Aviation
A floral, tart gin cocktail with a delicate lavender hue, tasting of violets and ripe cherries.
Ingredients
- Gin, dry, high quality60 ml
- Maraschino liqueur15 ml
- Crème de violette, use sparingly7.5 ml
- Lemon juice, freshly squeezed22.5 ml
- Cocktail cherry, for garnish (optional)1 whole
Method
- Chill a coupe or Martini glass in the freezer or with ice water.
- Pour the gin, maraschino liqueur, crème de violette and lemon juice into a shaker.
- Fill the shaker with ice cubes.
- Shake hard for 10–20 seconds, until well chilled.
- Double-strain through a fine sieve into the chilled glass.
- Garnish with a cocktail cherry or lemon twist.
Credit Hugo Ensslin, 1916
About this drink
Aviation was created by New York bartender Hugo Ensslin around 1916 and named for the fledgling age of flight, which its pale purple colour was meant to celebrate. When crème de violette became hard to find during Prohibition, Harry Craddock among others omitted it in The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), leaving the drink clear rather than violet. Today violet liqueur is easily available again, and the original colourful version has enjoyed a renaissance among bartenders.
Questions and answers
Can you make an Aviation without crème de violette?
Certainly, but you lose the distinctive pale-purple colour and soft violet note. The drink still tastes good without it — it simply resembles a gin sour with maraschino rather than an Aviation.
Which gin suits an Aviation?
A classic London Dry with clear juniper holds its balance best against maraschino’s sweetness and lemon’s acidity. A floral or citrus-heavy gin can easily overwhelm the subtle violet twist.
Why is Aviation’s colour so important?
The faint purple-grey shade, often called sky colour, is the whole point of crème de violette. Too little and it disappears; too much and the drink becomes perfumed and sweet. The recipe’s 7.5 ml is the balance this classic is built on.
