Gin Daisy (Jerry Thomas style)
3.9 15 ratings
Ingredients
How to make
Serve in a coupe glass
Prepare
- 1 Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
- 2 Prepare garnish of skewered seasonal berries.
Method
- 3 SHAKE first 5 ingredients with ice.
- 4 FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
- 5 TOP with splash of soda.
Garnish
- 6 Garnish with skewered berries.
Flavour profile
17.4% alc./vol. · 1.4 standard drinks · 137 calories
History
Genever's subtle bread notes meld beautifully with orange liqueur in this well-balanced classic.
The genesis of the Daisy cocktail is obscured by time, with the earliest known mention appearing in Henry Llewellyn Williams' 1866 novel, Gay Life in New York! Or, Fast Men and Grass Widows. As noted by David Wondrich in Imbibe!, 2007, the author merely lists the Daisy among several alternative drink suggestions to lemonade. The character asks, "Wouldn't you rather have a concentrated zephyr, in a daisy, or an iced dew drop?" No detailed description or recipe for the Daisy has been discovered prior to Jerry Thomas' 1876 publication, The Bartenders Guide or How To Mix Drinks: The Bon-Vivants Companion. Subsequently, the second edition of Harry Johnson's Bartenders Manual, published in 1888, presents a different Daisy recipe. This edition includes recipes for a Whiskey Daisy and a Brandy Daisy, but notably omits a Gin Daisy. It is significant that both Thomas and Johnson excluded any Daisy variations (whether brandy, whiskey, gin, or rum-based) from their initial editions. According to Jerry Thomas' 1876 guide, the Brandy Daisy was prepared as follows: 237. Brandy Daisy. (Use small bar glass.) 3 or 4 dashes gum syrup. 2 or 3 do. Orange cordial. The juice of half a lemon. 1 small wineglass of brandy. Fill glass half full of shaved ice. Shake well and strain into a glass, and fill up with Seltzer water from a syphon. Thomas also provided variations for whiskey and gin: 239. Whiskey Daisy. Prepared in the same manner as Brandy Daisy, substituting whiskey for the brandy. 239. Gin Daisy. Made in the same way as Brandy Daisy, but using gin instead of brandy. However, the 1888 edition of Harry Johnson's Bartenders Manual offers a distinct preparation for the Brandy Daisy: BRANDY DAISY. (Use a large bar glass.) ½ table-spoon of sugar; 2 or 3 dashes of Lemon juice; 1 squirt of Selters water, dissolve well with a spoon; ½ glass of Chartreuse (yellow); Fill up the glass with fine ice; 1 glass of Brandy; Stir up well with a spoon, place the fruit into a fancy bar glass, strain the ingredients into it, and serve.
Created by Jerry 'The Professor' Thomas