I made a Daisy!

A few weeks ago I was browsing the food blogs, and a cocktail recipe jumped out at me from The Paupered Chef, mainly because it had whiskey and grenadine and sounded both tasty and doable. Nothing came of it until Z and I became the proud owners of a seltzer maker, headed over to the Coop for a pomegranate, and went to town. There are a few steps to the drink, but nothing too strenuous, and you get to juice a pomegranate (because grenadine is made of pomegranates and sugar, something I didn't know!). The drink was so tasty that it was the featured cocktail on New Year's Eve.


Here's the link to the recipe, which includes instructions on how to crack ice in your hand (satisfying but very cold -- the following time we just used cubes):

http://thepauperedchef.com/2009/12/my-perfect-daisy-with-homemade-grenadine.html

And here are the basics with my notes in bold:

• 1 pomegranate
• 1/4 cup of sugar

Press firmly down on the pomegranate with the palm of your hand and roll it around until it is soft. (This part is fun) Make a small slit with a knife along one side. Squeeze as much juice out as you can. (Be careful, the juice can spray) It will have about 2 ounces of juice. Pour the juice into a jar and add an equal amount sugar, which should be about 1/4 cup. Secure the lid on the jar and shake until the sugar dissolves.

• 2 ounces Rye Whiskey (We used Maker's Mark since that's what we have in the house)
  
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon homemade grenadine
• 1 1/2 teaspoons simple sryup
• club soda (or seltzer!)
  

Pour the whiskey, lemon juice, grenadine, and simply syrup into a shaker. (Sadly, we have no shaker, so we stirred it and it was fine). Add enough ice to come 3/4 of the way up the sides. Shake for 10 seconds. Strain into a glass filled with cracked ice. Top with a bit of club soda. Enjoy!