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Aviation Cocktail
The problem with cocktails is that they require so many ingredients, well at least if they are to be done properly. Of course when I make a cocktail I want it done properly so I’m constantly on the look out for ingredients that are not in my inventory. When I travel to different destination I usually have a list of potential spirit candidates that I hope to find in the nearest liquor store. When I headed off to New Orleans, it was no different. On my short list were Ron Zacapa Centenario and Luxardo Maraschino. In both cases I was able to acquire said products. The Maraschino was very important because it will finally enable me to make a whole lot of classic cocktails that I’ve been missing out on. For my first Maraschino cocktail, I introduce the Aviation.
I decided on the Aviation Cocktail because it is one of the most written and thoroughly dissected cocktails on the Internet. It is a very simple cocktail, created sometime in the 1930’s and comes in a standard recipe and a few modified recipes. The standard Aviation combines Gin, Maraschino Liqueur and fresh lemon juice. The simplicity makes this drink elegant, the combination of flavours makes it unique. But does it perform and live up to the hype? Let’s see.
Aviation Cocktail
2 oz Iceberg Gin
½ oz Maraschino
½ oz Lemon Juice
The flavour is best described as sweet and sour with a slightly medicinal flavour, in a good way, with a bit of spiciness coming through in the finish.
This cocktails isn’t bad, but when you surf around the Internet you’d think this was the be-all-and-end-all cocktail. Would I use it as a drink to convert someone from a Vodka Martini? Probably not, there might be too much flavour for them. Is it better than a Manhattan? Nope. Does it at least have potential? Definitely. This is a good cocktail, but it seems to lack something, well at least for me.
There are alternative Aviation recipes, and the one using Creme de Violette may be worth experimenting with. Dam, it looks like I’ll need to go on another spirit hunt because I don’t have any Creme de Violette in my inventory. Well, you gotta do, what you gotta do, if you want a great drink!
918 Comments on Aviation Cocktail
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It's great to see you using your maraschino liqueur, Darcy. Maybe I recommend the Zombie from Sippin' Safari, or even better, the Last Word:
http://www.cocktailchronicles.com/2006/04/13/the-last-word/
Way too much Maraschino!
This should be a fairly tart cocktail.
The original recipe for the Aviation is:
AVIATION COCKTAIL
1/3 Lemon Juice
2/3 El Bart Gin
2 dashes Maraschino
2 dashes Creme de Violette
Shake well in a mixing glass with cracked ice, strain and serve.
And if you DO happen across a bottle, or two... well, I'm just saying I'd be very interested.
By the by, have you ever had Marask Maraschino? I don't have a bottle of Luxardo on hand, but I'm really enjoying the Marask. I'd love to have a flavor comparison.
I reckon the Aviation is a real crowd pleaser - and in a much better way than most 'crowd pleasing' drinks.
It has plenty of character, but at the same time is very easy to like.
I think substituting a little creme de violette for some of the maraschino (say 1/6 oz creme de violette and 1/3 oz maraschino) really improves the drink. It just gives it that extra dimension. On the other hand, even the straight maraschino version is very nice.
I find maraschino ranks alongside triple sec/Cointreau and Curacao as a 'must have' sweetener and flavor enhancer. It's hard to imagine a bar without it - though of course most bars are exactly that! It tends to be used more in the older recipes, but it was popular for a reason.
Try the faintest touch of maraschino in a daiquiri (rum, lime juice, simple syrup, and say a teaspoon or less of maraschino). Used this way it is almost like bitters. You may not be able to pick out the flavor, but you'll know this Daiquiri has a whole new dimension.
When I lived in Shanghai I used to go to this little Japanese bar that would have its frequent traveling customers bring in bottles of unobtainable stuff like Maraschino. The boss of that place got me onto Maraschino enhanced Daiquiris and I've never looked back. Give it a try!
I prefer slightly more lemon juice.
