One of Hugo Ensslin’s many signature cocktails and favorite recipes, next to another favorite listing of his, the Hugo Bracer, both published in his unsurpassed master piece Recipes for Mixed Drinks. Ensslin New York, NY: Fox Printing House, 1916 The object of this book is to give a complete list of the standard mixed drinks that are in use at present in New York City, with directions for preparing tsame in the most simple manner to get the best result. Chrysanthemum - Published in Hugo Ensslin's 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks, Hugo knew what he was doing with this crazy little number. Such a strange pairing of flavors that 'just works.' “The object of this book is to give a complete list of the standard mixed drinks that are in use at present in New York City, with directions for preparing same in the most simple manner to get the best result.” Copies available from Ensslin at 2013 Fifth Avenue, New York City, for fifty cents.

1. Hugo Ensslin Bartender
2. Hugo Ensslin Wikipedia
3. Recipes For Mixed Drinks Book

The Aviation is a classic cocktail made with gin, maraschinoliqueur, crème de violette, and lemon juice. Some recipes omit the crème de violette. It is served straight up, in a cocktail glass.

Hugo Ensslin Bartender

History[edit]

The Aviation was created by Hugo Ensslin, head bartender at the Hotel Wallick in New York, in the early twentieth century.^[1] The first published recipe for the drink appeared in Ensslin's 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks. Ensslin's recipe called for 1½ oz. El Bart gin, ¾ oz. lemon juice, 2 dashes maraschino liqueur, and 2 dashes crème de violette, a violet liqueur which gives the cocktail a pale purple color.^[2]

Harry Craddock's influential Savoy Cocktail Book (1930) omitted the crème de violette, calling for a mixture of two-thirds dry gin, one-third lemon juice, and two dashes of maraschino.^[3] Many later bartenders have followed Craddock's lead, leaving out the difficult-to-find violet liqueur.^[4]

Creme Yvette, a violet liqueur made with additional spices, is sometimes substituted for crème de violette.^[5]

Related cocktails[edit]

• The Aviation can be considered a variation on the Gin sour, using maraschino as its sweetener.^[3]
• The Blue Moon cocktail is made with gin, lemon juice, and crème de violette or Creme Yvette, without maraschino.^[6]
• The Moonlight cocktail is made with gin, lime juice, Cointreau, and crème de violette.^[7]

See also[edit]

Drink portalLiquor portal

References[edit]

1. ^Hess, Robert. 'Aviation'. Drinkboy.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
2. ^Ensslin, Hugo (2009) [1917]. Recipes for Mixed Drinks. Mud Puddle Books Inc. ISBN978-1-60311-190-4.
3. ^ ^abCraddock, Harry (1930). The Savoy Cocktail Book. London: Constable & Co. p. 25. ISBN978-1-62654-0644.
4. ^Regan, Gary (2003). The Joy of Mixology. New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers. p. 209. ISBN0-609-60884-3.
5. ^'Spirits: We Want Creme Yvette!'. The Washington Post. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
6. ^'Blue Moon Cocktail'. The Washington Post. 2 April 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
7. ^Regan, Gary (28 September 2007). 'The Cocktailian: Creme de violette lifts Aviation to the moon'. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 4 April 2011.

The Aviation is a classic gin-based cocktail which is shaken and served straight-up. It is basically a Gin Sour but with lemon juice sourness balanced by sweet maraschino liqueur and sometimes also crème de violet liqueur, rather than simply sugar syrup.

The Aviation cocktail first appears in print in Hugo R. Ensslin's 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks. Ensslin was the head bartender at New York's Hotel Wallick and is widely credited for creating the cocktail.

Aviation Cocktail (Hugo R. Ensslin's recipe)
'1/3 Lemon juice
2/3 El Bart gin
2 dashes Maraschino
2 dashes Crème de Violette
Shake well in mixing glass with cracked ice, strain and serve'

The above recipe is a tad on the sour side being light on gin and heavy on lemon juice, so in my Aviation recipe I have balanced Ensslin's proportions by simply upping the gin by a tad and reducing the lemon juice by the same amount. The result is better balanced and reveals the delicate floral flavours of crème de violette.

So named due to the crème de violette giving the cocktail a pale sky-blue colour, the Aviation dates from the early age of aeronautics when air travel was a glamorous luxury that only the rich could afford. Choosing the right brand of crème de violette is crucial to the look and taste of this cocktail.

Sadly, crème de violette has never been the most widely distributed of liqueurs so many, including Harry Craddock in his 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book, simply omit it from the recipe.

Aviation Cocktail (Harry Craddock's recipe)
'1/3 Lemon juice
2/3 Dry Gin
2 dashes Maraschino liqueur
Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.'

Although no longer strictly an Aviation Cocktail, the combination of gin, lemon juice and maraschino does produce a cocktail with a flavour reminiscent of Ensslin's original, albeit without the subtle blue hue or floral notes of crème de violette. However, Craddock's recipe is a tad on the sour side so my adapted Craddock's Aviation recipe uses a lot less lemon juice.

Popular in the 1940s, the Blue Moon cocktail is an Aviation with gin, lemon juice and Crème Yvette liqueur (or crème de violette) but without maraschino. The recipe appears on the back label of Crème Yvette bottles dating from the period.

The Blue Moon (Crème Yvette label recipe)
'as originated by 'Oscar of the Waldorf'
¼ Crème Yvette
¾ Dry Gin
Ice, shake, serve in cocktail glasses'

In his The Cocktailian column in the San Francisco Chronicle (27 September 2007) Gary 'gaz' Regan revealed his riff on the classic Aviation. Called the Moonlight Cocktail, this is basically an Aviation but with triple sec in place of maraschino and lime instead of lemon juice.

Gaz used lime juice because he didn't have any lemons at the time but in my adaptation of gaz's recipe I've mellowed the lime sourness by using a combination of both lime and lemon juice.

Hugo Ensslin Wikipedia

My own Biggles Aviation uses gin as the base but is far removed from the classic Aviation with ginger liqueur replacing maraschino and/or crème de violette.

Recipes For Mixed Drinks Book

Back in 2006, when launching St-Germain, I also created an elderflower riff of the Aviation called The Elder Aviator.