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This cocktail is like Mickey Rourke: an enchanting debut was replaced by complete oblivion for decades, after which a spectacular return followed. With only one amendment – the “flying” cocktail returned in its original form and you won’t scare the child with it.
The Aviation cocktail rose from the depths of the bar industry during the formative years of, pardon the pun, aviation, sometime in 1911. He did not stay at the peak of popularity for long, and after the 60s, when violet liqueur (Crème de Violette) was no longer produced in the USA, the glorious cocktail with a hint of heaven was forgotten. It was revived in the early 2000s, a period that imbibers, cocktail enthusiasts, call the “cocktail renaissance”.
In recent years, Aviation has become a real cocktail star, while the original version of the drink, with the same violet liqueurs, is popular. This is a little contrary to the universal plan – in the annals of the IBA there is a version of Harry Craddock, where violet liqueur was never mentioned. Surprisingly, even cocktail historian and imbibeber David Wondrich, in an Esquire article in 2007, pointed out Creddock Aviation, while in his book “Imbibe!” he was talking about a completely different drink. But more on that later. To begin with, a cocktail recipe according to the International Bartenders Association.
Cocktail recipe Aviation
- Xnumx gin ml;
- 15 ml Maraschino liqueur;
- 15 ml of lemon juice.
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients in a shaker with plenty of ice. Strain through a strainer into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist or maraschino cherry.
Perhaps, we will miss everything related to this version of the cocktail. It is less interesting than the second, much more advanced, floral and … masculine. Classical Aviation is the usual, unpretentious sour, typical of the IBA. And here we smoothly move on to the history of the cocktail and a little “soapy” violet liqueur.
Cocktail history Aviation
It appeared, presumably, in 1911, but 1916 is considered the official year of birth of the cocktail. It was in that year that Hugo Ensslin, the legendary bartender of the New York Wallick Hotel, published the cult cocktail collection Recipes for Mixed Drinks. In that book, the cocktail included gin, lemon juice, and a couple of dashes (1 dash = 4-5 drops) of maraschino and violet liqueurs. Violet liqueur here, according to the author’s idea, is necessary for the surroundings – it sets the color of the sky to the cocktail.
However, the story does not end there. In 1930, Harry Craddock, in his even more iconic book The Savoy Cocktail Book, omitted violet liqueur from the recipe, thus giving rise to a rival version of Aviation. Why he did this is still unknown. I am inclined to the version that violet liqueur simply did not succeed among drinkers and Craddock took pity on them. For many years, both cocktails existed in parallel, but after the 60s, as it was written before, the original version of Aviation finally sunk into oblivion. Later, in the 70s and 90s, the cocktail was completely forgotten.
But he returned to conquer the world. The composition of the Ensslin cocktail is more interesting and gives room for imbibers’ imagination:
- Xnumx gin ml;
- 30 ml of lemon juice;
- 2 dashes of Maraschino liqueur;
- 2 dashes of Crème de Violette.
The preparation remains the same: mix everything in a shaker with ice, strain through a strainer into a cocktail glass.
The subtleties of making a cocktail
The ingredients here are all as a selection, so you won’t be offered an Aviation cocktail in an ordinary bar. Any gin can be used, but preferably some neutral gin that will complement the maraschino liqueur, and not conflict with it. As a dry cherry liqueur, it is better to take the original Luxardo Maraschino Originale.
Types of violet liqueur and its recipes
Now let’s talk about violet liqueur. In recent years, getting it has become not difficult due to the popularity of Aviation. However, this popularity has created a real chaos, in which it is difficult to find exactly the drink that is best suited for a cocktail. However, the choice is up to you, I will only give you food for thought in the form of a selection of Crème de violette.
The Bitter Truth (Germany). It is believed that it was he who became the basis for the first Aviation in 1911. Colour: deep purple. Taste: pronounced violet and sweetness. Fortress – 22%.
Parfait d’Amour (France). Color: bright purple. Taste: rich floral with vanilla-fruity aftertaste.
Monin Creme de Violette (France). A product of an eminent French company that produces wonderful liqueurs and syrups. Color: ultraviolet. Taste: violet prevails, slight sourness with hints of caramel. Fortress – 16%.
“Crème de Violette l’Héritier-Guyot” (Франция). Liquor based on violet extract. Taste: flowery-honey, with a violet aftertaste.
“Perfect Love Védrenne” (Франция). Color: dark purple. Taste: sweet, violet marshmallow.
“Violette Combier liqueur” (Франция). Liqueur, which includes the famous violets of Provence. Colour: intense violet. Taste: floral, with honey aftertaste.
“Violette Marie Brizard Liqueur” (Франция). Nowhere without Grandma Brizar. Color – pale violet. The taste is sweetish, floral, with a slight vanilla aftertaste.
«Pages Amour Vedrenne »(France). Liqueur based on violets from Toulouse. Color – dark violet. The taste is rich, floral with a honey aftertaste.
You can go on forever, producers multiply like cats in March. But I would tarnish the reputation of our magazine if I did not offer several recipes for homemade violet liqueur. Buying a cheap liquor for the sake of 50 ml of a dozen Aviations is not advisable. But to prepare a couple of liters of it and use it not only for cocktails, but also as a digestif – this is for me.
Recipe No.1
- 100 g of violet root;
- 2 liters of alcohol;
- 4 kg of sugar;
- 2 L of water.
Wash the root, peel and cut into small pieces. Pour in alcohol and leave for a month in a dark, cool place, stirring occasionally. Then boil syrup from 2 liters of water and 4 kg of sugar and add to the tincture. After 2 weeks, filter the finished liquor and bottle it. Store in a cool place.
Recipe No.2
- 250 g of violet flowers;
- 150 grams of sugar;
- 0,5 liters of vodka.
Take only the petals that need to be washed and then dried. Transfer the petals to a glass jar and sprinkle them with sugar in layers. The jar must be closed and left for a week in a dark, cool place (the cooking technology is similar to the recipe for strawberry liqueurs). After a week, they need to be poured with vodka, mix well and stand for another 10 days in a dark place. The violet liqueur is then filtered and bottled.
And the most important thing. If you mix the cocktail according to the original recipe, then you get a mediocre drink, too sour even for a sour. Therefore, I recommend another version of the cocktail described by Dale DeGroff with a predominance of cherry Maraschino and a dash of sugar syrup. This recipe was tested by a wonderful imbiber, known online as scomorokh, whom I have not been able to interview for a month now (it turned out that we both live in Kharkov). In his blog www.scienceofdrink.com, he described in detail his acquaintance with this wonderful cocktail.
The Aviation Cocktail
- Xnumx gin ml;
- 15 ml maraschino liqueur;
- 10 ml of lemon juice;
- 1 dash of violet liqueur;
- 1 dash of sugar syrup.
Shake in a shaker with plenty of ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with maraschino cherries.
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