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Cocktail History
The Gin Daisy is a classic cocktail that was created in the 1870s by Jerry Thomas. It’s traditionally made with gin, orange liqueur, lemon, and soda water, but several more modern variations of the recipe now exist, including one published in The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks that swaps out the classic triple sec for grenadine and simple syrup. This version sticks to the original’s list of ingredients, which has since become one of six basic cocktail templates made with a base spirit, liqueur, and citrus.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Gin: This is a spirit made with juniper berries, botanicals, and alcohol. We used Dancing Goat Distillery Death’s Door Gin because it has classic and clean botanical flavors. For a mocktail version of this drink, try MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin in place of the gin.
Triple Sec: This is a liqueur made with bitter oranges, lemons, sugar, and alcohol. We used Cointreau because it’s one of the highest quality orange liqueurs on the market. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Orange Sec Non-Alcoholic Spirit in place of the orange liqueur.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Soda Water: This is a type of water that has been infused with carbon dioxide gas under pressure. We used Topo Chico Sparkling Mineral Water because it’s light, essentially flavorless, and refreshing.
Lemon Wedge: This is a slice of lemon that has been cut into a wedge shape.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We 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. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. We used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Tasting Notes
The Gin Daisy starts out with a light lemony herbal aroma, has the crisp and clean taste of the gin and citrus right away, and finishes off with the orange taste of the liqueur coming forward.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: We both equally enjoyed this template! We tried the variation that was stretched out with soda water to make it a bit more refreshing and help you take it a little slower. That combined with its natural herbal dryness made it a phenomenal drink for a hot day when you want to stay away from anything that has a cloying sweetness.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“You can’t go wrong with a classic, and the Gin Daisy is nothing if not classic. Using the age-old recipe of spirit + liqueur + citrus and topping with soda, the cocktail ends up being incredibly inoffensive to the discerning gin lover; while it may not shine all that much, it’s definitely dry and juniper-forward but still very palatable. A dash or two of simple syrup (or grenadine, as we’ve seen suggested in more modern versions) would certainly take it up to the next level for the average gin-fearing bargoer, but as it stands, it’s best suited for those looking to taste their pine trees.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“Although many modern drinks use a similar formula now that I know what this one is, I had never heard of the Gin Daisy before this tasting and think it’s still relatively unknown. My first thought a couple of sips in was that this would be the perfect refreshing template for gin tastings, especially for someone like me who doesn’t like the bitterness of tonic in the usual go-to cocktail for tastings, the Gin & Tonic. Swapping tonic water out for soda water allows whatever gin you’re using to really shine against the citrus notes. The drink is gin-forward, so as Alex mentioned, you probably won’t be a fan if you don’t enjoy the botanical spirit, but as someone who does, I liked this a lot.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.
Add gin, triple sec, lemon juice, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a lowball glass over fresh cracked ice.
Top with soda water.
Stir for 3-5 seconds.
Garnish with lemon wedge.
Ingredients
Directions
Add gin, triple sec, lemon juice, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a lowball glass over fresh cracked ice.
Top with soda water.
Stir for 3-5 seconds.
Garnish with lemon wedge.
Make It a Mocktail: Use MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin in place of the gin and Lyre’s Orange Sec Non-Alcoholic Spirit in place of the orange liqueur to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Gin Cocktails
If you like this gin-based cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Gin Rickey: A classic gin cocktail made with lime juice, club soda, and a lime wheel
Lemon Thyme Gin & Tonic: A lemon gin cocktail made with lemon juice, thyme syrup, Indian tonic water, and a lemon wedge
Florodora: A gin cocktail made with lime juice, raspberry syrup, simple syrup, ginger ale, a lime slice, and raspberries
Trellis Gin & Tonic: An ombré gin cocktail made with cucumber and rose pink tonic water, lime juice, and a rolled cucumber
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