Aviation Cocktail

2 oz Gin (London Dry)
1 oz Lemon juice
2 ds Maraschino Liqueur
2 ds Crème de Violette
Instructions

Shake. strain, up.

Notes

Ensslin's recipe is 2 parts London Dry gin, 1 part lemon juice, 2 dashes each Maraschino and Creme de Violette, with no garnish. Ted Haigh, in Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails has this as 2 1/2 oz gin, 3/4 oz lemon juice, and 2 or 3 dashes of Maraschino - it omits the creme de violette, which is a transcription error from Ensslin to the Savoy Cocktail Book. This can be made more floral with more violette and sweeter by reducing the lemon juice.

Cocktail summary
Aviation Cocktail
Wikipedia public domain
Posted by Dan on
Created by
Hugo Ensslin, Hotel Wallick, New York, NY
Year
1916
Is an
authentic recipe
Reference

Recipes for Mixed Drinks, Hugo Ensslin, pg. 7

Curator
4 stars
Average
4 stars
(104 ratings)
YieldsDrink
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From other users
  • I am ok with more violette
  • 2 oz gin, 0.75 oz lemon juice, 0.5 oz Luxardo (0.3 for piquancy), 0.25 oz Crème de Violette
  • Preferred proportions: 2 oz. gin, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. maraschino liqueur and 1/4 creme de violette (or 1/3 oz. if I'm in the mood for something a little bluer and more floral).
  • Used jmmrad's proportions
  • 2 oz gin 3/4 oz lemon juic 1/4 oz each maraschino and Creme de violet
  • Prefer 1/2oz cdv 1/4oz maraschino 1/2oz lemon and yes I like grandma florals
  • 1 1/2 ounces gin 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice 3/4 ounces maraschino liqueur 1/4 ounce crème de violette (optional) Maraschino cherry, for garnish
  • 2oz gin , preferably dry ¼oz creme de violette ¼oz maraschino liqueur ½oz simple syrup ½oz lemon juice cherry — ★★★★
  • OK this was pretty awful. My only thought is I borked on the lemon juice. This drink was completely overly sour. I'll assume it was user error and will try again soon.
  • I like to go slightly heavier on the Maraschino and a bit lighter on the creme de violette.
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Comments
famico commented on 11/02/2012:

Gary Regan's Joy of Mixology book does a simpler, less lemon, more cherry, no violette, version: 2oz gin, 1/2oz maraschino, 1/2 lemon. If I like Regan's version, I'll get Creme de Violette later.

Dan commented on 11/02/2012:

I suspect that Gary, like Ted Haigh, omits the Violette or Yvette because at the time of the writing, it wasn't available. I think it's pretty clear that the original had either Yvette or possibly Violette in order to give it the characteristic light blue color. Today, Cooper's Yvette isn't blue, so I think most people are using Violette. That said, the Violette is very strong, so I personally recommend starting with only 1/2 tsp and increasing if you like that perfume-like floral flavor. I do think that the cocktail is much more interesting with Violette. The funkiness of the Maraschino somehow offsets the yuckiness of grandma's Violette -- in a counter-intuitive sort of synergy. I hate to say it, but since Violette is artificially colored, you could add a drop of diluted blue food coloring to achieve the color if you don't have (or don't want) Violette.

I'm going to clean up this cocktail and its five variations tonight. If you think one of them is worth saving - other than the Aviation Cocktail #1, which I think we should rename Aviation (Jacques Straub), please let me know.

Thanks,

Zachary

DPlum commented on 3/21/2013:

I've tried to like this cocktail with similar proportions, but the lemon needs far more sweetener to make a comfortable balance on my tongue. I do find that the Creme de Violette does a wonderful job of toning down the harsher edge of the Maraschino and I really like the pairing in equal proportions. My current favorite proportions are 1.5 oz Gin, and .5 oz across the board for the Creme de Violette, Maraschino and Lemon Juice. The drink loses the famous sky-blue color, but still is quite a beauty with a cherry resting at the base.

I tried this cocktail last night for the first time using the proportions listed in the Haus Alpenz recipe which differs slightly from your recipe. Both, if I'm not mistaken, differ from Hugo Ensslin's recipe which I liked the best. I've started on a classic cocktail kick and didn't realize what I was missing.

jaba commented on 1/26/2014:

Are you sure it's only 2 dashes of Violette? I used the Rothman and Winter CdV for this recipe and I tasted no creme de violette and it wasn't at all blue.

Jaba,

I'm sure it's 2 dashes. You could try setting a "part" at 3/4 oz (which will make a small drink), or increasing the Violette until you like it.

Thanks,

Zachary

Dan commented on 1/26/2014:

I use 1/4 tsp per dash, so about 1/2 tsp for this, which I find gives a nice background floral aspect and a slight greyish color. There is always uncertainty in what a dash is, especially for an ingredient that doesn't come in a dasher bottle.

Some use up to a 1/2 oz of Violette. There's no reason you shouldn't adjust this to your taste. You may have to adjust the lemon too.

jaba commented on 5/27/2014:

Liked:
2 oz gin
1 oz lemon
1/2 oz maraschino
1 tsp CdV

Jmmrad commented on 5/29/2016:

It's hard to measure dash of CdV and Maraschino liqueur. I prefer the 1/4 oz CdV, 1/3-1/2 oz Maraschino along w 1/2-3/4 oz lemon juice and 2 oz gin.