Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Aviation Cocktail

The cocktail geeks cocktail, the Aviation, made with gin and Creme de Violette, is making a come back. I had never heard of the chic-sounding blue-tinged drink until today. At a wine lunch I happened to sit across from a guy who bartends at Nobus. In between sips of Pinot Noir we talked about his favorite gins (Hendricks, Citadelle, No. 209, Junipero) and gin drinks. Gotta try one.
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8 comments:

  1. Liberty FizzNovember 4, 2011 at 7:38 AM

    do you have a good recipe for this? Id like to serve it at my wedding! x

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  2. Barbara Perrine ChuNovember 4, 2011 at 8:04 PM

    Hi Blonde,

    It's a very pretty cocktail with its slight violet hue--perfect for a wedding

    Here's a recipe for the Aviation--
    1 1/2 oz gin
    1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
    1/4 oz Creme de Violette
    1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
    Shake with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

    Cheers--
    Barbara

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  3. AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 3:31 PM

    recipe is variable. I cut back on the gin (1 oz), and increase the Violette (1/2 oz), and the result is utterly drinkable. My version is just a hair sweeter, which tends to find better success with femmes :> Struggling with the garnish. A dryer/sour version with more gin, less violette would call for lemon peel. I do my version with a maraschino cherry, but most available ones are hideously sweet. I will eventually use a less sweet cherry if I can find one.

    Marshal Berthier

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  4. Barbara Perrine ChuDecember 24, 2011 at 3:09 PM

    Thanks for the feedback Marshall--sounds really good!

    Cheers,
    Barbara

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  5. RhettMarch 23, 2012 at 9:20 AM

    1/2oz of Violette makes the drink way too floral and sweet, particularly if you're using Rothman's. If you have Tempus Fugit, that's an ok amount, but I still find it just too sweet. Recipes are all over the place, but the one I like best is the one both Gary Regan and Robert Hess suggest:
    2oz gin
    1/2oz FRESH lemon juice
    1/2oz Maraschino
    1/8-1/4oz Violette (a barspoon-full or two)

    Here is some great information about the history of the cocktail, including some alternate recipes/ratios:
    http://and1morefortheroad.blogspot.ca/2012/03/aviation.html

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  6. Barbara Perrine ChuMarch 26, 2012 at 3:34 PM

    Thanks Rhett--sounds great. I've only had the Aviation that they make at Nobu's. The bartender is the one who told me about the drink.

    Ciao,
    Barbara

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  7. AnonymousMay 7, 2012 at 10:50 AM

    Hi, can you substitute the gin with vodka? Use to drink gin but have some bad memories .. lol so no longer

    Thanks
    Barb

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  8. Barbara Perrine ChuMay 8, 2012 at 7:32 PM

    Hi--

    I would think that vodka would be fine. It just won't have that herbal-gin taste.
    Would love to know how it tastes--
    Ciao,
    Barbara

    ReplyDelete