Recipes Below
A nostalgic, citrus-forward cocktail inspired by the iconic song from Casablanca, featuring Cointreau, white rum, grapefruit and lime juices, and a touch of Kirsch and agave to evoke the bittersweet romance and timeless elegance of the film.
A globally inspired gin-based cocktail that blends floral elderflower, warm peach schnapps, spicy Moroccan hot honey, and Italian Amaro to reflect Casablanca’s cultural crossroads and the unlikely alliances forged in the film.
Casablanca: A Timeless Tale of Love, Sacrifice and Wartime Intrigue- Inspiring Two Cocktails
This American Romantic film set in 1941 Casablanca features an A-list cast for a Noir Romance film in the 1940’s. Humphrey Bogart leads the film as Rick, a nightclub owner, who is stuck in Casablanca as he is seemingly stuck in life and jaded by romance. Then, on a night that seemed like “business as usual”, he is interrupted by a song that he has attached to a past lover. While reprimanding his devoted piano player and friend Sam, played by Dooley Wilson, he notices the beautiful guest that requested his song. His past lover, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), looks at Rick with lamb eyes. It sort of makes you wonder, What is she up to?
“As Time Goes By” is the name of our first cocktail, and the song that went viral after the movie premiered and helped bring popularity to the war time movie. In the movie, the song brings back a flood of memories for both Rick and his former lover Ilsa. A very popular spirit in 1941 Casablanca, made apparent in the movie is Cointreau, so we wanted to create a cocktail that really features the flavors of Cointreau. The slightly bitter, but mostly sweet citrus liqueur has a flavor close to the familiar Hemmingway Daiquiri. You will notice that this cocktail is very similar with using Grapefruit and Lime juices for the citrus and slightly bitter and floral flavors. The base spirit is White Rum which gave the cocktail the ABV we were looking for without flavors that would detract from the Cointreau itself. The main differences between As Time Goes By and the Hemmingway, is that we use a Kirsh Liqueur (White Cherry) which is mild and sweet, unlike the Maraschino Liqueur, which is more bitter. We also sweetened this cocktail with agave again, to add sweetness and bring out the floral notes of the Cointreau and Grapefruit. Take a drink and fade into the song, Sam: "You must remember this- A kiss is still a kiss; a sigh is just a sigh. The fundamental things apply, as time goes by.
Our second cocktail comes from one of many much repeated lines in Casablanca, “Louis, I think this is the beginning of A Beautiful Friendship”. The flavors in this cocktail are inspired by the region of Casablanca as a melting pot forced by those trying to evacuate away from the war. Gin is used for its herbal and biting citrus flavors easily found in Rick's Gin Joint. Elderflower Liqueur is always a gently sweet and floral liqueur that goes so well with Gin. We put it in this cocktail as the French influence on the region. Peach Schnapps is a spirit that originated from regions of Germany, and while Germany did not have complete control over Casablanca, they certainly had a strong influence. In A Beautiful Friendship cocktail, the small amount of Peach Schnapps adds a deeper, warmer flavor, and is the perfect platform for the Hot Honey, which is characteristic of the sweetener and spice used in Moroccan culture. Additional spices are brought in with Peychaud's bitters, originating from New Orleans as a nod to Rick's devoted piano player, Sam. Finally, the other base spirit in this cocktail, Amaro Montenegro an Italian bitter, a slightly sweet liqueur with a touch of lemon that freshens and gathers all of the flavors together to make a deliciously cohesive cocktail. Sounds like A Beautiful Friendship.
What was Ilsa up to? She was obviously conflicted between the man she devoted herself to before the war separated them and the man she found respite in during the war and that she would have to turn to for aid in her and her husband's escape from the Germans. Tough decisions will be made. Thankfully, you'll have two cocktails to drink while they're making them.
Casablanca. Directed by Michael Curtiz, Adapted by Joan Alison from Everybody Comes to Rick’s by Murray Burnett
Performances by Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Dooley Wilson, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt,
Sydney Greenstreet, and peter Lorre. A Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. Production. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
As Time Goes By
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1 oz (30mL) White Rum
.75 oz (22.5mL) Cointreau
.5 oz (15mL) Kirsch Liqueur
.5 oz (15mL) Lime Juice
.5oz (15mL) Grapefruit Juice
.25 oz (7.5mL) Agave
Orange
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Chill a Nick and Nora glass. In a shaker combine 1.5 oz White Rum, .75 oz of Cointreau, .75 oz Mount Rigi, .75 oz Lime Juice, and .5 oz Grapefruit Juice, .25 oz Agave. Fill shaker with ice, cover and shake for 30 seconds until throughly chilled, double strain into the chilled coupe, garnish with a Orange peel rosette.
Cocktail recipes and instruction videos are created by Boozy Movies, LLC
A Beautiful Friendship
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1.5 oz (45mL) Gin
1.5 oz (45mL) Amaro Montenegro
.5 oz (15mL) Elderflower Liqueur
.25 oz (15mL) Peach Schnapps
.25 oz (15mL) Hot Honey Syrup
4 Dashes Peychaud's Bitters
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In a Mixing glass, combine 1.5 oz Gin, 1.5 oz Amaro Montenegro, .5 oz Elderflower Liqueur, .25 oz Peach Schnapps, .25 oz Hot Honey Syrup, and 4 dashes of Peychaud's Bitters. Add ice and stir until chilled and strain into a coupe glass. Express a lemon peel on top and clip to the edge of the glass.
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4 oz (120 mL/113.5 g) Honey
4 oz (120 mL/113.5 g) Water
1 Tbs (30 g) Red Pepper Flakes
Pinch Salt
In a saucepan, combine Honey, Water, Red Pepper Flakes and Salt. Place on medium low heat and stir to combine. Allow to come to a slight boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer on low for 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Fine strain into a syrup container. Store in a cool, dark place
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