Casablanca
Dry shake ∙ 5 min ∙ 22% ABV ∙
The Casablanca is a shaken rum sour built on light gold rum, orange curaçao, maraschino liqueur, and citrus, finished with egg white for a silky head. Citrus tartness leads, cut by a nutty maraschino sweetness and a faint bitters spice, with the egg white softening every edge into a creamy finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Light gold rum 60 mlOrange curaçao liqueur 10 mlMaraschino liqueur 10 mlLime juice 10 mlLemon juice 10 mlSugar syrup 5 mlAngostura aromatic bitters 2 dashesEgg white 15 ml
- Strain back into the shaker
- Dry shake (without ice)
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express an orange twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Shake the rum, curaçao, maraschino, citrus, syrup, bitters and egg white with ice first, then strain the liquid back into the empty shaker.
- Dry shake that chilled mix hard for 15-20 seconds without ice; a thin, tight foam signals proper emulsification.
- Combine equal 10 ml measures of lime and lemon juice freshly squeezed the same day, since egg white foams mute stale citrus flavor quickly.
- Fine-strain into the chilled coupe to catch ice shards and pulp, then twist the orange peel over the foam to release oils before resting it on top.
History
The Casablanca cocktail takes its name from Michael Curtiz's 1942 film of the same name, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, though the drink itself is not one of the beverages actually featured in the movie. Beyond the naming link, the cocktail's actual origin story is not reliably documented: some accounts place its creation in 1940s Havana, Cuba, while others describe it simply as a mid-20th-century rum sour variation of uncertain authorship, with no consistent record of who first mixed it or exactly when.
FAQ
What is in a Casablanca cocktail?
Light gold rum, orange curaçao, maraschino liqueur, fresh lime and lemon juice, sugar syrup, a dash of Angostura bitters, and egg white, double-shaken and served up in a coupe with an orange twist. The egg white gives it a silky, foam-topped texture rather than a clear finish.
How do you make a Casablanca?
Combine the rum, orange curaçao, maraschino liqueur, lime juice, lemon juice, sugar syrup, bitters and egg white in a shaker and shake with ice to chill. Strain the liquid back into the empty shaker and shake again without ice to build the foam, then fine-strain into a chilled coupe glass finished with an orange twist.
Is a Casablanca shaken or stirred?
Shaken, and double-shaken specifically. It goes with ice first to chill and dilute, then back into the empty shaker for a second shake without ice, which emulsifies the egg white into a stable foam.
What glass is a Casablanca served in?
A coupe glass, served up with an orange twist as the garnish.
Is a Casablanca vegetarian?
Yes, this recipe is vegetarian and lactose-free, though not vegan since it contains pasteurized egg white. It comes in at roughly 223 calories per serving.
