail recipes: or browse aware on gin based cocktails. There are plenty.

Top classic cocktail recipes: want to stick with the classics? Check out the ones we like the best.

All classic cocktail recipes: or just peruse all the classics that we have available.