Aviation

I may not be old enough to remember when people smoked on planes, but those welded-shut ashtrays in the armrests still give me a strange sense of nostalgia. They’re little reminders of a time when flying felt glamorous. Before it became cramped, hot and a gamble that doesn’t end with a delay, a cancellation or sleeping on the airport floor. Aviation was born in an era when the sky wasn’t the limit; it was the dream.

The Aviation cocktail was born in the early 1900s by bartender Hugo Ensslin at New York’s Hotel Wallick, inspired by the sheer excitement surrounding flight at the time. As air travel captured the world’s imagination, the popularity of the drink rose alongside it. By the 1960s, Crème de Violette had quietly disappeared from store shelves, and the Aviation all but vanished with it.

The Aviation cocktail faded into obscurity for decades, becoming little more than a forgotten relic until the early 2000s, when the craft cocktail movement brought it back into the spotlight and Crème de Violette finally returned to regular production.

It’s a simple drink that starts with my favorite liquor, gin, followed by fresh lemon juice for a little bite and maraschino liqueur (Luxardo is a solid choice) for a soft sweetness. A small splash of Crème de Violette goes in last, just enough to give it that faint floral note and pale purple color. A good rule of thumb when making cocktails is balance: match your sweet to your sour so everything rounds out instead of fighting itself.

Aviation is one of those rare drinks that delivers on every level. A cocktail that tastes as good as it looks. No filter required. I cannot say the same for myself; I’m still trying to figure out my “good side.”

Recipe:

2 ounces Gin

3/4-ounce Lemon Juice

1/2-ounce Maraschino Liqueur

1/4-ounce Crème de Violette

Add all ingredients to an ice-filled shaker. Shake well, then strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a Luxardo