Aviation — forgotten 1910s gin cocktail tastes like flowers, proved

The Aviation disappeared from bar menus for seventy years because nobody could get their hands on maraschino liqueur. Then the cocktail revival brought it back, and bartenders realized what they’d been missing.

Ingredients

• 2 oz gin
• 1 oz maraschino liqueur
• ¼ oz crème de violette
• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• quarters oz fresh lemon juice
• Garnish: a lemon twist

Method

Grab your shaker and fill it with ice. Add the gin first, then the maraschino liqueur, then the crème de violette. That violette is potent — a little goes a long way. Add the lemon juice last. Shake hard for twelve seconds. You want this cold and properly diluted. Double strain into your coupe — the violette can leave tiny particles, so the fine strainer matters here. The drink should be pale purple, almost lavender colored. Express the lemon peel over the surface and drop it in.

Serve

Serve this up in a coupe with no ice. The color is half the experience — that subtle purple tint tells you it’s made right.

Pro Tip

Don’t go heavy on the crème de violette. A quarter ounce is plenty. Too much and the drink tastes like soap. Too little and you lose what makes the Aviation special. Some recipes call for a full half ounce, but that’s way too much. Start with a quarter ounce and taste. You can always add more, but you can’t take it back.