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Aviation Cocktail (Difford's recipe)
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...
Chris Krummes
22nd July at 02:35
Try it stirred instead of shaken. Totally changes the flavors and you get a beautiful purple hue.
2nd June at 22:06
I just made a riff on the Aviation from Sother Teague's book, "I'm Just Here for the Drinks": 1 Oz gin, 1 Oz Becherovka, 0.5 Oz lemon, 0.25 Oz Maraschino, 2 dashes ginger bitters.
I really enjoyed this drink. The gin is still present, particularly on the swallow. The clove and cinnamon notes of the Becherovka show up in the mid-palate, the Maraschino does nor dominate at all. I might consider adding 0.25 Oz of simple syrup to better suit my palate, as I think the Becherovka is a bit less sweet than Violette, but overall it is a very good variation.
I really enjoyed this drink. The gin is still present, particularly on the swallow. The clove and cinnamon notes of the Becherovka show up in the mid-palate, the Maraschino does nor dominate at all. I might consider adding 0.25 Oz of simple syrup to better suit my palate, as I think the Becherovka is a bit less sweet than Violette, but overall it is a very good variation.
2nd June at 22:10
Follow up: 1 teaspoon of 2:1 simple really brought out the baking spice notes in this drink, and would bump its rating a notch or two for me.
24th April at 01:41
While I like bone dry cocktails I do find the addition of a teaspoon of rich simple syrup a better crowd pleaser. Call it sacrilegious, but most people do prefer it just a tad bit sweeter. Also using the Bitter truth violet liqueur gives it a stunning aquamarine hue, just as long as the lemon juice isn’t too yellowish.
26th March at 12:41
Tried the suggested water dilution with dry ice, which did open up the flavours, but lost intensity of the violette in particular. Although it’s not the freshest bottle so could bed influencing. I’d go 5ml max myself.
19th March at 14:09
A while since I have visited this recipe, and so many visitors in between: devotees at the altar. Something quite special with the combination of sour sweet, herbal and citrusy. Regarding the soul. I ran out of lemon peel so used light sprays of lime and lemon as garnish.
20th February at 18:46
I like the base spirit to standout in my cocktails. So I increased the gin to 2 parts, and decreased the maraschino and creme de violet liquors to 1/4 parts each (equal parts). I also stirred instead of shaking in order to preserve the violet color that is lost in shaking. Stirring also seems to produce a richer flavor. I also dropped a Maraschino cherry on the bottom of my glass. It made for a nice after cocktail treat 😋.
19th January at 23:58
A favourite of mine but (oh the sacrelige) I used to make it with parma violets gin (either Imaginaria or Miss Mollies, can't remember now) in the creme de violette measure, plus a teaspoon of the liquid from a jar of maraschino cherries as well as the maraschino liqueur.
11th January at 00:42
In my haste to imbibe I used Haymans Old Tom gin rather than a London dry. I think it made for a smoother version. Also agree that a bit of chilled water helps bring out the cocktail.
14th December 2024 at 18:25
I used what I could get my hands on: Antica Distilleria Quaglia Violetta Liqueur as Creme de Violette is no where to be found. I added some syrup from Amarena Fabbri. David Selle's comment of adding the violette to the glass first and shaking the rest resulted in a delightful cocktail.
I tried it with both lime and lemon juice and prefer the lime (same with the 20th Century).
I tried it with both lime and lemon juice and prefer the lime (same with the 20th Century).
26th January at 05:34
Hi Rachel, where are you in the world? I’m in Australia and have sourced crème de violette here and from NZ.
7th November 2024 at 21:25
Definitely worth adding 2.5ml of syrup from the Luxardo Maraschino Cherries. Balances the drink well and adds a light purple hue
16th February at 21:57
I tried the same thing and I completely agree
24th October 2024 at 20:57
Aviation feels incredibly hard to balance but this recipe seems perfect for me. I used The Botanist gin and it was delicious.