2 oz Gin
1 oz lemon juice
1/2 (or less) Maraschino
Also, now that you've got the Maraschino, I highly recommend working on your Hemingway Daiquiri.
I really like the Aviation, but it's definitely not a cocktail to use to convert Vodkatini drinkers. Maraschino has a really peculiar flavour, something of an acquired taste, though well worth acquiring.
For further Maraschino experimentation, I highly recommend Gary Regan's take on the Martinez in Joy of Mixology.
I prefer my aviations close to the original recipe. I use:
1.5 oz gin
0.5 oz lemon juice
0.5 tsp Maraschino (Luxardo)
0.5 tsp Violette (Hermes)
3:1 gin:lemon works better than 2:1 to my taste. Maraschino (especially Luxardo, it seems) & Violette are such strong flavors that they shine through even at those small amounts.
(Many thanks to my co-worker Noriko for bringing the bottle of Violette back from Japan for me)
But I think that the Last Word (or its Last Ward variation) is my favorite Maraschino cocktail.
I second Rick's recommendation of the Last Word - a cocktail that combines Maraschino and Chartreuse of all things. It doesn't sound right at all, but it certainly tastes good.
I have to agree with the Last Word comments. When making the Last Word however, you might want to add a bit more lime juice, as you may find it to be a bit on the sweet side.
Another favorite of mine (maraschino-ly speaking) would be the Martinez.
Overall, I find the Aviation to be a great drink; perhaps experimentation with different gins is in order.
The Aviation is absolutely everywhere in San Francisco, and to be honest I don't like it all that much. (And everyone uses different proportions.) Given the choice, I'll take a Casino, which is basically an Aviation with orange bitters.
I'm going to have to agree with Camper on this, the recipe I used is OK, but it could be better. I'm going to re-review this drink once I get some Creme de Violette and I'm also going to do the Casino and Last Word. It's good to have Maraschino. Should have picked up two bottles.
I was in a liquor store recently in NYC and saw a bottle of Creme de Violette it is made by http://www.alpenz.com/. I purchased one bottle though I haven't tried it yet. Hope this helps.
The Casino is not much like an Aviation, except in that they have common ingredients.
The Casino is a "fancy gin cock-tail" with a dash of lemon.
Another way of looking at it is as a "Gin Crusta" without the sugar rim or long lemon peel.
More blah blah and discussion here: Casino Cocktail
My wife and I did a bit of an Aviation taste off last night, based on the old-fashioned recipe.
While we didn't mind the dry tart old-school ones, we found adding just a touch of simple syrup to the cocktail more to our taste.
1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
Barspoon Rothman & Winter Violette
Barspoon Luxardo Maraschino
Barspoon 2-1 Simple Syrup
The R&W Violette is noticeably less sweet, and more intensely perfumed than the other Violette I've tried, so depending on which liqueur you're using, you will need to adjust.
For those of you who have had problems finding Creme de Violette, it is again available in the US. See:
http://www.alpenz.com/images/poftfolio/violettefacts.htm
It is available in the US thru a distributor.
http://www.alpenz.com/
The R&W Creme de Violette is now available at Bev Mo in San Francisco for $25
Three Cheers for Creme de Violette!!
I've fallen in love with the Aviation Cocktail. Sadly, attaining the ingredients for many classic cocktails in the land of Cheese and Beer requires a trip to Sam's in Chicago. The one thing I've noted in creating this cocktail is that a little Creme de Violette can go a long, long way. I believe the first recipe mentioned has an excellent ratio. Others have suggested as much as one Tsp which is too much in my opinion
The resurgence in classic cocktails in Wisconsin, and Madison in particular, has been lead in large part by a micro-distillery in Madison, WI - Death's Door Spirits. Their gin, a pre-prohibition style gin (sweeter gin) mixes as well as any Gin I've tried in classic cocktails.
I''ts not an aviation without creme de violete. That's what makes it sky blue and that's why it's called aviation.