The Aviation is a short, sharp cocktail — gin, lemon, maraschino, and crème de violette shaken together in about five minutes. It comes out pale purple, tart, and a little floral, and it’s genuinely different from anything you’d pour out of a bottle of wine. If you want something impressive to make at home without any cooking, this is a good one to have in your back pocket.
The technique that matters
Shaking hard and shaking long enough are the two things that separate a good Aviation from a flat one. You’re not just chilling the drink — you’re also diluting it slightly as the ice chips break down, which softens the tartness of the lemon and keeps the crème de violette from tasting like perfume. Shake until the shaker is uncomfortably cold in your hand, usually 15 to 20 seconds of real effort. Then strain immediately. The longer the drink sits on ice after shaking, the more it dilutes past the point you want. Pre-chilling your glass with ice water while you measure everything out means you can pour and serve in one motion, with no extra waiting.
If something goes sideways
- The drink tastes too sharp or sour: Your lemon was probably large or very juicy. Measure by volume, not by fruit — 15 ml is the target. A few drops more maraschino can pull it back into balance without adding sweetness you can taste.
- The color looks gray instead of purple: Crème de violette is sensitive to the acidity of lemon juice. Add the crème de violette last when building in the shaker, and don’t let the mix sit before shaking. The color develops best when everything hits the ice at once.
- The drink tastes flat or watery: The shaker wasn’t cold enough to start, or you shook too gently. Use ice straight from the freezer, fill the shaker at least halfway, and shake hard.
- The maraschino flavor is overwhelming: Luxardo is the standard, but it’s strong. If your bottle is a different brand and tastes sweeter or more intense, pull back to 10 ml and see if the balance improves.
- The glass isn’t cold enough and the drink warms fast: Ice water in the glass for at least two minutes does the job. If you’re making more than one, chill all the glasses before you start measuring anything.
About the ingredients
- Crème de violette: This is the one ingredient that can be hard to find. Look for it at larger liquor stores or order online — Rothman & Winter is the most widely available brand in the US. Without it, the drink is still drinkable but loses both its color and its floral edge, becoming closer to a standard gin sour.
- Maraschino liqueur: This is not the syrup from a jar of maraschino cherries. It’s a clear, dry cherry-and-almond liqueur. Luxardo is the go-to; most well-stocked liquor stores carry it.
- Gin: A London dry style works well here because the botanicals hold up against the lemon. Avoid anything heavily citrus-forward — it can make the drink taste one-dimensional.
- Cocktail cherry for garnish: Skip the neon-red maraschino cherries from the grocery store. A Luxardo or Amarena cherry is worth it if you already have them. Honestly, skip the garnish altogether if you don’t — it’s not worth the extra dish.
Make-ahead notes
You can pre-batch the base for a small group by combining the gin, maraschino, and crème de violette in a sealed jar or bottle and keeping it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Leave the lemon juice out until you’re ready to shake — fresh citrus goes flat and slightly bitter if it sits mixed with spirits for more than an hour or two. When you’re ready to serve, add the measured lemon juice to the shaker along with your pre-batched spirits, add ice, shake, and strain. The Aviation doesn’t freeze well and isn’t a drink you’d reheat, so the fridge-batch method is the only real shortcut here.
Classic Aviation Cocktail: Gin, Violet & Lemon
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker (Boston or cobbler style)
- Hawthorne strainer or fine mesh strainer
- Jigger or small measuring cup
- Coupe glass or cocktail glass
- Citrus juicer or reamer
Ingredients
- 2 oz gin 60ml — use a London dry style for best results
- ½ oz maraschino liqueur 15ml, such as Luxardo
- ½ oz lemon juice 15ml, freshly squeezed, about half a lemon
- ⅓ oz crème de violette 10ml
- 1 piece cocktail cherry for garnish, Luxardo or Amarena style preferred
- 1 cup ice for shaking and pre-chilling the glass
Instructions
- Chill a cocktail glass by filling it with ice water while you prepare the drink.1 cup ice
- In a cocktail shaker, combine 60 ml (2 oz) of gin, 15 ml (½ oz) of maraschino liqueur, 15 ml (½ oz) of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 10 ml (⅓ oz) of crème de violette.2 oz gin, ½ oz maraschino liqueur, ½ oz lemon juice, ⅓ oz crème de violette
- Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously for 15–20 seconds, until the outside of the shaker feels uncomfortably cold and frost forms on the metal. This ensures proper dilution and integration of the crème de violette.1 cup ice
- Empty the ice water from the chilled cocktail glass, then strain the mixed drink into the glass.
- Garnish with a cocktail cherry, dropping it into the bottom of the glass. Optionally, express a small strip of lemon peel over the surface for extra aroma, then discard.1 piece cocktail cherry
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Can I make an Aviation without crème de violette?
Yes, but it will taste noticeably different — more like a gin sour than an Aviation. The crème de violette is what gives the drink its floral note and purple color, so leaving it out changes both the flavor and the look in a meaningful way.
What kind of glass should I use?
A coupe or a cocktail glass (the classic V-shape) both work fine. The main thing is that the glass is stemmed so your hand doesn’t warm the drink — this is a small cocktail and it warms up fast.
Do I need a cocktail shaker, or is there a workaround?
A proper shaker makes this easier, but in a pinch you can use a large mason jar with a tight lid. The key is that whatever you use seals completely — a leaky lid and ice-cold liquid is a mess.
How do I know if my crème de violette has gone bad?
Crème de violette keeps for a long time if stored in a cool, dark place, but the floral aroma fades over a year or two after opening. If it smells faint or off, the drink will taste flat — a fresh bottle is worth it if yours has been open for more than two years.
