Cherry pit, citrus, violets, juniper
Stunningly beautiful and delicate, serve this with cucumber slices topped with herbed goat cheese to impress or to lighten a dark heart. It’s a lovely going-away party cocktail.
The bartender’s choice for converting vodka drinkers to gin, the Aviation appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century (1916) during America’s intense fascination with early aviators Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh. It was rediscovered by cocktail writer Paul Harrington in the late 1990s, and has become wildly famous again throughout the craft cocktail scene. Crème de Violette lends a beautiful sky-blue tinge to this enduring classic that was reimagined with the reappearance of this once popular liqueur on U.S. shores in 2007. We like to serve this with a lemon twist, although some prefer a cherry.
1¾ ounces (52 ml) gin (Plymouth)
¼ ounce (7 ml) maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)
1 to 2 teaspoons Rothman Crème de Violette, to taste
¾ ounce (22 ml) fresh lemon juice
¼ ounce (7 ml) simple syrup (page 241)
Lemon twist, for garnish
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass. To garnish, twist the peel over the surface of the cocktail to express the oil. Then, rest the peel on the side of the glass.