30th August 2024 at 16:31
I find that shaking this cocktail results in a "cloudy" appearance where the pleasing color of the creme de violette is all but lost, but I don't like it stirred. So I shake the drink minus the creme de violette. Then add it to the glass and pour the shaken ingredients on top. Comes out looking (and tasting) great.
26th January at 05:32
Hi David, this is why I too layer it - see my layered aviation!! Also depends what crème de violette you have.
22nd August 2024 at 23:45
My feeling, when a recipe is updated the main content needs to reflect the current recipe. Note that the previous recipe is listed as below.
22nd July 2024 at 19:36
I need more Creme de Violette, and less lemon. This is pretty balanced, to my taste:
2 oz Gin
0.5 oz Creme de Violette
0.25 oz Maraschino Liquor
0.25 oz Lemon juice
Garnish: Luxardo cherry
2 oz Gin
0.5 oz Creme de Violette
0.25 oz Maraschino Liquor
0.25 oz Lemon juice
Garnish: Luxardo cherry
10th March 2024 at 22:06
Made with Bombay Sapphire East, yuzu super juice, and a Liqueur de Violette from Toulouse, France. Garnished with dehydrated yuzu peel. This is quite a delicious drink that rewards careful sipping to really appreciate its nuances. I found that (and maybe due to the product I was using) increasing the Violette to 1/2 Oz. helps it stand out against the maraschino. Overall a delightful apéritif before tonight's Japanese meal.
16th January 2024 at 19:53
I think the sky blue colour is essential. So maybe a little bit to much violets. Thinking about substituting it with Blue Curaçao. But then maybe loosing the complexity and the sport.
16th August 2024 at 14:25
Last comment on this; speaking to a botanist friend of mine, the blue / purple is from Anthocyanins (pH sensitive) which are found in both Violets and Butterfly Pea Blossom.
15th August 2024 at 20:08
I agree with Tracy. Bitter Truth results in a lovely pale blue colour even though it is more purplish in the bottle. I’m guessing there is some additive which is pH sensitive as I have noticed it lightens in the presence of lemon juice. (Pure speculation, but maybe butterfly pea blossom? This is what gives the Canadian gin Empress 1908 its indigo hue and which changes colour depending on the pH of other cocktail ingredients.)
10th January 2024 at 00:40
I go heavier on the Creme de Violette. 3/4 - 1 oz. 2oz gin, 3/4 lemon juice and 1/4 luxardo. That's a lot of Creme de Violette, but I like seeing the color. Haven't had any complaints yet about the taste
1st December 2023 at 18:43
Interesting...I first happened across the Aviation in Ted Haigh's "Forgotten Cocktails", which points out that - although originally made with maraschino and violette - by the drink's heyday, it was only maraschino. And the Savoy Cocktail Book has no violette on its flight plan either.
And I've drunk all my violette...
So I'll continue mixing gin, lemon and maraschino and happily calling it an Aviation...but I'm curious about the purple.
And I've drunk all my violette...
So I'll continue mixing gin, lemon and maraschino and happily calling it an Aviation...but I'm curious about the purple.
18th June 2023 at 01:00
Subbed lime juice instead of lemon and its a winner!!!
28th April 2023 at 20:29
Interesting, the recipe I have been using calls for more lemon juice. (3/4 oz rather than 1/2 oz) I think I'll try reducing it the next time. As it is I already use a more citrus forward Gin (Watershed Distillery's Four Peels Gin) as I cannot stand "traditional" gins. It also cals for 2 oz of gin, which cutting back on that as well may be good because the Maraschino and CdeV get a little lost.
30th March 2023 at 19:46
Is the amount of chilled water in the recipe what you would add if you would make a batch? I have a cocktail party soon and want to make few batches.
31st March 2023 at 07:33
No, this cocktail benefits from dilution so the added water in the recipe above allows for the use of very cold ice which imparts less dilution than 'wet' ice. Even if you pre-batch ingredients, you would best to shake the premix with ice when serving cocktails. (Different if a stirred cocktail such as Manhattan or Negroni when recipe batched with +20% water and served from fridge/freezer works well.)
