Classic cocktail · Guided recipe

Aviation

Gin, maraschino, a whisper of crème de violette and lemon — a pale sky-blue classic from the golden age of flight. Floral and tart.

Preparation~2 minEasyStrengthStrongabout 30% ABVMethodShaken8 guided stepsIngredients4Martini (cocktail) glass

Sour

In the glassGin · Maraschino liqueur · Crème de violette · Fresh lemon juice

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Make it with guidanceOne clear action at a time, with timers built in.

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What goes in

Ingredients

An empty clear martini glass with an angular V-shaped bowl and slender stem. — Serving glassMartini glass

Set up before you pour

Use a martini glass.

The stem protects a cold up drink from your hand; the open V-shaped bowl presents its aroma immediately.

Standard size: 180 ml6 oz
Ice & serve: Chill it first; serve without ice.
If you don’t own one: Use a coupe or another small stemmed cocktail glass.

Tools to set out

cocktail shaker
strainer (or a small sieve)
jigger or measuring spoon

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Scale to your martini (cocktail) glassWe’ll remember this glass size.

Gin45 ml
Maraschino liqueur15 ml
Crème de violette7 ml
Fresh lemon juice15 ml

Start making

From bottle to glass

Method

01
Measure into the shaker
Pour 45 ml gin into your shaker
- Gin
02
Measure into the shaker
Add 15 ml maraschino liqueur
- Maraschino liqueur
03
Measure into the shaker
Add 7 ml crème de violette
- Crème de violette
04
Measure into the shaker
Add 15 ml fresh lemon juice
- Fresh lemon juice
05
Ice the shaker
Fill the shaker with ice
Why it mattersFill it right up — more ice chills faster with less watering down.
06
Seal and shake
Seal and shake hard
Why it mattersCold hands mean it’s working. Shake until the tin frosts over.
07
Strain cleanly
Strain into a chilled glass — no ice
Why it mattersPour through the strainer so the spent shaker ice stays behind.
08
Finish the drink
Finish it — add an edible flower pick

Know your drink

About the Aviation

A gin highball, dry Martini and ruby bitter gin cocktail in a botanical bar.

What Craddock left out

Hugo Ensslin printed the recipe in 1916 with crème de violette in it. Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book dropped the violette in 1930, and nobody put it back for decades, largely because the liqueur stopped reaching American shelves. For most of the twentieth century an Aviation meant gin, lemon and maraschino, and the pale blue was something people read about rather than drank.

Rothman & Winter's violette reached the States in 2007 and the color came back with it. If you are shopping, the common bottlings are not interchangeable: Rothman & Winter runs drier and more herbal, while Giffard's sits sweeter and closer to candied petals. Maraschino is the other lever nobody adjusts. Luxardo smells medicinal and tastes considerably sweeter than it smells, which is why a half ounce goes further than you expect.

Common questions

Aviation FAQ

Why does my Aviation taste like perfume?

Too much crème de violette — it’s a seasoning, not a base. Keep it to a bar spoon or two so the drink lands cloud-grey-violet with a floral whisper. The violette-less version (just gin, lemon, maraschino) is also legitimate; it survived the decades when the liqueur was unobtainable.

What ingredients are in an Aviation?

A classic Aviation calls for 45 ml (1.5 oz) Gin, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Maraschino liqueur, 7 ml (0.25 oz) Crème de violette, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Fresh lemon juice. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

How strong is an Aviation?

A standard Aviation is roughly 30% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

Is an Aviation shaken or stirred?

An Aviation is shaken — the rule of thumb is to shake anything with citrus juice. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.

What glass do you serve an Aviation in?

Serve an Aviation in a martini glass, well chilled — this drink is served without ice, so a cold glass keeps it cold.

How many calories are in an Aviation?

One Aviation has approximately 170 calories, estimated from the standard spec above. Bigger pours, extra syrup or sweetened mixers raise that number quickly.

Sharpen the technique