Name: MGM Grand
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 45 ml Cognac (brandy); 15 ml Maraschino liqueur; 20 ml Lemon juice; 10 ml Sugar syrup (2:1); 1 dash Orange bitters

MGM Grand
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Glass:

Serve in a Coupe glass

Ingredients:
1 ¹⁄₂ fl oz	Cognac (brandy)
¹⁄₂ fl oz	Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
²⁄₃ fl oz	Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
¹⁄₃ fl oz	Sugar syrup 'rich' (2 sugar to 1 water, 65.0°Brix)
1 dash	Orange Bitters by Angostura

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

How to make:

SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish:

EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and discard.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

Nail the perfect balance and this cognac-based cocktail sings on the palate with cognac, richly subtle cherry, and zesty lemon acidity.

View readers' comments

History:

A riff on the classic Casino Cocktail, hence the name referencing one of the most famous Las Vegas resort casinos.

Adapted from a recipe created in 2015 by Andrew Loudon at Satan's Whiskers in London, England.

More cocktails by Andrew Loudon

Nutrition:

One serving of MGM Grand contains 172 calories

Alcohol content:

1.3 standard drinks
18.63% alc./vol. (37.27° proof)
18.1 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 10 of 12 comments for MGM Grand.
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Patrick Brady

22nd May at 01:25

Very nice. The hint of cherry in this sour is a very pleasant note. Used Regans orange bitters. Could use a touch less sugar I think. Not sure I understand the detractors of Maraschino - it's the perfect subtle hit of cherry here.

Bocman

22nd November 2025 at 17:31

Perhaps the first cocktail I enjoyed with Maraschino was a delightful experience 👍🍒

Joseph Nelson

18th November 2025 at 23:14

This was an interesting blend of tart and sweet, more sweet than I am accustomed to. I used Lazzaroni Maraschino which is a softer take on the liqueur and I found it imparted a subtle tone, allowing the cognac to shine. A very interesting diversion.

Calvin Grant

26th July 2025 at 02:39

Grand indeed. The Maraschino shines amidst the brandy softened citrus sour so well balanced. Oh, and all the orange!

Luca Viviani

12th March 2024 at 20:40

I actually liked this even better than the original Casino. You must be a fan of Maraschino, though.

S BA

30th March 2023 at 20:25

I’m not a bit fan of maraschino liqueur, so I replaced it with 5ml of cherry herring, 5ml of Kirschwasser (cherry eau de vie) and 5 ml of Mara chino liqueur. This is of course a much more complicated version but it turned out great with a little less of the artificial maraschino flavour.

John Hinojos

29th March 2023 at 00:19

Very nicely balanced. Did use about 1/3 less of the sugar syrup and it was perfect for us. Nice citrus flavours along with the softness from the cognac. Very nice as a before dinner cocktail.

Miguel Perales

31st October 2022 at 22:07

I went with the 10 ml rich syrup and was pleasantly surprised. I agree that this was a nicely balanced cocktail but like Mr. Difford said, you could easily decrease the rich syrup to 7.5 ml (1/4 oz) for a more tart drink. One of the few cocktails where you can actually appreciate the Luxardo. It has a nice citrus sourness to offset the syrup.
And thank you Mr. Difford for taking time to respond to my question.

Miguel Perales

30th October 2022 at 22:36

A clarification before I make this please. In the video, Mr. Loudon calls for 5 ml (1/6 oz) of simple syrup (1:1). In theory, shouldn't that then be 2.5 ml (1/12 oz) of a rich syrup (2:1) vs the 10 ml (1/3 oz) that is listed in the ingredients?
Thanks in advance.

Albert Markiewicz

8th April at 07:10

Not really. 5 ml of simple syrup is not the same as half of the amount of rich syrup. Simple is 50 Brix, rich is 66 Brix

1 reply

Simon Difford

31st October 2022 at 16:27

I've just made and tried/ With 10ml of 2:1 sugar syrup (as per the recipe above and end screen of the video) this is balanced. If you like your cocktails on the tart side then perhaps reduce this to 7.5ml. I believe Andrew made a mistake when he said 5ml of 1:1. (If using 1:1 sugar I'd recommend 12.5ml to 15ml simple syrup.)