All you need are four ingredients to make this beautiful Aviation cocktail. This lavender, blue-hued drink is an eye-catching cocktail that tastes as delicious as it looks. It’s worth picking up a bottle of crème de violette to make this cocktail. Citrusy, sweet but tart, with hints of cherry and floral notes, you’ll love this cocktail. It’s a stunning drink that will impress your guests. If you need another cocktail for a party, try my French 75 recipe, classic martini recipe, or paloma recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Crème de violette — also known as liqueur de violette, this liqueur is made from and tastes like violets, giving it its classic blue coloring that gives the drink its pale lavender color. The floral liqueur provides the cocktail with its signature taste and separates it from a gin sour.
Gin — it’s best to pick a good quality gin as the base of this cocktail. The citrus and coriander from the gin used here really complement the flowery and sweet violet flavors from the crème de violette.
Maraschino liqueur — this is a clear liqueur that’s dry, silky, and sweet, with hints of sour cherry and almond.
How to Make an Aviation Cocktail
1. In a cocktail shaker, combine the gin, lemon juice, crème de violette, maraschino liqueur. Fill with ice.
2. Shake until very cold, about 15 seconds.
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
4. Garnish with a lemon twist or cherry.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Avoid adding crushed ice to the shaker as the ice will melt quicker and water down the cocktail.
- Use fresh lemon juice and not bottled lemon juice as it tastes much more bright and fresh. Get the most juice out of your lemon by bringing it to room temperature before juicing it. Rolling the lemon on the counter under your hand prior to juicing loosens the juice as well.
- It’s much easier to slice the lemon peel to make the lemon twist for the garnish before juicing it.
- If you’re not confident that you’ll slice a thin enough lemon peel for your cocktail’s garnish with a knife, you can use a vegetable peeler.
- Don’t have a cocktail shaker? You can use a mason jar or any jar with a tight-fitting lid and strain the drink through a fine-mesh sieve.
- If you cannot find crème de violette, you can use Crème Yvette in its place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is this cocktail called Aviation?
The aviation cocktail got its name thanks to the pale sky-blue color that the crème de violette imparts on it.
What is the origin of the drink?
This pre-Prohibition cocktail is said to have been created by Hugo Ensslin, head bartender at New York City’s Hotel Wallick in the early 1900s. Early on, bartenders would omit crème de violette from the drink due to it being a rare specialty item. It wasn’t until this classic cocktail made a comeback that more companies started making their own crème de violette.
What does crème de violette taste like?
Crème de violette has sweet floral notes and tastes similar to violet candies, popular in Europe during the 19th century.
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Aviation Cocktail
Equipment
- cocktail shaker
- Jigger or measuring cup
- Coupe glass
Ingredients
- 2 ounces gin
- ½ ounce lemon juice
- ½ ounce crème de violette
- ½ ounce maraschino liqueur
- Lemon twist or cocktail cherry
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the gin, lemon juice, crème de violette, maraschino liqueur. Fill with ice. Shake until very cold, about 15 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist or cherry.
Notes
- Avoid adding crushed ice to the shaker as the ice will melt quicker and water down the cocktail.
- Use fresh lemon juice and not bottled lemon juice as it tastes much more bright and fresh. Get the most juice out of your lemon by bringing it to room temperature before juicing it. Rolling the lemon on the counter beforehand loosens the juice as well.
- It’s much easier to slice the lemon peel to make the lemon twist for the garnish before juicing it.
- If you’re not confident that you’ll slice a thin enough lemon peel for your cocktail’s garnish with a knife, you can use a vegetable peeler.
- Don’t have a cocktail shaker? You can use a mason jar or any jar with a tight-fitting lid and strain the drink through a fine-mesh sieve.
- If you cannot find crème de violette, you can use Crème Yvette in its place.
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