The Aviation: a classic gin cocktail that will take you to new heights!

We love classic cocktails here at Craft Gin Club - especially when they look as good as an Aviation cocktail does!

This lovely cocktail is beloved by both true gin fans and those new to the spirit - oh, and it packs a punch, to boot! Flavours of gin, cherry, violet and lemon make for a uniquely delicious combination that’s impossible to replicate.

Luckily, it’s very easy to make at home - but we do recommending in the right ingredients. For the secret to the success of this cocktail, more than most, lies in the quality of one secret ingredient: Crème de Violette.

Yes, this sweet, floral liqueur - created by steeping real violets in base spirit - can be hard to find, and we really recommend avoiding using a substitute flavoured syrup if you can, or you might end up with a cocktail that tastes more like grandma’s soap!

What does Aviation cocktail taste like?

This cocktail is similar in flavour to a gin sour. Lemon juice gives it a sour finish, whilst Maraschino liqueur sweetens with cherry notes and balances the drink.

The crème de violette gives it a unique, floral taste, so it’s important to measure your ingredients!

What is the difference between Aviation and a Blue Moon?

Often seen as the sister to an Aviation, a Blue Moon cocktail swaps Maraschino for Crème Yvette. The Blue Moon has more semi-sweet floral tones.

Why is it called an Aviation cocktail?

Although the true origins of the Aviation are unknown, it’s generally accepted that it was very much in vogue in pre-Prohibition America, at the height of the early cocktail boom, and an era in which real ‘aviation’ was as glamorous and exciting as development as the inventions behind the bar. This was also a moment in time when Crème de Violette was the most fashionable of flavours.

The cocktail was reportedly first mentioned in Huge Enslinn’s book “Recipes for Mixed Drinks” in 1916, written while he was bartending at New York City’s glamorous Hotel Wallick, and went on to huge popularity across the globe for some years.

However, as with all cocktail trends, Aviation gradually fell from favour, partly because good-quality crème de violette was hard to come by. By the 1960s, this beautiful classic cocktail had sadly all but disappeared from the bar scene.

Happily, what goes around comes around, and the cocktail revival of recent years - not to mention the explosion in fans of gin in all its forms - has seen a huge upswing in interest in the classic cocktails of the 20th century, including the ingredients needed to make them!

Here, we’ve kept to the traditional recipe, which calls for gin, Crème de Violette, maraschino (cherry) liqueur and lemon juice. The result? A perfectly balanced, sweet-but-tart, floral and fruity cocktail.

If the flavours of the two liqueurs are a little strong for you, try add 5ml of cold water or simple syrup to allow the botanicals in the gin to truly sing without being overpowered by the other ingredients.