1st March 2023 at 02:17
I made this recipe as above except I didn't have creme de violet so I included a lightly bruised sprig of lavender in the shaker to provide the floral notes, replacing the balance of the liqueur with more maraschino. 5+ stars. I have a lavender plant growing on my porch. It's hardy and drought tolerant so all you Aviation lovers out there might consider growing one of your own it as an alternative to sourcing the hard to find creme de violette!
21st December 2022 at 05:30
Love this and the main recipe as described is great including lemon zest and sugar rim (yes the sugar rim, I like sweet). Used Tanqueray 10 and Bitter Truth Violette. Which were great but I’m sure there are many possibilities which will work as well. A new favourite for sure.
19th August 2022 at 15:58
Simon, do you have a preference for crème de violette? I have three :/ all very different. A Giffard's (more syrupy but is in fact CdeV); Tempus Fugit (from here in Switzerland,gives a beautiful color but a more 'fade' aroma); and one from Distiillerie Salamandre in France. I recall there was an Austrian brand that came out in the early- to mid- 2000s that was maybe the 1st CdeV exported into the US since a long time. Any other brands you like? My violette collection cannot be big enough! :P
2nd September 2023 at 08:56
The Austrian brand was ROTHMAN & WINTER ORCHARD Creme de Violette I guess.
26th October 2022 at 17:03
I use Briottet crème de violette. Overall I find Giffords liqueurs far too sweet (their curaçao impossibly so).
4th August 2022 at 09:46
Yeah, this recipe is good but as always the devil is in the details right? Hendricks never works for me. Beefeater or Tanqueray or Brokers or …. Trad dry… capisce?
Creme de Violette of the best available quality. What are folks using?
Also very nice with Kempton Distillery’s lavender malt liqueur. Potent but yumbo.
Creme de Violette of the best available quality. What are folks using?
Also very nice with Kempton Distillery’s lavender malt liqueur. Potent but yumbo.
29th October 2022 at 02:59
Unfortunately in Australia Gordon's is watered down to 37%! When Ian Fleming write Casino Royale I'm pretty sure that the Gordons which James ordered in Monaco would have been full strength at just over 47%. If you find it I recommend buying it because as you say, the Gordons profile is a classic. I have ended up settling on Tanqueray Ten for pretty much anything. It's great on it's own and offers a very solid base for everything that calls for London Dry.
Also, I recommend Massanez Creme de Violette. It possesses a useful concentrated sweetness which I can liken to confectioners sugar or 'fairy floss' but it's not syrupy and has a very nice colour.
Also, I recommend Massanez Creme de Violette. It possesses a useful concentrated sweetness which I can liken to confectioners sugar or 'fairy floss' but it's not syrupy and has a very nice colour.
26th October 2022 at 17:12
I always wonder why people don’t simply use Gordon’s. It was good enough for James Bond! IMO it’s still the best gin for cocktails. The others are great for mixing with tonic, but stirring and shaking - Gordon’s is it.
20th July 2022 at 20:13
A pleasure for the senses! Your photo doesn't show the luscious violet color that I get following your recipe. Crisp and bright on a warm summer afternoon. Show stopper!
16th July 2022 at 04:07
I adore this spec with Bombay Sapphire, but find it a little bitter with Empress 1908. For those of you going for that iconic purple with the 1908, I might add a barspoon of simple syrup.
4th July 2022 at 15:33
Better than IBM recipe where there viol is very very descrete. Do not express the lemon oil, only for decoration, or it becomes a lemon drink.
25th June 2022 at 11:17
Love it or hate it !, This is definitely a dividing cocktail.
It is personally one of my top 5 favorites.
I usually stick to the IBA recipe but your ratios are very interesting too. I would put a little bit more Maraschino and Creme de violette
Cheers !
It is personally one of my top 5 favorites.
I usually stick to the IBA recipe but your ratios are very interesting too. I would put a little bit more Maraschino and Creme de violette
Cheers !
14th June 2022 at 00:51
The adjusted receipe may be a bit less spirit forward, but my thought is about 2.5ml of simple.