The Aviation Cocktail: a classic drink brought back to life

The History of the "Aviation" Cocktail

The "Aviation" cocktail is a classic cocktail that was created in the early 20th century by a bartender named Hugo Ensslin. Ensslin worked at the Wallick Hotel in New York and created the cocktail in 1916 for the hotel's cocktail book entitled "Recipes for Mixed Drinks".

The name "Aviation" refers to aviation, which was a growing field at the time and fascinated people with advances in aeronautics. The cocktail is also called "Blue Moon" because of its blue hue, which is achieved by adding crème de violette.

Hugo Ensslin's original recipe included gin, lemon juice, maraschino (cherry liqueur) and crème de violette. However, crème de violette was no longer produced in the 1960s and the recipe was changed to include triple sec instead. This led to a version of the cocktail without the characteristic blue hue.

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in classic cocktails, and crème de violette is now being produced again. This has allowed bartenders to return to the original recipe of the "Aviation" cocktail with its beautiful blue colour and unique taste.