The Aviation Cocktail is a floral, slightly sweet, slightly sour cocktail made with gin, maraschino cherry liqueur, lemon juice, and crème de violette, and served straight up.
What Is an Aviation Cocktail?
The Aviation Cocktail is a sweet, tart, and just slightly floral gin-based cocktail made by shaking together gin, Luxardo (maraschino cherry) liqueur, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and Crème de Violette.
I first came upon it at Chicago’s Free Rein when I was trying to find a drink made with Beefeater’s millennial pink strawberry gin. (I’m determined to try every millennial pink product out there – and these ruby chocolates are next on the list.) But, alas, no luck.
I asked the bartender if he could make me a gin drink that wasn’t too sweet but also not a dry martini. I was deeply hoping for something beautiful, refreshing, and unforgettable… and the gin gods answered my prayers.
[Recipe’s Note: Gin gods are not to be confused with gin demons, which convince you that chasing shots of gin with Nantucket Nectars Grapeade is a good idea and not the kind of idea that will give you a two-day hangover and scare you off the spirit for a decade. Oh, college. Pinkies up!]
How To Make A Perfect Aviation Cocktail
| Prep Time: 5 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 1 cocktail |
Ingredients
- 2½ oz. dry gin
- ¾ oz. lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- ½ oz. maraschino cherry liqueur (such as Luxardo)
- ½ oz. Crème de Violette (or Crème de Yvette)
- 1 Luxardo maraschino cherry (optional)
- 1 wheel lemon (for garnish; optional)
Instructions
- Place the gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and Crème de Violette in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Shake the cocktail shaker until the shaker is cold and the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
- Place a Luxardo cherry in the bottom of a chilled coupe glass.
- Pour the cocktail on top.
- Garnish with a wheel of lemons.
