Sharkbaits Cocktail of the Week: Daisy Dukes

Happy Friday all. I made a realization recently that I have been on a gin kick lately. Not that is a bad thing mind you, but I felt like it was time to break the streak of clear liquors (since looking back at recent posts rum and tequila made some cameos in the drinks rotation) and go back to whiskey as a base. The only other driver I had this week is the desire to finish up the orgeat my bartender friend made for me a while back and not let it go to waste. With those parameters in place, I went looking for a drink and I found an intriguing one called the Whiskey Daisy. Not only does this vintage cocktail contain rye, it also utilizes bourbon in it’s split base, so it’s the best of both worlds! Liking both of those, it won the day and I decided to make it:

Whiskey Daisy

1 oz. bourbon
1 oz. rye whiskey
.75 oz. fresh lemon juice
.5 oz. simple syrup
.5 oz. orgeat

Shake the ingredients with ice to chill, then strain into a chilled coupe.

Distinct lemon aroma immediately off the top. It compliments the whiskey smells that normally would be at the forefront of this drink.

While the lemon scent leads the way, the flavor certainly does not. The leader here surprisingly is the orgeat, combined with the simple syrup, which I did not expect at all. The sweetness grabs hold of your palate and doesn’t really let go. Thankfully it doesn’t stay that way for long. Fresh lemon can only be held back for so long, and eventually it comes through, just in the nick of time. It helps negate the effects of the twin syrups, but doesn’t overshadow the almond base of the orgeat, leaving a lemon-y, slightly nutty main flavor profile with just a touch of whiskey flavors coming through here.

Of which, I think bourbon might be too soft here. I get wanting to hold back on too much whiskey flavor, but so far, I think  bourbon can’t stand up here, which is rather surprising if you ask me. It’s not like whiskey isn’t a subtle liquor to add to a drink. I’d be curious to see what a second ounce of rye does to the saccharine flavor lead this drink has. The finish is about the same as when the lemon kicks in. A citrus-y nutty sweet mix of flavors, which I think is improving as I sip it? Or it could be the whiskey talking here.

Overall, I’m not sure what to make of this. It’s definitely not the sweetest drink I’ve ever had, but being caught off guard as to how sweet this actually is, has me questioning my liking of this drink. It’s got good flavors, and I’m certainly curious what extra rye would do, but as of this moment,  It’s for sure a one and done for me.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)