Lightly sweet and citrusy, the Casino is a lesser known cocktail appears in Harry Craddock’s 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book.
The Casino is a part of the Daisy category of cocktails. Daisies contain a spirit, citrus and flavoured sweetener. Other popular drinks part of this category include the Margarita or Sidecar. A Casino is very similar to the more popular, Aviation. Gin-forward with a lemon tartness, the main difference is the lack of creme de violette, which gives the Aviation it’s well known purple hue and distinct floral flavour. Instead, the Casino is much more mellow. Both drinks are from the pre-prohibition era – both classy drinks, delicious for sipping.
Traditionally the Casino uses Old Tom Gin, a sweeter variety of gin. However, in my opinion, it works just as well with a London Dry style gin, so I’ve used that for my recipe.
A note: use maraschino liqueur, which has a subtle, nutty almond flavour. Don’t use the liquid that maraschino cherries soak in. This will completely change the flavour of your drink.
Watch the video here. If you make this one, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!
Casino
Ingredients
- 45 mL London Dry or Old Tom gin
- 22.5 mL maraschino liqueur
- 15 mL lemon juice
- 1-2 dashes orange bitters
- Maraschino cherry to garnish
Instructions
- Add gin, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice and bitters to the base of a cocktail shaker.
- Add ice and shake to chill – approximately 12-15 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled coupe or Nick and Nora glass. Garnish your drink by dropping in a maraschino cherry into the base of the glass.
After more cocktails? Try my French 75 or Spicy Pineapple Margarita.
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