Aviation Cocktail Recipe

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Not only is this aviation cocktail recipe beautiful, but it’s delicious and a classic.  It has a flowery taste that blends nicely with the sweetness of the maraschino liqueur and the sourness of the lemon.

A beautiful purple cocktail in a curved martini glass with cherries on a pick on the side of the glass - and a bubble glass also in the backgroundPin

Flowery liqueurs like creme de violette and St. Germain go so well with gin.  It’s because gin is made from juniper berries and other botanicals.  So the liqueurs are a natural addition to a cocktail like the aviation.

Creme de violette has such a deep purple color that just making a cocktail with the liqueur guarantees it will be pretty.

Helpful tips

  • The way to pick a great lemon at the market is to first heft it in your hand.  The heavier lemons have more juice than the lighter ones.
  • Always wash citrus before juicing it. Use a brush to scrub the skin.
  • A mid level gin like Bombay sapphire is perfect for this cocktail.
  • The garnish for this classy cocktail is maraschino cherries.  Always rinse off your cherries because they are packaged in a syrup that would add extra sweetness to the drink, which isn’t a good thing.

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How to make the aviation cocktail recipe

Pre-step

Get a cocktail shaker, fill it halfway with ice and get two martini glasses.

For the garnish, rinse off 4 maraschino cherries, place two on each martini pick and set the aside.

After measuring each of the ingredients below, pour them into the shaker.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – Gin, lemon, maraschino liqueur and creme de violette.

Gin, lemon, creme de violette and maraschino liqueur on the black tablePin

Step two

Measure 4 ounces gin.

Gin measured with the bottle, shaker and glasses on the tablePin

Step three

Measure 1.5 ounces Luxardo maraschino liqueur.

maraschino liqueur measured with the bottle in the background along with the shaker and glassesPin

Step four

Measure .5 ounce of creme de violette.

Creme de violette measured with the bottle, shaker and glasses in the backgroundPin

Step five

Measure 1.5 ounces lemon juice.

Fresh lemon juice measured with the shaker, garnish and glasses in the backgroundPin

Step six

Cap shaker and shake for 15 seconds.  Strain and divide between the two glasses.  Place the picks with the cherries on the side of the glasses, or in the aviation cocktail recipe.

A bubble martini glass with the cocktail and cherries as garnish in front and the tall curved glass in backPin

And the vertical view.

Vertical view of the curved martini glass with cherries as garnish. There is a bubble glass in the backgroundPin

I hope you enjoyed this aviation cocktail recipe.

And may all your dishes/drinks be delish!

If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love the know what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

Curved glass of the purple cocktail in front of the bubble glass with the cocktail - squarePin

Aviation Cocktail Recipe

Gin goes perfectly with the flowery creme de violette and melds wonderfully with the sweetness of the maraschino liqueur and the sour of the lemon.
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Cocktails
Cuisine: American
Keyword: aviation cocktail, aviation cocktail recipe, creme de violette cocktail, maraschino liqueur cocktail
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2 Cocktails
Calories: 233kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces gin
  • 1.5 ounces maraschino liqueur
  • .50 ounce creme de violette
  • 1.5 ounces lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

Garnish

Instructions

  • Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice and place 2 cherries on each martini pick,
    4 maraschino cherries
  • Add gin, maraschino liqueur, creme de violette and lemon juice to the cocktail shaker.
    4 ounces gin, 1.5 ounces maraschino liqueur, .50 ounce creme de violette, 1.5 ounces lemon juice
  • Cap the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain, divide, and pour the liquid between the two glasses. Add cherry picks to the side of the glass.
  • Sip
  • Smile
  • Enjoy
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Notes

Helpful tips
    • The way to pick a great lemon at the market is first to heft it in your hand. The heavier lemons have more juice than the lighter ones. The next thing is to sniff the skin, you should be able to smell the fruit. But I’ve noticed I can’t smell the lemon as easily as I could even a few years ago.
    • Always wash citrus before juicing it to get the pesticides off. Here are two different ways: 1.) Squirt some unscented, natural soap in your hand and rub the skin of the citrus between your palms. Next, take a brush to scrub the skin. Rinse under cold or cool water to get all the soap off.
    • 2.) I use a cloth that is rough on one side of it and smooth on the other. I use the rough side to scrub the skin of the vegetable or fruit and then rinse thoroughly under cold or cool water.
    • I use Bombay Sapphire gin in this cocktail but you can use whichever brand you prefer.
    • The garnish for this classy cocktail is maraschino cherries. Since these cherries come in a sweet syrup, always rinse off your cherries because if you don’t, it will add extra sweetness to the drink, which isn’t a good thing.
    • Crème of violette is made from violets which gives it such a beautiful hue. There are a few brands of this liqueur. I have the brand Rothman & Winter, but Dillard and Giffard are solid brands.
    • I usually chill my cocktail glasses. My favorite glasses are a chilled coupe or chilled martini glass. I don’t chill them when I photograph my recipes because it takes time to process the shots, so it doesn’t make sense.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cocktail | Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin C: 8.3mg | Calcium: 5mg
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Recipe Rating




10 Comments

  1. Wow, this includes some of my favorite flavors in a cocktail! Mmm I can’t wait to make this! 🙂

  2. What a cocktail! I love all the flavors in this one – especially the gin. This is a great drink to serve when you’re looking to impress guests.

  3. Really easy to make and it looks great in your photos! I hope I can get it to look like that =D Thanks for sharing!