Aviation Description

How to make the Aviation cocktail recipe

The Aviation cocktail is a classic gin-based drink with a light floral aroma and a subtle purple tint. It blends gin, fresh lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and violet syrup into a balanced, slightly sweet, and refreshing cocktail. Because of its elegant flavor and vintage origins, the Aviation remains a favorite in craft cocktail bars and among classic cocktail lovers.

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Aviation Cocktail Ingredients:

60 ml (2 oz) gin (preferably London Dry or a floral gin)
15 ml (½ oz) fresh lemon juice
15 ml (½ oz) maraschino liqueur (such as Luxardo)
5 ml (⅙ oz or 1 bar spoon) crème de violette
Ice cubes

Aviation Cocktail garnish:

Maraschino cherry
Lemon twist

Aviation Recipe Instructions:

Chill your glass. Place a coupe or martini glass in the freezer or fill it with ice and water while you prepare the drink.

Add ingredients to shaker. Pour the gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and crème de violette into a cocktail shaker.

Fill with ice and shake. Add plenty of ice, then shake vigorously for about 10–15 seconds. This chills and slightly dilutes the drink for proper balance.

Strain into glass. Discard the ice from your glass if chilling. Then double strain the cocktail into the chilled glass to remove ice shards.

Garnish and serve. Garnish with a brandied cherry or a thin lemon twist. Serve immediately.

✈️ History of the Aviation Cocktail

The Aviation cocktail was created in the early 20th century, during the dawn of commercial flight. It was first documented in 1916 by bartender Hugo Ensslin, who worked at the Hotel Wallick in New York City. His recipe appeared in the book Recipes for Mixed Drinks and included gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and crème de violette.

The name “Aviation” refers to the cocktail’s pale sky-like purple color, which symbolized the excitement around airplanes and air travel at the time. Aviation was considered modern, stylish, and futuristic, making the drink a perfect fit for the optimistic spirit of that era.

However, the cocktail nearly disappeared for decades. When Harry Craddock published The Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930, he included an Aviation recipe but left out the crème de violette. Since crème de violette later became difficult to find, most bartenders followed this simplified version, and the original floral character of the drink was largely forgotten.

The full classic recipe only returned to popularity in the early 2000s, when cocktail historians revived forgotten pre-Prohibition drinks and specialty liqueurs became widely available again. Today, the Aviation is considered a staple of the modern craft cocktail movement and is prized for both its flavor and visual appeal.

The Aviqtion cocktail is our cocktail of the day on May 21 because on that day in 1927, Charles Lindbergh touched down at Le Bourget Field in Paris, completing the world’s first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

Enjoy!