The Aviation

[gethin]

While you're at it, you might ask him if he's snagged any creme de violette: according to Hugo Ensslin's 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks, which has the earliest formula for the drink I've been able to find, that went into the Aviation along with the maraschino, lemon juice and gin (I use a teaspoon of each liqueur, half an ounce of strained lemon juice and two ounces of gin). It gives the drink a pale, skyish blue color--which explains its name.

[winesonoma]

Can Luxardo be used to make a proper Aviation?

[slkinsey]

Bruce, not only can Luxardo maraschino be used to make an Aviation, many would argue (and I among them) that Luxardo is the best maraschino and therefore makes the best Aviation.

[winesonoma]

Gonna have to make one then because that's all I could get. What's your favorite Gin for one?

[lancastermike]

Gonna have to make one then because that's all I could get. What's your favorite Gin for one?

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I have been using Gordon's with good results. Luxardo works great for me and this is a wonderful cocktail

[birder53]

Gonna have to make one then because that's all I could get. What's your favorite Gin for one?

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I'm partial to Plymouth.

[mbanu]

Did anyone else notice that if you added soda water to an Aviation, you ended up with a drink surprisingly similar to a Singapore Sling??

[redfox]

I've finally managed to obtain a bottle of maraschino (Stock) and have made my first Aviatons, using the 4/1/1 proportions advocated by slkinsey. Tanqueray gin. I wonder how it would be with Plymouth. Too fruity? Garnish is a homemade maraschino cherry following those NY Times instructions featuring frozen organic cherries and maraschino liqueur.

I too find that there is an excellent merging of flavors such that it would be difficult to pick ingredients out -- though I don't think I'd go so far as to say that it's not recognizably a gin drink. Anyway, it's really delicious.

[winesonoma]

Made them last night. Wonderful way to start the weekend.

[The Hersch]

I was in the mood for an Aviation cocktail yesterday evening, but realized I had no lemons in the house. Plenty of limes, though, so I decided to substitute. Then, since I was already being untraditional, I figured what the heck, and added a dash of Peychaud's Bitters. It was a very good cocktail, although no longer an Aviation. The fact that it looked like a Cosmopolitan left me with mixed feelings. But I shall certainly make it again.

[trillium]

That's getting dangerously close to a Pegu Club!

regards,

trillium

[johnder]

I was at the flatiron lounge again last night drinking a corpse reviver II -- when it it came time for a refil, the bartender suggested since I like the corpse to try the Aviation Cocktail -- man was that tasty.

I really makes a difference when a cocktail is prepared with the loving care the bartenders do there. Even down to the flaming of the lemon oils on the glass. It was amazing.

[birder53]

I was at the flatiron lounge again last night drinking a corpse reviver II -- when it it came time for a refil, the bartender suggested since I like the corpse to try the Aviation Cocktail -- man was that tasty.

I really makes a difference when a cocktail is prepared with the loving care the bartenders do there.  Even down to the flaming of the lemon oils on the glass.  It was amazing.

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Those are both wonderful drinks. I really like how that touch of Pernod brings the corpse reviver II to life!

[Quinapalus]

Well, as long as you guys already necro'd this thread... I need to thank you. Aviations, Last Words and Pegu Clubs were the hits of my party a couple months ago.

Now onward, to even more bizarre drinks! I tried a Tailspin last night but my hand must have jerked when I was pouring the Chartreuse; it was too sweet. Or maybe Vya is too heavy for the drink and needs to be scaled back a tad. Anyway, I'll keep trying. Now to pick up a bottle of Herbsaint or something to get to work on the Monkey Glands and Sazeracs!

--

Ben

[Nathan]

fascinating. it sounds like I have been making my Aviations all wrong.

after experiencing the cocktail at the recommendation of a sommelier friend at M&H, Blue Owl and the Bemelman's, I googled it and came up with the following ingredients: gin, apricot brandy, cherry brandy, lemon juice.

so, I've been making mine with 2-3 parts Plymouth or Tanqueray, one part generic apricot brandy, one part Kirsch and one part fresh squeezed lemon juice.

