I'm ending the year the same way I began it, by daiquir-izing every fruit imaginable in a seasonable fashion, and today I bring you the persimmon daiquiri, a holiday delight. Persimmons are not a widely known fruit, even the cashier at Earth Fare asked me what they tasted like. I had to stop and think, as I had not had a persimmon this season yet. "I guess it's like a citrus and a pear together, is the best I can do," I told him.
But now that I've bitten into a slice again, I'd like to revise my answer to "Kind of like a mango and a pear, with hints of vanilla." Truly though, there's no great description other than it tastes like a persimmon, so if you haven't had one, go get some. But check the variety first!
The Difference in Persimmon Varieties
I used fuyu persimmons in this recipe but in the staged photos, you'll see hachiya persimmons because there was a lag time between when I froze the fuyus and needed extras for the photos. The produce guy at 14 Carrot warned me to let the hachiya persimmons get very ripe and soft before eating them because they are very astringent and unpleasant otherwise.
Know your persimmons and their quirks! Want to know how I remember the difference? Fuyu is a short word, and so are fuyu persimmons with their squat appearance like an heirloom tomato. Hachiya persimmon is a longer word, and the fruit itself is longer too like a big orange acorn. Don't you love little mind tricks like that?!
So go ahead, put on a scarf and pull out the blender, cause it's time for a frozen drink in the middle of winter.
Persimmon Daiquiri
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 4 persimmons 3 sliced and frozen for at least 6 hours
- 3 ounces simple syrup
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 ounces white rum
- 1-2 tablespoons water as needed to thin out drink
Instructions
- Freeze 3 persimmons for at least 6 hours. Remove the leaves and core, cut them into slices and put in a sealed container in the freezer.
- Once persimmons are frozen, peel and core the remaining fresh one. Put it in the blender first.
- Then add simple syrup, lemon juice, rum, then the frozen persimmons. Add a tablespoon of water too.
- Blend until throughly pureed. Add another few tablespoons of water as needed to thin the drink out enough to be able to drink it through a straw, but still icy.
- Pour into daiquiri or preferred glassware, and garnish with a little umbrella, a thick straw, mint leaves, and a slice of persimmon as desired.
It doesn't have to be Christmastime to enjoy persimmon daiquiris, they can be had anytime persimmons are in season. Or think ahead and freeze a lot of them while they are in season so you can enjoy this frosty treat in the height of summer.
Check out my other daiquiri creations: strawberry lavender daiquiri, blueberry daiquiri.
