Casino Cocktail Recipe

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22nd July 2024
This post was written in collaboration with HOMD Consulting

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The Casino cocktail is one of the best alcoholic beverages made from a blend of simple but rich ingredients. These constituents are based on preferred tastes. In collaboration with the experts at TestCasino.org, we present the authentic recipe here. While some ingredients have been standardized, gin remains a constant. In addition to gin, the recipe calls for lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and orange bitters. Discover all the details below and create your perfect Casino cocktail today!

History and Origin of the Casino Cocktail

The Casino was introduced by the renowned bartender Hugo Ensslin in 1917. This was the same year it was published in Recipes for Mixed Drinks. At the time, Ensslin was the head bartender at New York City's famous 43rd Street Hotel Wallick.

Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book, released in 1930, brought the recipe back into the spotlight. Since then, bartenders throughout the world have given it their own unique spins while staying true to the original ingredients.

Necessary Ingredients for Casino Cocktail

To make a casino cocktail, there are certain ingredients that you can’t afford to leave out. These elements are available online or in local stores. As you know, the first step to cooking up a powerful drink is to gather ingredients. The list below makes it easy to get all that is needed for the cocktail.

List of Ingredients

Here are the ingredients to purchase:

  • two ounces of gin
  • 1/4 ounce of Maraschino Liquer
  • 1/4 ounce of fresh lemon juice
  • two orange bitters dashes
  • Maraschino cherry or lemon twist
  • ice cubes.

From these options above, one can easily tell that preparing a fantastic drink doesn’t take much. Plus, these ingredients are convenient and budget-friendly for anyone.

Quality and Selection of Ingredients

Let’s emphasize the process of selecting the ingredients. Remember, the better the ingredients, the tastier the drink.

  • Choose the components according to your taste: sour, sweet, fiery, full-bodied, and whatever appeals to you. This tells the perfect mixing ratio.
  • Use fresh-squeezed juices. Be sure to thoroughly wash them, especially if they are not organic. If not freshly squeezed, use bottled juices instead.
  • Pay close attention to the freshness and quality of the many components of the drink.

How to Prepare Your Casino Cocktail

Casino cocktails are simple to prepare. One doesn’t need to learn anything complex to get started. If you want to make delicious cocktails, you'll only need two tools. First, you’ll need a spoon to swirl the components until they dissolve and a sieve to make an emulsion.

Then, the shaker with strainer will be essential for developing more complex drinks. That’s because it allows the easy mixture of the components and creates an emulsion. That said, follow the steps below to prepare the drink.

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  • Chill the glass
    Start by chilling the glass before making an extremely cold drink. You can use plenty of ice or just pop it straight into the freezer. When you pour in the many components and spirits later, the cocktail remains fresh.
  • Bring the ingredients together
    Combine the gin, maraschino liqueur, orange bitters, and fresh lemon juice in a mixing glass. Properly mixing these elements will balance the herbal, sweet, tangy, and bitter flavors.
  • Bring in the ice
    Another underrated element that most people pay no attention to is the ice. Though often overlooked, the creation of a good cocktail depends on ice. It revitalizes the drink and boosts the emulsion and component diluting power. It’s easy to purchase blocks straight from the grocery or use whatever ones you freeze.

    After you've poured the liquid from the mixing glass into the cocktail shaker, fill it with ice. Then, give it a good shake for 15 seconds. Shaking the drink does double duty: it chills it and dilutes it just enough to make sure it's smooth.

  • Strain and serve
    Pour the drink into the cooled glass through a strainer, taking care not to leave any ice chunks. Maraschino cherries or lemon twists make a nice garnish. In addition to improving the drink's scent and aesthetics, the garnish rounds out the flavor with a dash of sugar or zest.

Best Serving and Presentation Tips

There are multiple ways to serve a chilled cocktail glass to enjoy it better. Here are some of the options.

  • Fruits

    Adding fruit to your drinks is a great and flexible method to make them look appetizing. It also adds an aromatic punch to your cocktails. Garnish the drink with slices, wedges, or twists of citrus fruits like limes, oranges, or lemons. Berries and cherries not only look beautiful, but they also smell deliciously pleasant. Use pineapple, kiwi, or watermelon for a more tropical flavor.

  • Herbs

    Herbs are a must-have ingredient when making a sophisticated cocktail. They add a touch of elegance to your drinks and release intriguing aromas. Garnish your beverages with fresh mint, basil, or thyme sprigs for a lovely herbal scent and a visual treat.

  • Work with your glass rim

    In addition to enhancing the flavor profile of a cocktail, rim garnishes make the drink more visually appealing. Two classic examples are salt on a margarita's rim or sugar on a sweet drink's rim. Ensure to use something that matches the cocktail’s flavor.

Exploring Variations of the Casino Cocktail

The first step in choosing the ingredients is to pick a base spirit you like. This makes it possible to create different tasty variants. Aside from the selected gin, try liqueur, eau-de-vie, rum, whiskey, tequila, mezcal, calvados, and cognac. You can also experiment with various options till you find those that suit your preferences.

Conclusion

The Casino cocktail recipe provides a glimpse into the refined drinking culture of the early 20th century. To begin the process, you must check if your ingredients are well selected and mixed properly. To enjoy it to its fullest, make sure you serve the tall glass filled with the best additions you find most suitable.

Every variation of the classic cocktail gives freshness in every sip, perfect for cocktail lovers. You only need to get the mixing right without doing too much or too little. This way, you will have the best results with the steps outlined in this post.

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Bartender's top tip

Serving your cocktail in a chilled glass can greatly enhance its enjoyment, keeping it at the optimal temperature for longer. Simply fill the glass with ice and water to chill it while you prepare your drink, and then dump it out just before straining your cocktail into the glass. This is especially important for stirred, spirit-forward drinks like Martinis or Manhattans.

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