Gin Daisy (Old and New)

Reprinted with permission from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks with 150 Recipes, Edited by Megan Krigbaum copyright 2017. Photographs by Daniel Krieger copyright 2017. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Gin Daisy Recipe

As with many of the classics, there are actually two genres of Gin Daisy, with a historical dividing line somewhere around the turn of the twentieth century. The basic daisy formula, as designed in the 1870s, is more or less a sour kicked up with a few dashes of orange liqueur. Later, the daisy got a makeover: the gin ratio was knocked down, simple syrup was added for texture, and grenadine was swapped in for the orange liqueur. Both renditions are simple, quaffable drinks that deserve more play. Follow this recipe for the true old-school version, or try her fruitier sister, below.

Ingredients

Serving: 1

  • 2 ounces gin
  • 2 ounces gin
  • 3/4 ounce orange liqueur
  • 3/4 ounce orange liqueur
  • 3/4 ounce lemon juice
  • 3/4 ounce lemon juice
  • Soda water, to top
  • Soda water, to top

Garnish: lemon wheel

Directions
  1. Add gin, orange liqueur, and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake until chilled. Strain over ice into a rocks or Collins glass and top up with soda water. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
  2. To make the new-school Gin Daisy, add 1½ ounces gin, ½ ounce lemon juice, ¼ ounce grenadine, and ¼ ounce simple syrup to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake until chilled. Strain over ice into a Collins or rocks glass and top with soda water. Garnish with an orange slice.