The Casino Cocktail is a classic Prohibition era drink popularized in New York City in the early 1900s.
The well balanced craft cocktail blends together juniper-forward gin, sweet Maraschino Liqueur, tart freshly squeezed lemon juice and juicy orange bitters. The resulting taste is a sweet, tart and citrusy infusion, which pours a pretty yellow hue.
If you call yourself a Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur fan we know you’ll love making this luxurious gin muddled Casino cocktail recipe at home!
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What Is A Casino Cocktail?
The Casino Cocktail is an IBA official craft cocktail classified as a Daisy, a family of mixed drinks that always include a spirit, citrus, and flavoured sweetener. The Casino is uniquely made with gin, maraschino liqueur, orange bitters and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Early recipes back in the early 1900s called for Old Tom Gin but today London Dry is more commonly used by bartenders.
The popular Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur cocktail first appeared in Hugo R. Ensslin’s 1916 Recipes For Mixed Drinks, which he wrote while acting as the bartender at New York City’s Hotel Wallick, which sat perched over the corner of Broadway and 43rd Street.
The Casino Cocktail is similar to the Aviation (stirred instead of shaken), without the use of Creme de Violette, but a lot more lemon juice to make you sit up straight and pucker.
The popular Prohibition cocktail has gone through several iterations over the years. Mixologist Harry Craddock republished Ensslin’s Casino Cocktail recipe, in his best selling The Savoy Cocktail Book, published in the 1930’s.
Later in 1948, David Embury produced his own version of the Casino Cocktail but used fresh orange juice instead of orange bitters.
The cocktail is typically served in a coupe or Nick and Nora Glass garnished with a maraschino cherry and lemon twist. It’s the sort of sophisticated cocktail you want to sip in a fancy tuxedo or evening gown while rolling the dice at an over-the-top casino in Monte Carlo. You just know James Bond has a crush on this one.
What Is Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur?
Maraschino is a liqueur produced from the distillation of Marasca cherries. The small, slightly sour fruit of the Tapiwa cherry tree, which grows wild along parts of the Dalmatian coast, lends the liqueur its unique aroma.
Invented in Croatia, Maraschino is a clear, cherry-flavoured liqueur with a subtle sweetness boasting unique sour cherry and almond notes. Several brands produce Maraschino liqueur but the most famous is Luxardo, which we recommend using.
Many recipes before prohibition called for Maraschino, it was one of the most used and most important ingredients. In last few years, with the boom of the craft cocktail movement, Maraschino is regaining its former status as a must-have on any bar cart.
You may also enjoy these Maraschino liqueur cocktails:
Casino Cocktail Recipe Ingredients
This chic cocktail is best served in an elegant coupe or Nick and Nora glass.
- Gin: we suggest using a juniper-forward gin like Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire or The Botanist.
- Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur: sweeten the drink with the classic Croatian cherry-flavoured liqueur.
- Lemon Juice: always use freshly squeezed citrus never concentrate, you can taste the difference.
- Bitters: gives the cocktail juicy orange notes.
- Garnish: decorate each glass with a lemon twist and juicy maraschino cherry skewered on a cocktail pick.
Directions
This Casino Cocktail is so easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 5 minutes!
- PREPARE THE GLASS: Begin by preparing your cocktail glass. If desired, you can fill each coupe glass with ice to ensure they are well chilled. Set the glass aside while you prepare the drink.
- STIR & STRAIN: Pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass filled with plenty of ice. Stir with a bar spoon until the drink is well-chilled, 30-45 seconds. This step is essential for chilling the ingredients and ensuring proper dilution. Once cooled, strain the cocktail into a chilled coupe.
- GARNISH & SERVE: Decorate the rim of the glass with a lemon twist and maraschino cherry.
Full instructions are in the recipe card below.
Gin & Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur Cocktail Recipe Tips
- We suggest serving a Casino Cocktail in an elegant coupe or Nick and Nora glass.
- While there are a variety of maraschino liqueurs on the market we suggest using the Luxardo brand.
- Our recipe serves one person. If you’re hosting a large gathering feel free to multiply the ingredients by the number of guests and muddle the drink in a festive punch bowl or jug rather than a cocktail shaker.
- You can level up this cocktail for a glamorous occasion by topping the drink with champagne sparkling wine.
