Sometimes a cocktail happens because I have an idea. This time it happened because somebody gave me an assignment.
During a recent livestream, Steve the Bartender challenged his Patreon viewers to come up with their own Daisy cocktail. A Daisy is an old cocktail family built around a base spirit, citrus, and something sweet, such as a syrup or liqueur. There are plenty of variations on that formula, which also means plenty of room to screw around with it.
Challenge accepted.
Rather than starting with bourbon, I reached for Calvados. Apple brandy gave me a slightly different starting point while still keeping the drink connected to the brandy-based Daisies that have been around for generations.
From there, B&B seemed like an interesting modifier. It’s a blend of Bénédictine and brandy, adding honeyed, herbal and lightly spiced flavors without overwhelming the apple. Grenadine supplies sweetness and a little fruit, while fresh lemon keeps everything bright.
The final recipe is simple: Calvados, B&B, lemon and grenadine.
And that’s pretty much where the experimentation stopped, which is unusual around here. The first version was remarkably close to where it needed to be.
I finished it with an apple peel instead of lemon. There’s already plenty of lemon in the glass, and the apple garnish puts the aroma (and your attention) back where it belongs: on the Calvados.
The result is tart and refreshing up front, with apple and brandy underneath and a subtle herbal complexity from the B&B. The grenadine rounds everything out without turning the drink overly sweet.
The challenge was to make a Daisy. I think this one’s worth keeping. Enjoy!
Calvados Daisy Cocktail
1
servings5
minutes5
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
2 oz 2 Calvados
1/2 oz 1/2 B&B
3/4 oz 3/4 fresh lemon juice
3/8 oz 3/8 grenadine
Apple peel, for garnish
Directions
- Add Calvados, B&B, lemon juice, and grenadine to a shaker with ice.
- Shake until well chilled.
- Strain over fresh crushed or pebble ice and garnish with an apple peel.
Notes
- Overall Balance: Tart and fruit-forward, with enough sweetness to soften the lemon while keeping the Calvados front and center.
- Flavor Expectation: Bright lemon followed by apple brandy, subtle red fruit and a lightly honeyed, herbal finish from the B&B.
- Mouth Feel: Light and refreshing rather than rich. Crushed ice adds dilution as you drink, gradually softening the tart lemon and opening up the Calvados and B&B.
- Notes: The apple peel isn’t just decorative. Lemon already plays a major role in the drink, while the apple peel reinforces the Calvados aroma without adding more citrus.
Equipment
Cobbler ShakerCobbler Shaker
Silicone Bar MatBuy From A Bar Above
Stainless Bell JiggerBuy From A Bar Above
Stainless Fine Mesh StrainerBuy From A Bar Above
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