Aviation co*cktail- A Gin Classic (2024)

By Timo Torner/ Last updated on April 14, 2024

Once a massive success, the Aviation co*cktail fell into oblivion after its main ingredient was discontinued in the United States during the sixties. But almost 50 years later, the Aviation co*cktail celebrated its comeback.

The Aviation co*cktail had one of the biggest comebacks in the American history of co*cktails. After the classic gin co*cktail had all but disappeared from the scene for almost 50 years, it made a comeback in the USA.

Luckily, the Aviation co*cktail is no longer missing on bar menus across the country. And first mentioned by Hugo Ensslin in 1916 in his co*cktail bookRecipes for Mixed Drinks, the co*cktail also has quite a long history.

Aviation co*cktail ingredients

The classic Aviation recipe consists of four ingredients: Gin,Maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, and Crème de Violette.

The result is a beautiful, floral, purple-colored Gin co*cktail with a sophisticated vibe. Based on the proportions of the ingredients, you can adjust the shade of the drink.

Crème de Violette

Crème de Violette is a liqueur made of violet flower flavoring and is usually based onBrandyor neutral spirits.

The flavor profile of Crème de Violette is pretty floral with lots of sweetness. Plus, as the name suggests, it is the reason for the beautiful violet color of your co*cktail. -The main characteristic that made the Aviation co*cktail famous.

There is no specific recipe for a Crème de Violette, which leads to all products having slightly different flavors. Also, the alcohol content can vary. In Europe, though, it's set to a minimum of 15% vol for alcoholicCrèmes.

A Crème de Violette that works great in an Aviation co*cktail is, for instance, the one from Rothman & Winter (22% ABV) made from violet flowers from the Alps.

Other products we can recommend for the Aviation co*cktail are the Crèmes from Giffard (16% ABV) or Monin (16% ABV).

The name and color of the sweet liqueur are derived from the French termViolette, referring to the violet flower. And it is also the forerunner of theParfait d’Amour liqueur.

Maraschino liqueur

Maraschino Liqueur is an Italian Liqueur made of Marasca cherries. That is a type of cherry that grows wildly along the coast of Dalmatia.

The bittersweet, cherry-flavored Maraschino Liqueur also has an almondy note and is an essential ingredient in many co*cktails. It is not as sugary as the Creme de Violet and usually has an ABV of 25% to 35%.

The best-known and most-sold Maraschino Liqueur is the one from Luxardo. However, you can also opt for a little more affordable products, for instance, from Lazzaroni.

Gin for the Aviation co*cktail

Since there areso many types of Ginsavailable, you can find many options that don't work too well in an Aviation co*cktail. I recommend using a Gin with a classic, dry flavor profile.Mainly because Crème de Violette is already quite sweet. So you want to balance the sweetness with lemon juice and a Gin that is not too sweet.A typical London Dry Gin should be fine. Alternatively, you could also opt for a Plymouth Gin.

Lemon juice

Here's only one thing I have to say, really: make it freshly squeezed lemon juice. Using store-bought citrus juice in co*cktails almost always is cutting one corner too many.

You can also consideraging your lemon juicefor a few hours to get rid of the bitterness from fresh lemons.

The garnish of the Aviation co*cktail

Using Maraschino liqueur in a co*cktail often calls for garnishing it with a Maraschino cherryspeared on a co*cktail pick. And it's no different here.

If you don't want to spend a fortune onreal Maraschino cherries, you canmake some at homeor look for the more affordable Amarena cherries instead.

However, stay away from the bright red, candied co*cktail cherries. Those are cheap imitations, unpleasant to eat, and no good fit for your Aviation.

Aviation co*cktail history

While working as a bartender at NYC's Hotel Wallick, bartending legend Hugo Ensslin mentioned the original Aviation recipe in his co*cktail book Recipes for Mixed Drinks, published in 1916. The purple drink soon gathered quite the fanbase and consequently got published in many other co*cktail recipe books, as well.

The end of the Aviation co*cktail

The first big downfall for the Aviation co*cktail came in the 1930s when one of the most influential co*cktail books in history, the Savoy co*cktail Book, mentioned it. What sounds like a success at first was a tragedy for the drink. Because, regrettably, the author left out one of the core ingredients of the Aviation, the Crème de Violette.

Since the book was so famous, the error spread quickly and was republished hundreds of times without its purple component.

And then, the next big blow came: In the 1960s, Crème de Violette had been discontinued in the US market altogether.

At this stage, it was simply impossible to recreate the classic Aviation recipe according to Ensslin's concept. A disaster and the end for this drink as one of the classic Gin co*cktails for the time being.

The comeback of the Aviation

In 2007 the big comeback started. A Minneapolis-based importer named Haus Alpenz decided to bring Crème de Violette back to the US market.

They imported the version from Rothmann & Winter mentioned above. And as soon as the ingredient came back on the market, co*cktail bars across the country began putting the Aviation back on the menu.

In the past decade, with the help of platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram, the Aviation gained traction. Now it is back in its place as a well-known classic again.

The recipe

As I mentioned earlier, you can change the hue of an Aviation by altering the proportions of the elements of the drink.Our recipe below uses 1/4 oz of Crème de Violette, but if that purple shade is not what you had in mind, you can slightly increase the amount.

But don't overdo it. Otherwise, your co*cktail will turn out way too sweet and floral. And you certainly don't want something resembling a potpourri in your co*cktail glass.