I wonder how the apricot brandy got into the mix?

btw, the corpse reviver II is even better with a splash of absinthe instead of Pernod. I have an illicit stash that I brought back from Prague.

[eje]

Been meaning to post these links re: the Aviation Cocktail.

Robert (Hess, I believe) has a nice piece about the Aviation cocktail over at The Spirit World.

Aviation

David Wondrich also recently wrote a column for Drinks magazine which featured the Aviation cocktail, currently available online:

Mixology: The Aviation

Nathan, not sure where the apricot brandy came from, though it sounds like a pleasant enough substitution, in combination with the kirsch, for Maraschino liqueur.

Edited August 15, 2006 by eje (log)

[Bricktop]

I finally get what the fuss is all about with the Aviation.

It's taken a while, but I stumbled upon a bottle of Luxardo Maraschino. I was using another brand before, because that was all I could find. Using the 2/0.5/0.5 ratio, it was a revelation. Lesson learned.

[johnder]

I finally get what the fuss is all about with the Aviation.

It's taken a while, but I stumbled upon a bottle of Luxardo Maraschino.  I was using another brand before, because that was all I could find.  Using the 2/0.5/0.5 ratio, it was a revelation.  Lesson learned.

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Bricktop, which maraschino did you use before? As far as I know in the states there are 3 available, stock, maraska and luxardo. I like the Maraska and Luxardo equally well, but the Stock is really bad.

[eje]

[...]

so, I've been making mine with 2-3 parts Plymouth or Tanqueray, one part generic apricot brandy, one part Kirsch and one part fresh squeezed lemon juice. 

I wonder how the apricot brandy got into the mix?

[...]

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By the way, (meant to post this a while ago,) I see in "The Official Mixer's Manual" Patrick Duffy includes Apricot Brandy in his Aviation recipe, along with the Maraschino.

It's also in one of the cocktaildb formulations (probably transcribed from Duffy).

[Bricktop]

I finally get what the fuss is all about with the Aviation.

It's taken a while, but I stumbled upon a bottle of Luxardo Maraschino.  I was using another brand before, because that was all I could find.  Using the 2/0.5/0.5 ratio, it was a revelation.  Lesson learned.

←

Bricktop, which maraschino did you use before? As far as I know in the states there are 3 available, stock, maraska and luxardo. I like the Maraska and Luxardo equally well, but the Stock is really bad.

←

Stock. It is just godawful in comparison to the Luxardo. It is destined for the drain, I'm afraid. I can't take the chance that someone might actually use it.

[Nathan]

[moderator's note, moved from the Savoy Cocktail Book Topic - eje]

Blue Devil

½ Dry Gin (40ml Bombay Sapphire)

¼ Lemon or Lime (20ml we made two versions one using freshly squeezed lemon and the other freshly squeezed lime)

¼ Maraschino (20ml Maraska Maraschino)

1 Dash Blue Vegetable Extract (1 drop Queen Blue food colour {lime} 2drops {lemon})

We love using food colouring to add colour to cocktails rather that the more usual precoloured cordials as it allows for the intensity of colour to be varied according to the mood.

Notes on Measurements; on this occasion we chose to us an Alessi jigger which is 40ml/20ml rather that the more standard 1oz (30ml)/ 1/2oz (15ml) as we felt it would simplify mixing this drink and the result would present better in our 4oz glasses.

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Our first foray into this thread is the Blue Devil; we have left the Blue Blazer for Erik as we feel that it represents a cocktail better appreciated during the colder months.

What we imaged to be our first dilemma, choosing which Maraschino to use (Luxardo, Italy or Maraska, Croatia) turned out to be a non issue once we realised that we barely had half a shot of the Luxardo left. However for the sake of the exercise we did do a quick comparison, and found that the Luxardo had a more pronounced nose in which the pip of the cherry was easily detected. On the pallet we found the Luxardo to be quite sweet with hints of cinnamon, whilst the Maraska was comparatively drier and with a slight citrus tang to it.

The next issue was whether to use Bombay Sapphire or Plymouth gin, in the end we plumped for our favourite the Bombay.

