MxMo XXVI: Fruit Liqueur

Posted by TraderTiki on April 13th, 2008 — Posted in Brandy, MxMo, Trader Vic

MxMo round… twelve hundred at this point? No, just 26.  This time hosted by Anna at Morsels and Musings, an Australia-based Cuisine blog.  The theme this go-round is Fruit Liqueurs, which opens a helluva lot of doors and makes the cocktailians mind boggle with possibilities.

A lot of options are available with this round, and I chose to go a path I’m both ecstatic and not so pleased with.  I am ecstatic because I get to cover a favorite topic of mine, mainly, old-timey drinks.  I am not so pleased because, well, I feel I cheated a bit on the liqueur portion of it, seeing as Calvados isn’t technically a liqueur.  Well, I put my conscience at ease by exchanging the lemon juice for house-made Limoncello, which makes for one hell of a kick.

Daisies are one of those old-timey drink categories we don’t see much of on modern cocktail menus (though if you do, please let me know).  Imbibe! has a great description of the drink, even categorizing it into old-school (orange cordial) and new-school (grenadine).  Trader Vic’s early-edition bartender’s guide seems to streamline the daisy, from the early 1900s half-lime, half-lemon, powdered sugar and grenadine, to just the lemon juice and grenadine, which makes for a very tart drink.  I tried a bit of an experiment using Bundaberg Ginger Beer, and it worked fine and dandy for a damned delicious Daisy.

Star-Eyed Daisy (adapted from Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide)

• 2 oz. Calvados
• 1 tsp. Grenadine
• 1/2 oz. Limoncello

Shake with cracked ice and strain into double-cocktail glass or old-fashioned. Top with Ginger Beer or tonic water and serve.

A bit tart, a bit sweet, and entirely refreshing.  My wife describe it as spicy apple-juice.  I think you’ll describe it as a great summer drink.

Next MxMo is going to be hosted right here!  The topic is… RUM!  I’ll put more details into a future post.  See you then!