star daisy

1/4 Gin (1/2 oz Blue Coat)
1/4 Applejack (1/2 oz Morin Selection Calvados)
1/4 Orange Curaçao (1/2 oz Senior Curaçao, clear)
1/4 Lemon Juice (1/2 oz)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added a lemon twist and opted to make this drink on the smaller side (a 2 oz pre-shake volume instead of a 3 oz one).

Last Monday when it was time for cocktails, I decided it was time to make the Star Daisy. Rendezvous bartender Scott Holliday had mentioned that he had enjoyed the recipe that Frank Bruni wrote about in the New York Times and recommended it. Bruni had this classic served to him by Sasha Petraske at John Dory in Manhattan. For a sweetener, Sasha chose the recipe containing Curaçao over the one with grenadine to counter the tartness of the lemon juice and the heat of the dual spirits -- gin and applejack. While Sasha likened the drink to a Pink Lady, it was closer to the egg-less Blue Skies that I had at Green Street Grill.
The Star Daisy's aroma was citrus driven with the lemon and Curaçao notes being rather forward. The sip was a medley of fruit notes with lemon, orange, and some apple flavors mingling in front of gin and barrel-aged apple notes on the swallow. In the drink, I chose Calvados instead of applejack because today's applejack from Laird's is only 35% of the amount of apple spirit as compared to the applejack when the Star Daisy recipe was originally created. Overall, the Star Daisy was somewhat dry and this crispness intensified as the drink warmed up. Bruni mentioned that Sasha chose not to add the extra sugar often included in some recipes as he prefers serving the drink on the drier side.