Daiquiri Review Series | Daiquiri Explosion on South Main St.
Picture it. Houston, 2013. A doe-eyed college student curiously wanders out of her apartment and across the street to try out the “Daiquiris To Go” shop that just opened. Back then, I had never been to a drive-thru daiquiri joint. However, over the past few years, Daiquiri shacks, expresses, hunts and shops have popped up all over the city with exceptional quickness.
It would seem that Daiquiri shacks are all the rave.
But are all Daiquiri shacks created equal? What separates one daiquiri-to-go from the one around the corner? How or in what ways is one daiquiri business different or better than another?
It is my goal to answer all the questions and more in my quest to review every daiquiri shop in Houston. And where better to start than close to home?
Daiquiri Explosion | South Main St.
For my first review, I drove just around the corner to Daiquiri Explosion at 9223 S Main Street. I had arranged a meeting with Rhodeshia Hopkins—a bubbly, fast-moving, whirlwind of a woman and the owner of Daiquiri Explosion.
“This is like a mini Bourbon Street,” Hopkins said. “So if you come to the location, there’s a lot to do and a lot going on right here in our surrounding area.”
As Hopkins lined up some of the shops most popular flavors for me to sample, another patron joined our conversation.
“You can really spend the whole night on this little strip,” he said. “You got the bar down on that end, the daiquiri shop here, the cigar bar down there. It’s even a strip club at the end of the street! It’s all just a matter of how you want to end your night.”
Daiquiri Explosion sits in a strip of shops between Murworth Drive and Westridge street, only a few doors from The Duck Off Sports Bar, Cigar Store & Lounge by CDoT (a.k.a the cigar bar), and about a two-minute walk from G5 Primetime, a “hybrid” gentlemen’s club.
Hopkins established Daiquiri Explosion in 2016. Since then, she has opened another location on South Post Oak Road, a franchise in Dallas, and she is also looking to expand to Missouri City.
“It’s a pretty easy business,” Hopkins said. “We just try to set the vibe here. It’s a good place for a first date or a meet-and-greet. We have a book club that meets here every second Monday. So whatever event you want to have or whatever mood you're trying to set, we just try to accommodate you and have fun with you.”
The Main Street location hosts a DJ every Friday. Patrons are also able to book and decorate the venue for any event, free of charge.
“It’s free to book any event,” Hopkins says. “You can bring decorations; you can bring food. The first year we opened, I helped a guy get engaged to his fiancé right after Valentine's Day… I had my baby shower here as well.”
Daiquiri Explosion boasts over 35 unique flavors and a drive-thru at both locations. When left to my own devices, I usually order the Tongue Kissed (made with mango, pineapple, and peach Bellini) after a long day at work or a French Kiss (made with Dreamsicle, strawberry with kiwi, and raspberry) as my standard pre-gaming beverage. But for this interview, I also wanted to try it some of the shops most popular flavors.
“The Bill Cosby [made with green apple bottom, blue raspberry, 190 Octane, and long island tea] is probably one of our best sellers. The Bob Marley is also pretty popular,” Hopkins said. “It’s strong, but it has a really tropical taste to it.”
She added that the Baby Maker is another strong-yet-tasty flavor and that the XXX and Cuban Cigar are stronger, less fruity flavors popular among serious drinkers.
I tried the Baby Maker, made with long island tea, mango, pineapple, peach Bellini with Strawberry, and Kiwi. It was similar to the French Kiss (still my favorite flavor) and, therefore, very tasty. Next, I sampled the Viagra, made with blue raspberry and lemonade sour. It had a super simple flavor, almost like a Powerade slushy or cool cup. Lastly, Hopkins poured me a full cup of the Bob Marley, made with 190 Octane, hurricane, and Pina colada, which tasted like an island vacation in a 20-ounce container. I left feeling happy and just a little bit buzzed.
I like Daiquiri Explosion because their menu is expansive, the people who work there are cool and it’s a nice place to sit and have a drink when I can or to swing by the drive-thru if I'm in a hurry. Check out the standardized report card I’ve created for a quick review!
