Aviation

The aviation is a classic cocktail made with gin, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice and, in the original recipes, crème de violette. It was born in New York in the early twentieth century, and its pale violet hue makes it easy to recognise behind the bar.

History

The drink is usually credited to Hugo Ensslin, head bartender at the Hotel Wallick in New York, in the first decades of the twentieth century. His 1916 book Recipes for Mixed Drinks contains the first published recipe, which calls for two thirds El Bart gin, one third lemon juice, two dashes of maraschino and two dashes of crème de violette.

In 1930 Harry Craddock's The Savoy Cocktail Book gave a version without the violet liqueur, using dry gin, lemon juice and maraschino. The book was highly influential, and many later bartenders followed it, partly because violet liqueur was hard to find. Some bars substitute Creme Yvette, a violet liqueur with added spices.

Related drinks soon appeared: the Water Lily swaps the maraschino for an orange liqueur, while the Moonlight adds Cointreau and lime. In 2017 Gary Regan recorded a version by the Japanese bartender Takumi Watanabe, which uses parfait d'amour.

Culture

The aviation belongs to the sour family, drinks built on a spirit, citrus and a sweetener, and it is served straight up in a cocktail glass. Its floral and citrusy profile has made it a staple on menus around the world and in the repertoire of bartenders who work with classic recipes.

Its name, tied to the flight craze of the early twentieth century, reflects the era in which it was created. Today it is ordered both in classic-style bars and in modern cocktail venues, which often revisit it with different gins and liqueurs.