Aviation

The story of the Aviation cocktail is a bit of a Cinderella story. According to David Wondrich, it has been flying under the radar ever since it made its first appearance on a cocktail menu in 1911. Hugo Ensslin first published the recipe for this lovely little libation in his Recipes for Mixed Drinks in 1916, combining gin, lemon juice, maraschino and crème de violette liqueurs. Unfortunately maraschino and crème de violette weren't exactly commonplace on most bar shelves at the time, so the Aviation had a shaky takeoff. Eventually, crème de violette disappeared entirely from the American market, resulting in a mouth-puckering variation of the original recipe. When it finally reappeared some 40 years later, the Aviation was revived. Crème de violette adds a delicate floral note, which balances the tartness of the healthy dose of citrus and gin.