Drinks

Brandy Daisy

October 1, 2021 by Jennifer

Today’s the first day of October. The leaves have started to change color and there’s a definite chill in the air. While others are thinking about Halloween decorations, I’m thinking about fall and winter cocktails. This is the time of year I start to switch out my vodka and gin for bourbon and scotch. But those aren’t the only liquors I drink once the sun starts dipping early in the night sky.

There’s also Benedictine, sherry and brandy. Brandy is a great liquor that’s often reserved for snifters after dinner. While it’s great sipped on it’s own by a roaring fire, it’s also wonderful in cocktails. I use it frequently in my winter sangrias as it pairs quite well with red wine. But it also pairs with whiskeys, rums, sherries and several liqueurs. One cocktail it works well in is the Daisy.

I’ve made Daisies before as they’re a popular family of cocktails from the 1800’s. Usually consisting of a base spirit, simple syrup, orange liqueur, lemon juice, and soda water, they’re pretty much a bubbly sour, which makes them perfect options for spring, summer and autumn days when Mother Nature decides to turn the heat up (like this weekend). While I found the Brandy Daisy in my 1935 Mr. Boston Bartenders Guide, it was originally published in Jerry Thomas’ 1862 Bartenders Guide.

Now, normally Daisies only have one base spirit. But Thomas decided to up the ante with the Brandy Daisy and added a teaspoon of rum. While he didn’t specify what type of rum to use, I went with an aged rum to give a little more depth. Rum isn’t listed in Mr. Boston’s Daisy. As a matter of fact Mr. Boston’s version is completely different from the original. The only ingredients that are the same are the lemon juice, soda and brandy, obviously (I mean, you can’t really have a brandy daisy if there’s no brandy). Grenadine replaces the Curaçao and as I mentioned there’s no rum. So, in the end you get a significantly sweeter cocktail.

I definitely prefer the original. It’s much closer to a fizzy sour, which is what daisies are supposed to be. And you all know I’ll never turn down a good fizzy cocktail. That effervescence makes for a delightful drink that can be quite refreshing and not nearly as harsh as a straight sour. While all Daisies are nice drinks for any occasion, swapping out the gin or tequila for brandy and rum, makes Thomas’ version the perfect cocktail for days when Mother Nature (much like me) can’t decide if she’s ready for fall or not.