Daisy de Santiago

Daisy de Santiago

The history of cocktails would of course be nothing without the history of the bartenders standing behind all those numerous creations. Some of them became famous, some of them did not. But almost as important as the bartenders are all those innumerable anecdotes about famous connoisseurs who are inseparably linked with the name of certain drinks. The perhaps best known example for that is Ernest Hemingway. Today’s drink combines both elements to some extent since it was invented by a bartender who became a little famous himself and who also became a drinking companion of Mr. Hemingway.

I’m talking about the American bartender, chef and globetrotter Charles H. Baker Jr., who primarily was living and working in Florida, a place also Ernest Hemingway used to spend a lot of time at. Baker was known for his extensive travels (so, for instance, he hired as a publicist for a cruise line to be able to see more of the world) which of course offered many inspirations for his culinary creations. Now I do not know the precise context of the idea for today’s cocktail, but it is certainly an allusion to a city on the island of Cuba with its golden era of mixed drinks. The Daisy de Santiago was published by Baker in his book “The Gentleman’s Companion” from 1946 and is essentially a modification of the Daiquiri. Daisys are basically Sours which are topped with soda water and often also enhanced with some liqueur. The Gin Daisy is perhaps one of the most classic examples.

Now Mr. Hemingways love for Daiquiris is certainly among the most common and widespread anecdotes that bartenders love to tell about the Daiquiri. It might be less known that Mr. Hemingway also might have had some Daisys de Santiago with Mr. Baker. Well, it’s not really recorded, but I would be very surprised if Mr. Hemingway would have scorned such a delicious cocktail.

Daisy de Santiago

Basically it is a Daiquiri to which a little soda and the French liqueur Chartreuse was added. You should definitely opt for the yellow Chartreuse since the green one would overpower the drink. How well Chartreuse can perform in interaction with lime is not only reflected in a Gin Daisy but also in some classics such as the Last Word. Baker himself thought of the cocktail as a tribute to the founder of the Bacardi Group, Facundo Bacardi, and also indirectly credited him with the authorship of the cocktail (although this is doubted by some). Mr. Baker said about the Daisy de Santiago:

“A lovely thing introduced to us through the Gracious Offices of the late Facuno (sic!) Bacardi, of lamented memory. To our mind, along with the immortal Daiquiri this is the best Bacardi drink on record.” (Charles H. Baker jr.)

Daisy de Santiago

Recipe:

6 cl white rum (e.g. Bacardi)
3 cl lime juice
1.5 cl Chartreuse Jaune
1 cl sugar syrup
Soda water

Preparation: Stir all ingredients except soda water and Chartreuse on crushed ice in your pre-chilled glass, then top up with additional crushed ice, add a little soda water and float with Chartreuse.

Glass: white wine glass

Garnish: mint and fruits of the season

Buying sources: In stores or online.

2 thoughts on “Daisy de Santiago

  1. Pingback: Gimlet | Galumbi

  2. Pingback: Daiquiri | Galumbi

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *