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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...
William Little
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!