The Monte Cassino is a cocktail invented by yours truly and named after the famous invasion of Rome in WWII. Of course, with that information you can assume that it has both American and Italian ingredients. The cocktail itself is not extremely strong, coming in at 25% ABV, so it’s less than an Old Fashioned, but more than a Negroni (two cocktails which share some ingredients with the Monte Cassino).
I decided to craft this cocktail because I wanted to find more uses for my homemade cinnamon syrup, as well as inventing a Campari cocktail for people who don’t like Campari. One of the biggest gripes I hear from people is that they don’t like bitter cocktails. While I can’t relate, I can understand. It is a flavor profile that takes some getting used to. With the Monte Cassino cocktail I find that the bitterness is balanced by the sweet bite of the cinnamon syrup, and the fresh tang of the lemon juice.
How To Make A Monte Cassino Cocktail
Ingredients
- 50 ml Bourbon. Bulleit recommended.
- 25 ml Campari.
- 25 ml Lemon Juice. Freshly squeezed
- 15 ml Cinnamon Syrup. Homemade (How To Make Cinnamon Syrup)
- 1 Egg White
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and give a 10 second shake without ice to emulsify the egg white. Add ice and shake hard for 15-20 seconds. Double strain into a double rocks glass and garnish with a dehydrated orange or lemon slice.
One of the things I love about this drink is the pink color. You wouldn’t expect a pink drink to be very alcoholic, yet it’s right up there with a Manhattan or a Sidecar. However on the other hand it is also similar in ABV to a Jungle Bird, with color to boot. I do believe people should drink what they want, and if you want to drink a pink drink then more power to you.
Monte Cassino
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker
Ingredients
- 50 ml Bourbon Bulleit recommended
- 25 ml Campari
- 25 ml Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
- 15 ml Cinnamon Syrup homemade
- 1 Egg White
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and give a dry shake (without ice) for 10-15 seconds.
- Add ice and shake hard for 15-20 seconds, then double strain into a double rocks glass.
- Garnish with a dehydrated citrus slice and enjoy!
Notes
With all due respect, the original Monte Cassino recipe is published in Difford’s Guide and is quite different. That recipe was created by Damon Dyer at 649 in NYC. Damon’s recipe includes Benedictine, and won the Benedictine 500th Anniversary Cocktail Competition. It is a much more potent cocktail.
Using one large ice ball dilutes the drink much more slowly than using small, more common ice cubes.
Yeah I made and named this without knowing about the original. Still plan on changing the name, just a lot of work to go through all the internal links and update everything