This cocktail immediately put us in mind of one of our favourites the Aviation, although the recipe we favour is the one in Harrington & Moorehead’s “Cocktail The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century”, 1 ½ oz Gin, ½ oz Maraschino ¾ oz lemon juice. So we returned to the bar to mix up one of these to throw into the mix (so to speak). We feel that the Blue Devil proved to be a far more balanced drink than the Aviation with no one ingredient clamouring for ones attention.

When it came to the comparison of lemon Vs. lime in the Blue Devil, we feel that for our palette the lemon provided a better result. This visually appealing cocktail is well balanced, refreshing and easy to drink, and should appeal to all but the sweetest of palettes.

P&J

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the story of this cocktail intrigues me. these are the proportions that I have adopted in my Aviation at home...and the addition of a touch of creme de violette primarily adds the same color impact (along with a nice hint of florality).

these proportions are also similar to what most bars seem to be using...rather than the early (quite tart) book takes on the Aviation.

so, is the Aviation that has become so popular really the Blue Devil?

[thirtyoneknots]

the story of this cocktail intrigues me.  these are the proportions that I have adopted in my Aviation at home...and the addition of a touch of creme de violette primarily adds the same color impact (along with a nice hint of florality).

these proportions are also similar to what most bars seem to be using...rather than the early (quite tart) book takes on the Aviation.

so, is the Aviation that has become so popular really the Blue Devil?

←

From looking at these Savoy recipes I have arrived at a number of conclusions that have no basis beyond my own speculations.

It seems to me that cocktail names were formerly awarded based on a given flavor, not an ingredient list. Hence, if you swap preportions of the exact same sour and sweet ingredient, or add an extra dash of bitters, or up the amoutn of vermouth, or whatever, then that changes what the drink tastes like, and so it gets a different name. Today we call something a "2:1:1 Sidecar" or "Calvados Sidecar" or "Grand Sidecar" or whatever, but at the time anything that deviated from equal parts Cognac, Cointreau, and lemon would have rated a new name. Today it seems that the name that has survived was the one with the best ring to it, or perhaps the one that was most popular originally, and has since been modified to modern taste and qualified accordingly by amending the name, as opposed to giving it a new one. And even when new names are given, they often are lacking in imagination, usually simply alluding to the ingredients of the drink. I myself am certainly guilty of that (though I do conciously try to avoid it). In a way this is a good thing, though as it allows a customer to order a Calvados Sidecar and the bartender shoudl know what hey are talking about, as opposed to a Royal Jubilee (or whatever that is called in the Savoy, I forget) and get a blank stare. On the other hand, insert your own commentary on the lack of creativity and originality in today's youth/society/bar scene.

End of rant

-Andy

[David Santucci]

Again, the Savoy is probably not a good place to look for systematicity. I'm pretty sure that there are instances of the exact same recipe being in the book under different names.

[thirtyoneknots]

Again, the Savoy is probably not a good place to look for systematicity. I'm pretty sure that there are instances of the exact same recipe being in the book under different names.

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True, but even the shovelware books of today are (often unfortunately) fairly indicative of the state of bartending when they are published. I would hazard to say that the same is broadly true of the Savoy.

[eje]

the story of this cocktail intrigues me.  these are the proportions that I have adopted in my Aviation at home...and the addition of a touch of creme de violette primarily adds the same color impact (along with a nice hint of florality).

these proportions are also similar to what most bars seem to be using...rather than the early (quite tart) book takes on the Aviation.

so, is the Aviation that has become so popular really the Blue Devil?

←

There are at least 3 cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book similar to the Aviation: The Blue Devil, The Aviation, and the Allen.

Most of the Aviations I've had out in bars have ended closer to Allens than Aviations or Blue Devils.

It's hard to know where the Blue Devil came from. Was it an attempt to make the Aviation Bluer? A completely different cocktail?

Dunno.

In regards to the original Aviation, it appears to have gone the way of the Dodo, along with most of the other unsweetened or semi-unsweetened cocktails of that age.

Too bad, really. That sort of bracing sour tonic is quite nice some times.