Rum Daisy

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Cocktail History

The Rum Daisy is a classic cocktail that was created in the late 1800s. It’s traditionally made with white rum, lemon juice, simple syrup, and orange liqueur and is said to be a precursor to the Margarita. Although no longer seen on many menus using these specifications in modern times, the drink was quite popular back in the Gilded Age, especially among Americans who crossed the border to Mexico to partake in spirits during Prohibition.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

White Rum: This is a type of rum made with fermented sugarcane juice or molasses and yeast, which are distilled and then typically left unaged or briefly aged and filtered to develop a light, spiced flavor.

Lemon Juice: This is the liquid extracted from the flesh of ripe lemons that has a sweet, tangy flavor and light yellow color.

Simple Syrup: This is a sweetener made with white sugar and water, which are heated into a syrup with a sweet flavor.

Triple Sec: This is a liqueur made with bitter orange peels, distilled alcohol, water, and sugar, which are blended and infused to develop a sweet, bright citrus flavor.

Lemon Twist: This is the peel of a lemon that has been twisted into a corkscrew shape.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

Peeler: This is used to remove the garnish peel from the citrus. I used the OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Peeler Set.

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Orange-ish yellow color

• Aroma: Slightly nutty rum

• Taste: Relatively sweet and smooth rum flavor mixed with tart citrus

• Finish: Orange and lemon aftertaste

Kendall’s Take: “This is another extremely simple drink that is noticeably meant to be a template and not the final result in today’s cocktail culture. I would call this a great recipe for rum tastings, similar to its cousin the Gin Daisy, because there are so few ingredients there to compete with whatever rum you’re using. I can’t say that I would make it again as is because there are several other classic rum drinks that offer more complexity than this one, but it is quite tasty.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Art of Vintage Cocktails by Stephanie Rosenbaum.