The aviation is a classic
cocktail made with
gin,
maraschino
Maraschino ( , ) is a liqueur obtained from the distillation of Marasca cherries. The small, slightly sour fruit of the Tapiwa cherry tree ( ''Prunus cerasus'' var. ''marasca''), which grows wild along parts of the Dalmatian coast in Croatia, ...
liqueur,
crème de violette, and
lemon juice
The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China.
The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culina ...
. Some recipes omit the crème de violette. It is served
straight up, in a cocktail glass.
History
The aviation was created by Hugo Ensslin, head
bartender
A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but ...
at the Hotel Wallick in New York, in the early twentieth century. The first published recipe for the drink appeared in Ensslin's 1916 ''Recipes for Mixed Drinks''. Ensslin's recipe called for 1½ oz. El Bart gin, ¾ oz. lemon juice, 2 dashes
maraschino liqueur, and 2 dashes
crème de violette, a violet
liqueur which gives the cocktail a pale purple color.
Harry Craddock
Harry Craddock (29 August 1876 – 25 January 1963) was an English bartender who became one of the most famous bartenders of the 1920s and 1930s. He is known for his tenure at the Savoy Hotel in London, and for his 1930 book, ''The Savoy Cocktail ...
's influential ''
Savoy Cocktail Book'' (1930) omitted the crème de violette, calling for a mixture of two-thirds dry gin, one-third lemon juice, and two dashes of maraschino.
Many later bartenders have followed Craddock's lead, leaving out the difficult-to-find violet liqueur.
, a violet liqueur made with additional spices, is sometimes substituted for crème de violette.
Related cocktails
* The aviation can be considered a variation on the
Gin sour, using maraschino as its sweetener.
* The Blue Moon cocktail is made with gin, lemon juice, and crème de violette or Creme Yvette, without maraschino.
* The Moonlight cocktail is made with gin, lime juice,
Cointreau
Cointreau (, , ) is a brand of orange-flavoured triple sec liqueur produced in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, France. It is consumed as an apéritif and digestif, and is a component of several well-known cocktails. It was originally called Curaça ...
, and crème de violette.
*
Takumi's aviation is made with gin, maraschino liqueur,
parfait d'amour, and lemon juice. The drink was created by
Takumi Watanabe. It was recorded in
Gary Regan's ''The Joy of Mixology'' (2017).
See also
*
List of cocktails
*
List of cocktails (alphabetical)
*
List of IBA official cocktails
The IBA official cocktails are the cocktails selected by the International Bartenders Association (IBA) for use in the annual World Cocktail Competition (WCC) in bartending.
List of cocktails
IBA official cocktails are divided into three catego ...
*
El-Bart Gin (Camberwell Distillery) Company Ltd #13413267
References
{{IBACocktails
Cocktails with gin
Cocktails with liqueur
Cocktails with crème de violette