Classic cocktail · Guided recipe

Brandy Daisy

Older than its vodka cousin by the better part of a century, and it shows in how the grenadine sits on brandy's own fruit rather than filling a hole. Lemon keeps it upright. A little orange liqueur ties the ends together.

Preparation~3 minEasyStrengthStrongabout 26% ABVMethodShaken9 guided stepsIngredients4Short (rocks) glass

Sour

In the glassBrandy · Fresh lemon juice · Grenadine · Triple sec / Cointreau

See exact amounts

Make it with guidanceOne clear action at a time, with timers built in.

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What goes in

Ingredients

An empty clear rocks glass with low straight sides and a heavy base. — Serving glassRocks glass

Set up before you pour

Use a rocks glass.

The low, sturdy bowl suits concentrated drinks and gives one large cube enough width.

Standard size: 300 ml10¼ oz
Ice & serve: Fill it with fresh ice cubes.
If you don’t own one: Use a small water tumbler with a heavy base.

Tools to set out

cocktail shaker
strainer (or a small sieve)
jigger or measuring spoon

Compare all glass types

Scale to your short (rocks) glassWe’ll remember this glass size.

Brandy60 ml
Triple sec / Cointreau8 ml
Fresh lemon juice22 ml
Grenadine15 ml

Start making

From bottle to glass

Method

01
Measure into the shaker
Pour 60 ml brandy into your shaker
- Brandy
02
Measure into the shaker
Add 22 ml fresh lemon juice
- Fresh lemon juice
03
Measure into the shaker
Add 15 ml grenadine
- Grenadine
04
Measure into the shaker
Add 8 ml triple sec / cointreau
- Triple sec / Cointreau
05
Ice the shaker
Fill the shaker with ice
Why it mattersFill it right up — more ice chills faster with less watering down.
06
Seal and shake
Seal and shake hard
Why it mattersCold hands mean it’s working. Shake until the tin frosts over.
07
Ice the glass
Fill your glass with fresh ice
08
Strain cleanly
Strain into your glass
Why it mattersPour through the strainer so the spent shaker ice stays behind.
09
Finish the drink
Finish it — add a lemon slice

Know your drink

About the Brandy Daisy

A Sidecar, amber brandy rocks drink and bright brandy highball in a hotel bar.

How the Daisy worked

Nineteenth-century American bar books ran the Daisy across whatever stood on the shelf, so gin, whiskey, rum and brandy versions all shared a page. The template held even as the sweetener drifted: spirit, lemon, something sweet with a flavor of its own, ice. Grenadine only became the default once bottled pomegranate syrup was easy to buy, and the orange liqueur it displaced hung on as a supporting pour.

Common questions

Brandy Daisy FAQ

Which brandy should I reach for?

VS or VSOP cognac is fine, but this is one of the few drinks where a decent Spanish or American brandy does better. Their sweeter, rounder style meets the grenadine halfway. Save the older cognac for something that doesn't have 15 ml of pomegranate sitting on it.

Was it originally topped with soda?

Often, yes. Older versions finish with soda water over crushed ice, which turns the Daisy into a long drink you sip for half an hour. What's here is the shorter, denser reading of it. Add 30 ml of soda if you want that length back.

Lime instead of lemon?

It changes families. Lime is sharper and more floral against brandy's oak, and the drink starts drifting toward the Margarita, whose name is the Spanish word for daisy. Not wrong, just no longer this. Lemon is what lets the grenadine read as fruit rather than sugar.

Too sweet. Do I cut the grenadine or the liqueur?

The grenadine, every time. At 15 ml against 8 of triple sec it's the bigger lever, and dropping to 10 lets the lemon come forward without losing the color. Cutting the orange liqueur only removes aroma and leaves you with the same sugar.

What ingredients are in a Brandy Daisy?

A classic Brandy Daisy calls for 60 ml (2 oz) Brandy, 22 ml (0.75 oz) Fresh lemon juice, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Grenadine, 8 ml (0.25 oz) Triple sec / Cointreau. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

How strong is a Brandy Daisy?

A standard Brandy Daisy is roughly 26% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

Is a Brandy Daisy shaken or stirred?

A Brandy Daisy is shaken — the rule of thumb is to shake anything with citrus juice. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.

Sharpen the technique