The classic Aviation Cocktail calls for gin, lemon juice, and maraschino (or, even more oldschool, apparently, substitute violette for the maraschino). This is a cocktail you probably won’t find on the list of favorites at your local bar. It’s been getting a lot of press among cocktail nerds recently, but I can’t say that I particularly like it. Maybe it’s just that Luxardo Maraschino is vile in anything over trace amounts? Anyway, I felt like adapting it tonight, and realized that I had half a lime waiting for juicing, but no lemons picked. So, the resulting cocktail:
The Aviation Variation (yes, it rhymes!)
2oz gin
1/2oz fresh lime juice
1/4oz VioletteShake over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
I actually much prefer this to the original. It’s more refreshing, more subtle, a bit less sour while still tart, and has a nice hint of violet candies. The lime seems to complement the violet nicely. Not my favorite drink, but quite tasty, and one I’d serve to cocktail-nerd friends. Maybe not to everyone.
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I have to say that my feelings for Luxardo Maraschino have changed since writing this post, because at this point I love the stuff. Not sure what happened. Maybe it’s a consequence of having discovered and loved the Last Word? My current approach to the Aviation is to use a hint of both Maraschino and Creme de Violette.
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[...] Jeremy Tavan however decided to use a little Violette for substituting the cherry liqueur. This is a double conundrum; both cherry liqueur and violette are hard-to-obtain liqueurs. However, someone used Blue Curacao to replace Creme de Violette in a mojito. Another suggests 1 teaspoon vanilla extract with 2 teaspoons white sugar to replace violet syrup. These two substitutions seem to be a bit reasonable. I can use a blue aviation and a white aviation in different shoots. [...]
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