Casino

Casino

About the Casino cocktail

The Casino is a classic gin cocktail made with gin, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, and orange bitters. It is elegant, lean, and citrus-forward, with just enough maraschino sweetness to soften the gin before the lemon and orange bitters bring the drink back into sharp focus.

For many years, the Casino was often credited to Hugo Ensslin’s 1916 book Recipes for Mixed Drinks, but the cocktail appeared earlier in Jacob Didier’s 1909 book The Reminder. The two printed recipes are nearly identical, which makes the Casino an interesting example of how messy cocktail attribution can be. It is sometimes compared to the Aviation, but the Casino appears to predate that better-known gin classic.

Glass Martini glassBase GinMethod Shaken

Ingredients

1 1/2 ozOld Tom gin
1/2 ozMaraschino liqueur
1/2 ozLemon juice
2 dashOrange bitters

Instructions

  1. Chill a martini glass.
  2. Add all ingredients to a shaker.
  3. Shake with ice until well chilled (about 10–15 seconds).
  4. Strain into the chilled martini glass.
  5. Garnish with a cherry and a lemon twist.

Garnish

  • Cherry
  • Lemon twist

Flavor profile

FruitySourSweetCitrusHerbalElegantSophisticated

In these collections

IBA Unforgettables
IBA Unforgettables

Official International Bartenders Association (IBA) cocktail list: The Unforgettables.

34 cocktails
Maiden's Blush No.2
Maiden's Blush No.2
Old Tom gin, Chilled water, Lemon juice
Mainbrace
Mainbrace
Gin, Triple sec, Pink grapefruit juice
Gypsy #1
Gypsy #1
Gin, Elderflower liqueur, Lime juice
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale
Gin, Lemon juice, Campari
Biggles Aviation
Biggles Aviation
Gin, Ginger liqueur, Lemon juice
Northern Glow
Northern Glow
Gin, Pink grapefruit juice, Triple sec
Next to Last Word
Next to Last Word
Gin, Maraschino liqueur, Elderflower liqueur
Nightmare
Nightmare
Gin, Aromatized wine, Orange juice
Yokohama
Yokohama
Gin, Orange juice, Vodka