Tequila Daisy

Serve in a

Photographed in an

Garnish:

Half orange slice wheel on rim

How to make:

SHAKE first 5 ingredients with ice and fine strain into chilled glass. TOP with soda.

Review:

Orange curaçao and grenadine harmoniously balance lemon juice in this tequila-based Daisy.

History:

Recipe created in October 2023 by yours truly, based on historical recipes.

Daisy is the generic name of a family of cocktails which dates back to Victorian times. Such cocktails are made with citrus juice, sweetened with syrup or a liqueur, and fortified with a base spirit – in this case tequila. It's perhaps no coincidence that Margarita is the Spanish word for 'daisy' and that a Margarita cocktail is basically a Tequila Daisy

The first published recipe for a Daisy appears in Jerry Thomas' 1876 second edition of his Bar-Tender's Guide. He list the recipe for a Brandy Daisy in full followed by recipes for a Whisky Daisy, Gin Daisy and Rum Daisy with the base spirit substituted accordingly. That first Daisy recipe mixes the spirit (brandy) with gum syrup, orange cordial (liqueur) and lemon juice in an iced shaker strained into a glass then topped with seltzer water from a syphon. By 1910, both editions of Jacob Abraham's Jack's Bar Manual published that year boast numerous Daisy recipes with raspberry syrup relacing gum syrup.

Tequila was little known outside of Mexico but that changed as Prohibition led to tequila being smuggled into the US and so into the Daisy. The first specific mention of a Tequila Daisy appears in the Moville Mail newspaper on 23rd July 1936 (pg. 4, cols. 1-3) in a piece titled "Graham's Sightseeing". James Graham was the newspaper's editor and owner and in the piece, he recounts his visit to Tijuana and Augua [sic] Caliente, Mexico.

When we parked, the driver told us of places of interest that are now not so interesting as in the days of Prohibition in the States. Then there were 150 bars open, now there are nine. One of these is run by an Irishman named Madden. The driver had told us of his skill in mixing drinks. One of his inventions has given his saloon the name of "The Home of the Famous Tequila Daisy." As a newspaper man seeking information, I entered the joint and told Mr. Madden my curiosity was aroused regarding The Daisy. He was not as talkative as his prototype, Mr. Dooley, but I imagine he looks like that gentleman, the creature of the imagination of the late Peter Finlay Dunne. After a while he told me The Daisy was not an invention, as no skill was employed in its creation, it was a mistake. "In mixing a drink I grabbed the wrong bottle and the customer was so delighted that he called for another and spread the good news far and wide," said Mr. Madden.

James Graham, 23/July/1936 in Moville Mail

Shortly after, in the 19th August 1936 edition of the Syracuse Herald (pg. 24, col. 3), an advertisement for Leo Lighter and His All-Girl Band mentions "Syracuse's newest and refreshing drink Tequila Daisy". If Leo Lighter and His All-Girl Band and Tequila Daisies weren't enough, the ad also promises "Eddie Vanzill" the "Dancing Waiter" as an "Added Attraction".

The first known recipe for a Tequila Daisy doesn't appear until 1958 in A Book of Appetizers by Helen Evans Brown as a footnote to a recipe for Guacamole.

TEQUILA DAISY:Shake vigorously with ice: 4 ounces of tequila, and I ounce each of lemon juice, grenadine, and charged water. Strain into chilled cocktail glasses. You may add sugar if you like, but grenadine is pretty sweet.

Helen Evans Brown, A Book Of Appetizers, 1958

TEQUILA DAISY
½ ounce grenadine
Juice of 1 lime
1½ ounces tequila
Club soda
Shake grenadine, lime juice, and tequila with ice cubes. Strain into a goblet one-third filled with shaved ice. Fill glass with chilled soda.

Victor Bergeron, Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide, 1972

Alcohol content:

• 1.3 standard drinks
• 18.09% alc./vol. (36.18° proof)
• 17.6 grams of pure alcohol