Casino Cocktail recipe
Rating
Can you make this?
Add the ingredients you have at home to your My Bar and we'll show you what cocktails you can make. Start off by adding the ingredients you have for this cocktail using the plus icons.
The Casino is a bright, gin-forward sour that sits in the early 20th-century family of short, aromatic cocktails—spirited, citrusy, and built for a cocktail glass. While its exact origin story isn’t firmly pinned to a single inventor or venue, you’ll find it shares the same elegant, pre-Prohibition sensibility as other gin classics: a small cast of ingredients, a crisp structure, and just enough liqueur and bitters to add intrigue.
On the palate, gin leads with a clean botanical backbone, sharpened by lemon juice’s direct tartness. Maraschino cherry liqueur slips in with a distinctive, lightly sweet cherry-almond character that softens the edges and adds depth without turning the drink candy-like. Orange juice brings a rounder, gentler citrus note that bridges the lemon and the liqueur, while a couple dashes of orange bitters tighten everything up with a dry, zesty snap.
This is a great choice when you want something brisk and refined rather than heavy or creamy—an aperitif-style drink that feels at home before dinner or at a smart evening get-together. If you enjoy gin sours but want a touch more complexity and a subtle fruit twist, you’ll find the Casino hits that sweet spot.
Microbadges
Can you make this?
Add the ingredients you have at home to your My Bar and we'll show you what cocktails you can make. Start off by adding the ingredients you have for this cocktail using the plus icons.
Cocktail glass
Ingredients
Cocktail Colin says:
Gin leads with crisp botanicals, lifted by tart lemon juice and rounded by sweet orange juice, while maraschino cherry liqueur adds a faint almond-cherry depth and orange bitters sharpen the citrus peel edge. The balance works because the citrus snap reins in the liqueur’s sweetness and the bitters knit gin and fruit together; it’ll suit anyone who likes bright, aromatic, spirit-forward sours.
Method
How to make a Casino
- Gin 40ml, Maraschino cherry liqueur 10ml, Lemon juice 10ml, Orange juice 10ml, Orange bitters Couple dashes
-
- Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice
-
- Shake well then strain into chilled cocktail glass
-
- Garnish with a lemon twist and a maraschino cherry and serve
Power tips
Elevate the Casino with these master mixologist tips
Upgrade to premium
And receive world class tips on how to raise your cocktails to the next level.
Find out more- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for best results, as it will provide a crisp and bright flavor that enhances the cocktail.
- Chill your cocktail glass before pouring the drink. This helps maintain the cocktail's cold temperature and enhances the drinking experience.
- Upgrade to premium to receive even more power tips on this cocktail.
Your private tasting notes
Featured in
FAQ's
What is the best way to serve a Casino cocktail?
The Casino cocktail is best served in a chilled cocktail glass. To prepare it properly, shake the ingredients with ice until well chilled, then strain the mixture into the glass. Garnishing with a maraschino cherry or a twist of lemon peel will enhance its appearance and add a slight aroma.
Can I substitute any ingredients in the Casino cocktail?
While the classic Casino cocktail recipe includes Gin, Lemon Juice, Orange Bitters, and Maraschino cherry liqueur, substitutions can be made to accommodate taste preferences or availability. For instance, if Maraschino cherry liqueur is hard to find, a small amount of another cherry liqueur may suffice, though it will slightly alter the taste. However, the unique balance of the Casino is best maintained by sticking as closely as possible to the original recipe.
Is the Casino cocktail strong?
The Casino cocktail has a moderate alcohol content of 25%. The gin provides the primary alcoholic base, complemented by a small volume of Maraschino cherry liqueur. Its potency is balanced by the inclusion of non-alcoholic components like lemon juice and orange bitters, making it less strong compared to straight spirits but still providing a pleasant kick.
What is the history behind the Casino cocktail?
The Casino cocktail is a lesser-known classic that dates back to at least the early 20th century. It appears in the 1916
How does the taste profile of the Casino cocktail differ from a classic Gin Martini?
The Casino cocktail offers a distinct taste profile compared to a classic Gin Martini due to its unique combination of ingredients. While both cocktails feature gin as the base spirit, the Casino is distinguished by the addition of lemon juice and orange bitters, which introduce a citrusy brightness. The Maraschino cherry liqueur adds a hint of sweet and slightly nutty flavor not found in a traditional Martini. Overall, the Casino is more complex and fruitier, with a balance of sweet, sour, and bitter notes, compared to the dry and aromatic nature of a Gin Martini.
Upgrade your mixology
Become a member for free taking your cocktail making skills up to level 11. Or become a premium member to rise to cocktail greatness.
- Save your bar forever
- Access to our Cocktail Creator, allowing you to create your own wonderful concoctions.
- Access to Cocktail Colin; ask Cocktail Colin anything on an individual cocktail and he'll give you the answers you need.
- Create personalised cocktail menus for all your events, bars or parties
- Save cocktails to personalised 'Tried' and 'Want to try' lists
- Create and record tasting notes on cocktails
- Create lists of cocktails to share with friends and family
- A personalised MyBar URL, allowing you to share everything you can make with friends
- And much more ... (what to buy next, measurement choices, search personalisation...)
Have you tried our Wordpress Plugin?
Download our plugin and embed cocktail recipes directly onto your own site or blog.
Choose from our whole recipe database, or choose a specific cocktail made with a certain ingredient, and let us place a beautiful recipe on your own site.
Find out moreYou might also like
Experience this classic mix of vodka and gin
Vesper
Vodka, Gin, Lillet Blanc
Dive into this robust mix of spirits and cola
Long Island Iced Tea
White rum, Gin, Tequila blanco, Vodka, Cointreau, Cola, Lemon juice, Sugar / simple syrup
Discover this gin and grapefruit refreshment with a twist
Salty Dog
Gin, Grapefruit juice, Salt
Dive into this rosemary-infused gin delight.
Tuscan Blue Fizz
Gin, Soda water, Rosemary syrup
Create a cocktail
Choose a theme and some ingredients, give us some description and we'll create an amazing cocktail for you.
Register as a Premium Make Me a Cocktail community member and get access to an even more powerful creator.
Start creatingBuild your bar
Tell us what you have at home and we'll find a delicious cocktail for you to make right now.
Register as a Make Me a Cocktail community member and we'll save your ingredients list so you can come back to it at any time.
Create My Bar
Cocktail Colin
Your cocktail expert
Hi! I'm Cocktail Colin
Ask me anything about this cocktail - how to make it, substitutions, variations, or any other questions!
Become a member to access Cocktail Colin
Become a member (for free) to pick Cocktail Colin's cocktail filled brain on everything on this cocktail, from substitutions, if you can use what you have, to serving suggestions and more.
Become a member
Comments