Mixlio
Sour · Anytime · Spring
Aviation
Lemon and maraschino lift the gin; a bar spoon of violette turns it pale purple. Tart, floral, and prettier than it needs to be.
- Base
- Gin
- Glass
- Coupe glass
- Method
- Shake
- Strength
- 22% ABV
Ingredients
Servings
45 mlGin1 swap
Any London dry ginhighDepends on the brand’s botanicals
15 mlMaraschino Luxardo1 swap
A dry cherry liqueurlowLess nutty
15 mlFresh Lemon Juice1 swap
Fresh lime juicemediumA touch sharper
- 1 bar spoonCrème de Violette
How to make
Technique
Shake · 10–15sShaking chills the drink fast while adding dilution and a light texture.
- Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker.
- Shake with cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Serve
Glass
Coupe glassAlso fine: Martini glass, Nick & Nora glass
Garnish
Optional Maraschino Cherry.Only if you like it sweet — the drink is finished without one.
optionalTaste & nutrition
22%ABV
170kcal
1.63Drinks
StrengthMedium
Sweet to dryBalanced
Estimated from ingredient amounts and assumed ABVs — not a lab measurement.
Good to know
- Use freshly squeezed juice — bottled tastes flat.
History
Year1916
PlaceNew York, USA
Created byHugo Ensslin
Created around 1916 in New York by bartender Hugo Ensslin, the Aviation dresses gin with maraschino, lemon and a whisper of crème de violette. The violet liqueur lends a pale sky-blue tint that suited the dawning age of flight. When crème de violette grew scarce for decades, many recipes dropped it, and the drink nearly faded from memory. Its violet-hued original was revived by cocktail enthusiasts in the 2000s.
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