Bar on hold: Argentina and the Casino

Let’s take our brand new bitters for a spin.

Argentina

An orangy tasting cocktail due to the Cointreau and orange bitters. Dry vermouth and Cointreau do not necessarily mix well (in my opinion), but there are always exceptions.

4 parts gin

4 parts dry vermouth

1 part Cointreau

1 part Bénédictine

1 dash orange bitters

1 dash Angostura bitters

glass:  cocktail

Stir with ice and strain into the glass.

Garnish with an orange twist (if available).

The cocktail has an orange tint. Ironically, it’s not the Cointreau or the orange bitters which make this happen.

Casino

Back to The Savoy Cocktail Book: the Casino seems somewhat like a gin-heavy Aviation, but it has an entirely different character.

Although it contains lemon juice, it should be stirred instead of shaken: the amount of lemon is very small. Because your cocktail will stay clear, it is advisable to strain the lemon juice very thoroughly.

The amount of lemon and maraschino depends on the type of gin you’re using. The Casino originally calls for Old Tom gin. If you manage to stock this in your bar, one barspoon of lemon and maraschino will do enough (because the Old Tom already has some sweetness). If you go for dry gin (which is not uncommon), try a ratio of 8 parts of gin to 1 part of lemon and 1 part of maraschino.

gin (preferably Old Tom gin, 8 cl)

1 bar spoon maraschino

1 bar spoon lemon

2 dashes orange bitters

glass:  cocktail

Stir with ice and strain into the glass.

Garnish with a cherry (if available).

I finally managed to get my hands on Old Tom gin, so I’m happy to try this in the original version. In my next post I’ll tackle a venerable classic that also calls for Old Tom.