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Cocktail

Aviation

by:
February 27, 2014
4
4 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 1
Author Notes

The ratios in this cocktail are a little different than what you’re probably used to. Different recipes for this cocktail have so many varying amounts of maraschino and violette that depending on where you order the drink you may not even recognize it. We go the egalitarian route here and just take the basic recipe for a sour and replace the sugar with equal parts maraschino and violette. This requires you to fill a 3/4 ounce jigger halfway with maraschino then top it up with violette. To feel comfortable doing this, it’s a good idea for you to measure out half an ounce then pour it into a 1 ounce jigger, it probably looks different than you expected it to. Once you’re comfortable with how a jigger looks half full you’ll be able to eyeball it on the 3/4 ounce jigger. —Erik Lombardo

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Ingredients
  • 2 ounces gin
  • 3/4 ounce lemon juice
  • 3/8 ounce maraschino
  • 3/8 ounce crème de violette
Directions
  1. Shake all ingredients with plenty of ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with maraschino cherry, and if desired, twist and discard a lemon peel to accentuate the citrus.
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9 Reviews

Write a Review
Jimmy H. September 3, 2015
WAAAAY too much violet. and the violet should just be on the bottom of the glass to resemble the sky and clouds. Maybe a tablespoon of violet at most
sneakytiki November 10, 2015
1 tablespoon is 1/2 an ounce, so this recipe has less than that.. but perhaps the picture has too much just for visual effect
Sharon May 31, 2015
The proportions are off in this recipe. Also, I agree with T. Nilsson that if your drink comes out the color purple of the photo it will NOT be drinkable. This is a tricky drink and balance is everything. Still, even when made properly, the IDEA of it is a lot better than its actual taste. BTW, I have successfully substituted violet syrup, by Monin, for the créme de violette with no discernible difference whatsoever. In the end, I've dropped the distracting maraschino, upped the violet and lemon juice slightly, shake it with ice, then pour myself a very lovely violet martini.
Kort K. May 19, 2015
Thanks - I'm going to have to try this one out. It would look pretty neat served next to a "Romulan Ale".
Torgny N. May 19, 2014
Great cocktail, but the proportions are way off and the color is wrong. Crème de violette is potent stuff and should be used sparingly. The cocktail should contain 2 oz gin, ½ oz fresh lemon juice, ½ oz maraschino liqueur (Luxardo brand is best), and no more than ? - ¼ oz crème de violette, making the drink only very slightly blue. If you use enough crème de violette to make the drink dark purple, it will taste more like perfume or soap than a cocktail. And garnish the cocktail with a real Luxardo maraschino cherry, or a high-quality brandied cherry, not one of the nasty bright red chemical ones usually sold as "maraschino cherries."
Nancy March 24, 2014
I've never heard of creme de violette. But I have a sister-in-law that is CRAZY about purple, so I can't wait to try this! Thank you! Also, this may be a dumb questions, but by maraschino, do you mean the juice from the jar of cherries? Thanks, Erik.
Erik L. March 24, 2014
Not at all a stupid question! When I say Maraschino I mean maraschino liqueur, the most famous and readily available is Luxardo Maraschino. It's delicious and well worth having in your liquor cabinet, so many wonderful cocktails use it!
Jacob K. February 28, 2014
Looks awesome, are there any good subsitutes for the creme de violette?
Erik L. February 28, 2014
Unfortunately no, it's essential for this cocktail!