Garnish:
Lemon zest twist (& optional sugar rim)
How to make:
SHAKE all ingredients with ice and fine strain into chilled glass.
1 3/4 fl oz | Rutte Dry Gin |
1/2 fl oz | Luxardo Maraschino liqueur |
1/4 fl oz | Crème de violette liqueur |
1/2 fl oz | Lemon juice (freshly squeezed) |
1/4 fl oz | Chilled water (omit if wet ice) |

Review:
Citrus, floral gin with a slightly sour finish.
The recipe above has been my preferred recipe for some years. However, in early 2020, I decided that the maraschino and violet were overly dominant so in a quest for harmony I reduced these to allow botanical gin notes to emerge. I then rebalanced with 5ml sugar:
- 45 ml Dry gin
- 12.5 ml Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
- 5 ml Crème de violette
- 15 ml Lemon juice
- 5 ml Sugar syrup
- 10 ml Chilled water (omit if wet ice)
Thanks to emails and comments below I came to my senses and reverted to my original recipe.
History:
An adaptation of Hugo R. Ensslin's Aviation Cocktail from his 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks by yours truly.
AVIATION COCKTAIL
Hugo R. Ensslin, 1916
1/3 Lemon Juice
2/3 El Bart Gin
2 dashes Maraschino
2 dashes Crème de Violette
Shake well in a mixing glass with cracked ice, strain and serve.
Nutrition:
173 calories
Alcohol content:
- 1.7 standard drinks
- 24.19% alc./vol. (48.38° proof)
- 23.6 grams of pure alcohol
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