TOP-5 Historical Casino Cocktails of All Time

The soft clink of ice cubes, the gentle hum of conversation, and the electric anticipation of the next hand. Cocktails have been the perfect companion to casino games for over a century.

From the Belle Époque glamour to 1950s Vegas, each era brought its signature drink. While fewer people visit land-based casinos today, you can still recreate that classic vibe at home. 

Many players now enjoy safe non-UK online casinos while sipping these legendary cocktails, playing new slots on their smartphones. Well, it might not be all as it was in the 50s, but comfort and relaxation are still intact.

We check the history archives and define five drinks that create casino culture. 

Casino Cocktail

This drink first appeared in 1909 in Jacob Didier's "The Reminder" and gained fame at New York's luxurious Hotel Wallick in 1916.

By 1930, it had its spotlight in the legendary Savoy Cocktail Book. This drink became the symbol of elegance in American casinos.

Recipe:

• 2 oz gin

• 1/2 oz maraschino liqueur

• 1/4 oz lemon juice

• 2 dashes orange bitters

• Garnish: lemon twist

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass

Bond's Martini

"Shaken, not stirred." James Bond turned the martini into the ultimate casino cocktail! The 1950s and 60s saw this elegant drink become synonymous with high-stakes gambling. 

But we don’t really advise you to use Bond’s method to enjoy this drink, for obvious reasons.

From Monte Carlo to Las Vegas. Martini was the drink of choice for serious players who knew how to handle both cards and cocktails.

Recipe:

• 2.5 oz gin or vodka

• 0.5 oz dry vermouth

• Garnish: lemon twist or olive

Stir with ice (or shake if you're feeling like Bond), strain into a chilled martini glass

True Old Fashioned

The oldest classic cocktail from the early American years. Go back to 1806, and it has found its popularity in 20th-century poker rooms. This hard drink became popular because it was simple to make and used readily available whiskey. 

None of the illegal gambling dens could afford fancy ingredients, but they could muddle sugar, bitters, and bootleg whiskey.

By the 1940s and 50s, it became the unofficial drink of serious poker players. Unlike light cocktails, you could sip it slowly during long poker sessions without it getting watery or losing flavor.

Recipe:

• 2 oz bourbon or rye whiskey

• 1 sugar cube

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• 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters

• Orange peel

• Splash of water

Muddle sugar cube with bitters and water, add whiskey, stir with ice, garnish with orange peel

Atomic Cocktail

1950s Nevada atomic testing and a new cocktail were born in Las Vegas casinos to commemorate the date and the action. 

Atomic Cocktail was invented during the era when tourists could watch nuclear explosions from casino rooftops. A little bit scary, but old people have their old ways.

Casino owners threw "atomic parties" where guests sipped these glowing drinks while enjoying nuclear mushrooms in the sky. 

Recipe:

• 1 oz vodka

• 1 oz brandy

• 1/2 oz dry sherry

• 1 dash orange bitters

• Champagne to top

Shake first four ingredients with ice, strain into champagne flute, top with champagne

Negroni

Negroni was born in Florence in 1919. Monte Carlo's gaming rooms and Venice's canal-side casinos made this bitter Italian cocktail their signature drink. 

The story behind it is simple. Count Camillo Negroni walked into Caffè Casoni and asked bartender Fosco Scarselli to strengthen his usual Americano cocktail by replacing soda water with gin. And then the legend was born.

During the 1920s and 30s, it remained mostly Italian. World War II changed everything. Wealthy Europeans who had fled to Monte Carlo during the war gave international life to this drink.

Recipe:

• 1 oz gin

• 1 oz Campari

• 1 oz sweet vermouth

• Garnish: orange slice

Stir with ice, strain over fresh ice in rocks glass, garnish with orange

Any of these famous cocktails can be made at home with minimum effort, especially the Old Fashioned (the simplicity is in the design itself). We encourage you to try out just once, relax on your favourite couch, listen to nice music, and just be there for a couple of minutes. And you know that the magic behind all wins in the casino is always your mood.