Our June Subscriber kits are on their way to subscribers, so now it’s time to tell you a little more about what’s in this month’s kit, the history of the recipes and ingredients, and how to mix the drinks. If you’re not a subscriber, you can join now with the first box for just £19, and £24 per month after that. If you just want to try this kit on its own, you can buy one through our shop.
The Recipes
The Aviation is a classic recipe from 1916. It was first published in Hugo R Ensslin’s book “Recipes for mixed drinks”. We don’t know for certain that he created it, but since it was first published in his book, we’ll give him the credit. The name is supposedly due to the sky-blue hue the drink takes on when the violet liqueur is added.
The Elder Aviator is a modern twist that swaps out violet for elderflower. It was created by Simon Difford, owner of diffordsguide.com, in 2006. In our kit, we use St Germain Elderflower liqueur.
You will need:
- An Aviation kit, or the below ingredients
- A Mixologist Equipment kit, or equivalent tools
- Martini glasses
- Ice cubes
- 1-2 Lemons
Check out this video for a run-through of how to make them, or follow the recipes below.
The Aviation
- 35ml Gin
- 10ml Maraschino Liqueur
- 10ml Fresh Lemon Juice
- 5ml Violet liqueur
- Twist of lemon peel
Half-fill a shaker with ice, then add all liquid ingredients. Shake hard for 10-15 seconds. Fine-strain into a pre-chilled glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel.
The Elder Aviator
- 40ml Gin
- 5ml Maraschino Liqueur
- 10ml Fresh Lemon Juice
- 10ml Elderflower Liqueur
- Twist of lemon peel
Half-fill a shaker with ice, then add all liquid ingredients. Shake hard for 10-15 seconds. Fine-strain into a pre-chilled glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel.
Alternative Recipes
If you don’t like the recipes above, or you want to try something else as well, have a look at some of these recipes:
With Violet Liqueur:
Violet Fizz – A longer drink if you found the others too strong (needs sugar syrup)
Violet Gimlet – Less sweet, more lime (needs lime cordial)
The Aviation (no violet) – If you didn’t like the violet flavour
Blue Moon – a 1940s recipe with egg white
Violet Lavender Martini – with lavender syrup (which you could make at home!)
With Elderflower Liqueur:
The St Germain cocktail – with wine or champagne, and soda
And many more recipes from their official site.
More about The Aviation and the ingredients:
The History of The Aviation
The Story of Blackdown Artisan Spirits
The Bitter Truth Violet liqueur – coming soon
Luxardo Maraschino liqueur – coming soon
St Germain elderflower liqueur – coming soon
Buy the ingredients:
15% off Blackdown spirits! Use the code “Taste15” when ordering on http://www.blackdowncellar.co.uk/
Would you like to try all these ingredients and recipes without the cost of full-size bottles?
Buy an Aviation kit from TASTE cocktails.
Or Subscribe for a new box every month.