- An hour or two before you’re planning on serving drinks we suggest placing the gin and maraschino bottles in the freezer so they are well chilled.
- If you find the drink too boozy feel free to add a splash of soda water.
Best Bartender Tools & Cocktail Equipment
Before hosting a swanky Casino cocktail party you’ll need to ensure you have the best bartender tools and cocktail equipment.
- Cocktail Kit: cocktail kits are the perfect gift for newbie mixology fans as they include basic bartender tools like a jigger, shaker and spoon.
- Cocktail Shaker: a bartender’s best friend. Purchase a premium cocktail shaker to muddle or shake up your favourite pink gin cocktails.
- Cocktail Glassware: make sure your bar is stocked with a selection of unique glassware to show off your favourite cocktail creations.
- Hawthorne Strainer: this unique strainer features tightly wound coils and perforated holes. It keeps ice and other large ingredients like lime wedges in your cocktail shaker rather than in the glass.
- Bar Spoons: slender and long bar spoons are a must-have when stirring drinks.
- Bottle Opener: easily open bottles of beer or cider with the flick of your wrist or purchase a corkscrew for fine wine.
- Pouring Spout: once you’ve opened a new bottle of gin insert these affordable pourers to make cocktail assembly a breeze.
- Cutting Board: purchase a petite cutting board for your bar to slice garnishes or citrus wedges like lime, orange, lemon or grapefruit.
- Ice Bucket: chill bottles of gin quickly in an ice bucket or keep by the bar when muddling gin mixers into cool creations.
- Ice Crusher: fans of the Mint Julep love an ice crusher.
- Ice Cube Kit: we suggest purchasing a selection of ice cube trays. Silicone styles are our favourite as they’re easy to clean and are available in various shapes and sizes.
- Jigger: use a jigger to accurately measure spirits, juices, syrups and shrubs.
- Juicer: invest in an electronic juicer or buy an affordable hand-held to easily juice fresh citrus like lemons and limes.
- Muddler: fans of the Mojito love a sturdy muddler to mix mint and lime. Muddler’s are handy for any cocktail featuring ingredients that need a pounding like fresh herbs or citrus wedges.
- Citrus Peeler & Zester: adorn your craft cocktails with a thick citrus peel or finer ribbons of lime or lemon zest.
- Rimmer: Bloody Mary and Caesar lovers should outfit their bar with a handy rimmer for salting and sugaring glassware.
You May Also Enjoy These Cocktail Recipes…
- Strawberry Fields Cocktail
- Southside Fizz Cocktail
- Amaretto Disaronno Sour
- Cucumber Mint Gimlet
- Hennessy Sidecar Cocktail
- Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey Margarita
- Passion Fruit Margarita
- French Blackcurrant Creme de Cassis Cocktail
- Maple Bourbon Sour
- Italian Espresso Coffee Negroni Cocktail
When To Serve A Classic Casino Cocktail
This sophisticated Luxardo cocktail can be enjoyed any time of year. We love to serve it as a:
- Happy hour drink alongside snacks like Hawaiian Creamy Coconut Shrimp, Keftedakia Roasted Greek Meatballs, Spanakopita Dip and Nakladany Hermelin Czech Marinated Camembert Cheese.
- Classy guys or girls night beverage
- Pre-drink at home before meeting friends at your local bar
- Dinner party cocktail served with your favourite lemon-flavoured dishes like Sherry Cream Lemon Chicken, Ndunderi Amalfi Lemon Ricotta Gnocchi, Orzo Lemon Salad, and Garlic Boursin and Lemon Linguine with Grilled Chicken.
How To Make A “Casino” Maraschino Liqueur Cocktail Recipe
Classic Casino Cocktail
Equipment
- Jigger
- Mixing Glass
- Bar Spoon
- Coupe or Nick and Nora Glass
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Gin
- 0.75 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
- 0.5 oz Lemon Juice
- 2 dashes Orange Bitters
- Luxardo Maraschino Cherries garnish
- Lemon Peel garnish
Instructions
- Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass with plenty of ice. Stir until the drink is well-chilled.
- Strain into a coupe or Nick and Nora glass.
- Garnish with a Maraschino cherry and lemon peel.
Nutrition
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Love Maraschino!