the art of cocktail making comes in so many shapes, aromas and colours, which is a real pleasure not only to the tastebuds but also the eye! whenever you are feeling blue, why not go for a blueish pick-me-up. it is a classic and with a classic you can never go wrong!
aviation
ingredients:
2cl gin (tanqueray is a good choice here)
0.5cl lime juice
0.5cl maraschino liqueur
2 tsp creme de violette or violet liqueur (i used the bitter truth variety)
combine all in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice – then strain into a martini glass. garnish with some lemon or lime zest or (as i did) with a frozen strawberry!
what i really like about the aviation is the complexity in taste. taken on its own, maraschino liqueur (which is made from marasca cherries) and violet liqueur are quite sweet but the gin and lime juice nicely balance the sweetness and you have a wonderful slighly perfumed aroma in your mouth with flowery and fruity overtones combining well with the tartness of the lime and the herbal touch of the gin. the ‘original’ recipe (but what is original nowadays?!) only asks for one tsp or barspoon of creme de violette, but i find the ‘perfume’ it adds so nice that i always use a bit more – don’t overdo it though as otherwise you might end up thinking you took a sip from grannie’s old perfume bottle instead 🙂
palateofwisdom 