Aviation Cocktail
Lately I’ve been working my way through some of the classic cocktails. I love to make the drinks that have been around for over a hundred years now. It’s fun to imagine the cocktail bars of the early 1900s and the creative process of combining different spirits and methods. Experimentation does require collecting some random liqueurs, though! It’s a funny thing perusing bottles at the liquor store and wondering, “do I want to drop money on a liqueur that I have absolutely no idea what it tastes like?” Inevitably, I answer yes and buy yet another pretty bottle for the cabinet! I joke that I’m a professional hobbyist and I’m just collecting spirits like supplies for any other craft I undertake. Here’s the thing about spirits- we all debate buying these obscure liqueurs but yet we’ll buy a bottle of wine without too much consideration. A good bottle of wine will be gone in one evening. Many of these liqueurs will last years because recipes call for such tiny amounts, so consider it an investment in years of cocktail fun! Be careful reading my blog, I’m a terrible influence! Anyhow, a few days ago I was at the liquor store, replenishing some of my favorites when I saw a bottle of crème de violette and decided it was time to try the Aviation Cocktail.
The Aviation calls for gin, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, and crème de violette. The latter is what gives the drink its lavender hue. When the cocktail was first created, it called for just a splash of the crème de violette which made the cocktail a light blueish purple that resembled the color of the sky and was therefore named “Aviation.” I really had to play around with this drink. There are several different recipes with varying proportions. I made the most popular version first: 2 ounces gin, 3/4 ounce lemon juice, 1/2 ounce each of maraschino liqueur and crème de violette. It was alright but I found it a bit too tart and the aftertaste was kind of funky. I gave it some consideration and decided to try it again the following evening. The first change I made was to cut the maraschino back by a 1/4 ounce and that was an improvement. Then I decided to pull back on the lemon juice as well. By making these small changes, I could actually taste the crème de violette which has a mild floral sweetness. The lemon juice complimented the other ingredients instead of overpowering them. I used Roku gin which has a really clean flavor. The end result was a more balanced cocktail than I’d had the evening before. I could taste all the elements individually and yet they all worked together nicely. My personal theory is that when some of these old cocktails were created, the gin was not very delicious on its own so they used the other ingredients to mask it. Now days there are so many flavorful gins that hold up on their own that we want their clean flavors to shine. I hope you enjoy my adaptation of the beautiful Aviation!
Aviation Cocktail
Ingredients:
2 oz gin
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz crème de violette
1/4 oz maraschino liqueur
cocktail cherry, as garnish
Method:
Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until well chilled. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
