🥃 Casino

The Casino is a classic cocktail of Old Tom gin, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice and orange bitters. The International Bartenders Association (IBA) lists it among "The Unforgettables". In make-up it is the closest relative of the Aviation, but without crème de violette, so it is clear in colour and drier and more citrusy in taste.

History. The earliest known printed recipe appears in Jacob Didier's "The Reminder" of 1909: "one jigger Tom gin" with two dashes each of maraschino, orange bitters and lemon juice. In 1916 the New York bartender Hugo Ensslin printed an almost identical recipe in "Recipes for Mixed Drinks", followed in 1930 by Harry Craddock in "The Savoy Cocktail Book".

The IBA recipe. 40 ml Old Tom gin, 10 ml maraschino liqueur, 10 ml fresh lemon juice and two dashes of orange bitters. Shake everything with ice and strain into a chilled rocks glass over ice. Garnish with lemon zest and a maraschino cherry.

Variations. Difford's Guide suggests 45 ml Old Tom, 20 ml maraschino, 10 ml each of lemon and orange juice and a dash of orange bitters, served in a chilled Nick & Nora glass. That version is about 21.7% vol. Old Tom is a historic sweetened gin; with a London dry gin the drink becomes sharper.

Why it matters to you. The Casino looks light, but it is almost undiluted strong alcohol: a serve made to the Difford's Guide recipe contains 19.8 g of pure alcohol, roughly 1.4 standard drinks. Do not drive after drinking it. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe dose of alcohol.