Aviation
The Aviation nearly disappeared. Crème de violette left the American market for decades, and the drink survived in print as gin, maraschino and lemon — which is a fine sour and not an Aviation.
When the violette came back, the common error came with it. It is a barspoon, not a measure. Poured with a heavy hand the drink turns grey and soapy, and the floral note stops being a suggestion and becomes the entire drink. Poured correctly it does almost nothing you can name, and the cocktail is unmistakably itself.
Maraschino is the other trap. It is not a cherry liqueur in the sweet sense — it is dry, funky and assertive, and it is doing structural work against the lemon.
Ingredients
- 45 ml Gin
- 15 ml Maraschino liqueur
- 15 ml Fresh lemon juice
- 1 barspoon Crème de violette
Method
- Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
- Shake hard, 10–12 seconds.
- Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
The violette is measured in barspoons because it is aromatic direction, not a component of the balance. Treat it as you would absinthe in a Corpse Reviver. A juniper-forward gin is the safer choice — the florals need something structural underneath them or the drink drifts into perfume. If the colour comes out grey rather than pale violet, the violette has been overpoured.