Aviaton Cocktail with Creme de Violet

I’ve contributed to Seattle’s cocktail culture through bar management, beverage direction, and consulting, with recipes published in Imbibe, Bon Appétit, Cherry Bombe, and even Amaro by Brad Thomas Parsons. But the work I loved most always happened in a classroom.

For nearly a decade, I taught cocktail classes at a cooking school - standing in front of a room full of people and figuring out how to keep them engaged in the craft of making drinks. Not just following recipes, but actually understanding them. Getting people invested took more than the classics; it meant giving them something to hold onto.

So for this I leaned into older traditions - floral French liqueurs, the kinds of bottles people don’t always reach for, but should. And a lot of the time, I went a step further and worked from older, often homemade recipes. Not for novelty, but because they shift the way people think. When you make something yourself, you pay attention differently. You taste more carefully. You start to understand where balance actually comes from.

That’s where the shift happens - from making drinks to really understanding them. These older recipes push back on the idea that everything should be mass-produced and consumed without much thought. Spirits and liqueurs come from somewhere - you can taste the regionality of a place like France in the way they rely on local produce, herbs, and tradition.

Crème de Violette is a good example of that. In 19th-century France, it was made by steeping fresh violets in spirit - part preservation, part capturing a moment in the season. By the time it shows up in the Aviation in 1916, it’s already doing what these liqueurs do best: adding just enough - aroma, lift, that pale violet hue - without taking over.

Here are my versions of the Aviation and a homemade Crème de Violette. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. Santé!

Anna

Yield: 1 cocktail

  • 1 ½ oz gin (Aviation or similar)

  • 1 oz fresh lemon juice

  • ½ oz maraschino liqueur

  • ½ oz simple syrup

  • ¼ oz homemade violet liqueur (see below)

  • Fresh violet blossom and Amarena cherry, for garnish

Method
Shake all ingredients with ice, then strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a violet blossom, or an Amarena cherry if blossoms are unavailable.

Note: A good-quality crème de violette can be used in place of the homemade liqueur. For this I like Rothman & Winter Creme de Violette

Homemade Violet Liqueur

Yield: about 32 ounces

  • 1 ¼ cups loosely packed violet flowers

  • ¼ cup Cointreau

  • ¼ cup vodka

  • 1 strip orange zest (about 1 inch)

  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar

  • 1 cup water

  • 3 drops orange blossom water

  • ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Method

  1. Place the violet flowers in a glass or enameled container with a lid (avoid reactive metals when possible).

  2. In a saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil.

  3. Pour the hot syrup over the violets, cover tightly, and let steep at room temperature overnight. While still warm, add the vodka, Cointreau, orange zest, and vanilla bean.

  4. After 24 hours, strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve, pressing gently to extract all liquid.

  5. Strain again through a fine mesh filter or coffee filter for clarity.

  6. Let cool to room temperature, then add a few drops of orange blossom water to finish.

Refrigerate. The liqueur will keep for several weeks, up to about a month.