Sours · Gin · IBA official
A pale lilac-grey, the colour of a hazy morning sky, and a scent of violets and cherry stones before the first sip. The Aviation is a crisp gin sour with a floral whisper, and one of the defining drinks of the cocktail revival.
1½ oz
London dry gine.g. Tanqueray · Gordon's · Beefeater · Bombay Sapphire · Sipsmith
½ oz
maraschino liqueur Luxardo or similare.g. Luxardo · Maraska · Lazzaroni
½ oz
lemon juice
1 bar spoon
crème de violettee.g. Rothman & Winter · Giffard · The Bitter Truth · Tempus Fugit
Garnish: Cocktail cherry · Ice: Served up, no ice
Aviation
Bright and tart, with dry juniper, bittersweet cherry-stone notes from the maraschino and a delicate floral finish. Light-bodied and fairly strong.
The Aviation was first published by Hugo Ensslin, head bartender at the Hotel Wallick in New York, in his 1916 book "Recipes for Mixed Drinks". His recipe combined gin, lemon juice, maraschino and crème de violette, the violet liqueur that gives the drink its sky-like colour and its name, a nod to the new age of flight.
When Harry Craddock included the Aviation in "The Savoy Cocktail Book" in 1930, he left out the crème de violette, and for decades the drink was made as a simple gin, maraschino and lemon sour. Crème de violette became almost impossible to buy in the United States until new versions returned around 2007, allowing bartenders to restore the original. The IBA lists the Aviation among its "Unforgettables".
The colour depends on the crème de violette; the classic drink is pale lilac-grey, not bright blue.
Yes, that is the 1930 Savoy version. It is still a very good drink, just without the floral note.
Hugo Ensslin of the Hotel Wallick in New York, who published it in 1916.
The perfect sound
Floral, sky blue and dreamy.
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