The color is gorgeous, but the taste? The Aviation Cocktail wouldn’t still be on the menu since the 1900’s if this classic cocktail wasn’t still all the rage!
The Aviation cocktail has been around since the early 1900s when it was created by Hugo Ensslin, Head Bartender at New York City’s Hotel Wallick. He used gin, maraschino liqueur, crème de violette, and fresh lemon juice in his published Aviation cocktail recipe in his book, Recipes for Mixed Drinks.
Why Harry Craddock left out the essential ingredient of the original recipe, crème de violette, in the Savoy Cocktail book is anyone’s guess. Maybe it couldn’t be found in London, one will never know.
What goes into an Aviation
The Aviation is a play on the classic cocktail, the Gin Sour, and with its heady aroma and floral flavors – it has its lovers and its haters!
- Gin: Gin is the base for your Aviation cocktail. You can use any brand, however, the best brand, the better cocktail. I guess you could use Aviation Gin for the Aviation Aviation!
- Maraschino cherry liqueur: This cherry liqueur adds sweetness to the cocktail. I prefer Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur!
- Creme de Violette: The key ingredient in making an Aviation cocktail and gives it the purple hue. This violet liqueur tastes exactly like violets, so only use as much as the recipe calls for or the floral notes might be too much.
- Fresh Lemon juice: It’s a sour cocktail, so you need freshly squeezed lemon juice to add a hint of tanginess.
- Garnish: Simply garnish the drink with candied cherries or a lemon peel.
What tools you need to make an Aviation
You’ll need a cocktail shaker for this one! Grab a jigger, a barspoon, a strainer, and a chilled cocktail glass for this Aviation recipe.
- Step 1: Start by adding a few ice cubes, gin, creme de Violette, maraschino liqueur, and fresh lemon juice into the shaker.
- Step 2: Seal the shaker and start shaking for a few seconds until the ingredients are thoroughly combined, and the drink is chilled.
- Step 3: Now, pour the drink over a strainer into your chilled Martini glass
- Step 4: Garnish with cherries and serve! Bottom’s up!
- 🍸Top Tip(le): Here are a few things to remember when making the Aviation:
- If you can’t find crème de Violette, you can also replace it with other types of liqueurs like Creme Yvette, which is a blend of four fruits: blackberry, raspberry, blackcurrant and wild strawberry, as well as violets!
- You can also use lime juice instead of lemon juice, if you want it tangier!
- Add a bit of simple syrup to sweeten it more!
Where to find more classic gin cocktails
Here are a few of my favorites:
- How to Make the Dry Gin Martini
- How to Make the Tanqueray Negroni
- How to Make the Gin Sour
- How to Make the Gin Fizz
Plus more fruit cocktail recipes here
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Where to find ingredients for Aviation cocktails
You can find all the ingredients at Spirits Kiosk (10% off the entire site by quoting this code: ALushLife10SK.) in the UK; or Saucey.com in the USA!
Here is the recipe!
Aviation
Ingredients
- 35 ml Gin
- 10 ml Maraschino liqueur
- 5 ml Crème de violette
- 15 ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker
- Add ice and shake, shake, shake
- Fine strain into a coupe glass
- Garnish with a maraschino cherry
Nutrition
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