Last Spring, my friend John served us this delicious lavender-hued drink at his home in San Francisco, and we were smitten with its refreshing and unusual flavor. As soon as we got back to New York, I bought the ingredients, and it became a house favorite in Southampton all summer.
The interesting thing about this cocktail is that its light purple color comes not from the lavender plant, but from violets, more specifically from Creme de Violet, a liqueur that captures the vibrant color, aroma and flavor of the Alpine violets from which it’s made. The flavor is like a very refined version of the violet candies my grandmother often carried in her purse.
In this drink, this unusual floral flavor is lightened and brightened with gin and lemon juice, and given a little fruity sweetness with Luxardo Maraschino liqueur. It’s refreshing, unusually delicious and goes down easy. (It was nicknamed the Purple Haze by a group of enthusiastic but tipsy dinner guests last summer. I have no idea why this drink is traditionally called the Aviation.)
By the way, don’t be frightened by the maraschino liqueur –it has nothing to do with foul neon red commercial maraschino cherries, or, more correctly, they have nothing to do with it. For more about real maraschino flavor, see my post here.)
Creme de Violet can be hard to find in liqueur stores, but it and the Luxardo Maraschino are available online for $25.99 at K&L Wine Merchants (www.klwines.com).
Recipe
(for two drinks)
3 ounces gin
1 ounce Creme de Violet
1 ounce Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into cocktail glasses. Garnish with a strip of lemon peel.
