Ingredients
- 3/4 ozFresh Lemon JuiceFresh squeezedSubstitute: Meyer lemon
- 1 dashAngostura Orange BittersOptional but recommendedSubstitute: Fee Brothers Orange
- 1/4 ozCrème de VioletteMeasure it rather than free-pouring; this is the ingredient that runs away with the drinkSubstitute: Omit for the pre-1916 Aviation, which had no violette at all
- 1/2 ozMaraschino LiqueurLuxardo MaraschinoSubstitute: Essential ingredient
- 2 ozGinLondon Dry ginSubstitute: Plymouth gin
Instructions
- Add 2 oz gin, 1/4 oz crème de violette, 1/2 oz maraschino liqueur, and 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice to shaker
- Add 1 dash orange bitters if using
Optional but recommended
- Fill with ice and shake vigorously
- Double strain into chilled coupe glass
Use fine mesh strainer
- Garnish with maraschino cherry
Technique Notes
Double strain properly. Crème de violette leaves fine sediment that turns the drink cloudy and dulls the colour that is half the reason to make it.
Why the Aviation Works
Maraschino's stone fruit and crème de violette's floral-soap character pull in opposite directions, and gin's botanicals sit between them as the connector. Lemon is the acid spine, and orange bitters lift the floral so the violette reads aromatic rather than perfumey. Violette is the ingredient to measure carefully. A quarter ounce per serving tints the drink and perfumes it; at half an ounce it stops tasting of gin and starts tasting of violet sweets.