Some time ago I had a very tasty cocktail at the Redhead in New York's Lower East Side. Not only tasty, it was also named after an interest/hobby of mine: it was called the Aviation. With the return of hot weather this summer I took an interest in recreating it, so it was time for research.
It turns out to be a rather famous historic drink dating back to the early twentieth century and the early days of flying. Modern recipes all build on three ingredients: gin, fresh lemon juice, and Maraschino liqueur, in various ratios. The latter item is most definitely not associated with maraschino cherries. Rather, it is a distilled liqueur dating back to the 16th century. It is clear and made from the fruit, including the pits, of Marasca cherries grown in Dalmatia in Croatia, kind of a cherry-based version of grappa. The pits give it almond overtones.
Finding it locally turned out to be a serious quest. The best known brand is Luxardo, and I finally tracked it down last week. It would appear that I can thank someone named Maria, who related in the comments in this blog post how she persuaded Surdyks, a high-end liquor store just across the river from me, to carry it.
With all the ingredients at hand, I tried several different ratios. I was most pleased with the recipe from The Joy of Mixology, a 4:1:1 ratio of:
0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
0.5 oz Maraschino
Shake over ice, then pour into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass and savor. Repeat as necessary. The result is dangerously delicious and a close approximation to what I remembered from the Redhead.
Not being one to leave good enough alone I continued to research, however. And it turns out that this modern ingredient list is not complete. The original historic version of the Aviation featured a fourth ingredient, Creme de Violette. This is a liqueur made by macerating violet flowers in grape brandy, sweetened with cane sugar. It carries both the flavor and bouquet of violets and it is a deep purple in color. Creme de Violette was unavailable in the U.S. for decades, which is probably why it disappeared from Aviation recipes.
Well, as you might guess, I tracked down some of this liqueur, an Austrian import from Rothman & Winter. At Surdyks again, no less. And I tried different ratios again. Tonight I must report I have arrived at the true nectar of the gods, using a ratio of 3:1:1:1. That is:
0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
0.5 oz Maraschino
0.5 oz Creme de Violette
Again, shake with ice and pour into a chilled cocktail glass. The result is a pale purple/grey masterpiece which balances the sourness of the lemon juice perfectly and goes down even better than the previous version. Highly recommended.
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