Post #587230 by Mr. Moto on Sat, Apr 30, 2011 5:25 AM

The Aviation is a tricky cocktail to get right. I find that many recipes go too heavy on the lemon juice and/or the maraschino. Try this one:

2 oz. dry gin (use a softer, citrus-forward gin like Plymouth or Bluecoat)
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
1/4 oz. maraschino liqueur
1/4 oz. creme de violette
1/4 oz. simple syrup

Shake with ice and and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry, if desired. If you like your drinks on the sweeter side, you could up the simple syrup to 1/2 oz.

There are a ton of classic cocktails that call for maraschino liqueur; fewer call for creme de violette, but there are some (I'm partial to the Attention and the Violet Fizz). Try searching the Cocktail Database for recipes using those two ingredients:

http://www.cocktaildb.com/

Cheers!