Why the Aviation is sky blue, or isn't: the spec and a violette builder

The Aviation is gin, lemon and a cherry liqueur, with a splash of violet liqueur that turns the drink the pale grey-blue of an early sky. It is also a drink that has been sold with and without its most famous ingredient for a hundred years. Here is the spec, the history in a few lines, and a builder that shows what the violet actually does.

The spec

There is no single official recipe, but the one most bars start from sits close to the International Bartenders Association (IBA) listing. Treat it as a starting point and adjust to your gin and your lemons.

Method: shake everything hard with ice for about 10–12 seconds and fine-strain into a chilled coupe. Glass: coupe, chilled in the freezer or with ice water while you shake. Garnish: a lemon twist, or a single maraschino cherry in the glass.

A short history, with a missing ingredient

Hugo Ensslin, head bartender at the Hotel Wallick in New York, printed the Aviation in his book Recipes for Mixed Drinks, usually dated 1916 (some sources give 1917). His version was two thirds gin to one third lemon juice, plus two dashes each of maraschino liqueur and crème de violette.

In 1930 Harry Craddock's The Savoy Cocktail Book printed the same drink without the violet liqueur. Many bartenders copied the Savoy, partly because crème de violette was hard to find for decades. The Aviation most people drank for much of the twentieth century was therefore a pale gold, cherry-tinted gin sour. Once violette became easy to buy again, the blue-lilac drink returned.

See what the violet does

Pick a historical spec, then drag the violette amount. The glass colour is an illustration: real colour depends on the brand, because some violette liqueurs are deeply coloured and others pale.

Why it works

An Aviation is a sour: spirit, citrus and something sweet. Lemon gives the acid, and gin gives the botanical backbone. The twist is that maraschino stands in for the sugar. It brings sweetness plus a dry, nutty, cherry-stone note that plain syrup cannot, so the drink tastes layered with only three bottles.

Crème de violette adds something different: aroma and colour. Violet notes are subtle and floral, a bit like candied flowers. A small amount lifts the gin, while a large amount can make the drink taste of perfume. That is why the old recipes only use "two dashes".

The equal 15 ml of lemon and maraschino in the modern spec makes a tart, only mildly sweet drink. If your maraschino is a sweeter brand or your lemons are very ripe, pull it back to 10–12 ml.

Variations

• The Savoy way: leave out the violette and add a bar spoon more maraschino. Pale gold and crisp.
• Richer colour: double the violette to about 10 ml and cut the maraschino a little so it does not get too sweet.
• Lime instead of lemon: sharper and greener. It works, but it is a different drink.
• Low or no alcohol: a true zero-alcohol Aviation does not exist, because the gin and maraschino are the drink. For a similar mood, shake 30 ml lemon juice with 15 ml violet syrup and a teaspoon of cherry juice, strain over ice and top with tonic or soda. It is a floral, tart long drink, not a copy.

What to buy and how to pour

Choose a gin with a clear juniper and citrus backbone, because the violet and cherry are quiet partners. Buy small bottles of maraschino and violette first; both keep well, and a little goes a long way. Squeeze the lemon just before shaking, and chill the glass. As with any cocktail with spirits in it, pour measured amounts and drink in moderation: there is no mixer in this drink, so it is stronger than it looks in a small glass.