Lemon (Aviation)

Lemon brings a lot to the table: juice and garnishes. There are a lot of classic cocktails (actually, whole drink families) which depend on lemon. When given the choice to add just one kind of juice to the bar, the choice would come down to lemon vs. lime.

Although lemon has a larger role in cocktail history (as can be deducted from the extensive use of lemon in the drink families that formed in the 19^th century), lime still beats lemon when comparing their use in Imbibe’s 25 Most Influential Cocktails of the Past Century. It all comes down to a matter of taste, I guess. Luckily, we don’t really have to choose. We can add lemon now, and add lime later on.

I don’t like to substitute lemon for lime or vice versa: usually a cocktail recipe has been thoroughly thought out, including the choice between lemon or lime. However, even on a simple cocktail like the Gin & Tonic there seems to be a debate whether lemon or lime should be used. Both The Savoy Cocktail Book and Café Royal Cocktail Book sport numerous recipes which don’t mind whether lemon or lime is used. So much for guidance.

To complicate matter further, the Spanish word ‘limon’ can mean lemon or lime (limon verde)*. Since Cuba has been an influential source of cocktails, this has led to occasional mix-ups.

I’ve already touched on the particulars of juice when introducing the juicer. In my next post, I’ll tackle some possible garnishes.
With citrus tones not being uncommon in gin, it’s no wonder that lemon juice combines excellently with my mixing base of choice.

So let’s just put the tangy tiger to use in a cocktail revival classic.

^*  CocktailDB

Aviation

Somehow this cocktail picked up more popularity in the cocktail revival of the last decade than it had in its early existence. Cocktail enthusiast rediscovering the vintage taste ended up experimenting with this maraschino cocktail, usually enjoying what they found.

Another one found in Hugo Ensslin’s Recipes for Mixed Drinks (although with different amounts), it must have originated around 1916 and faded into obscurity halfway the 20^th century. Some people criticize The Savoy Cocktail Book for presenting the Aviation without Crème Yvette/crème de violette. If you choose to add this blue coloured liqueur, its name becomes clear: you get a liquid sky. But it’s definitely not the violet liqueur which should define the taste.

4 parts gin

1 part maraschino

1 part lemon juice

(optionally 1 bar spoon crème de violette)

glass:  cocktail

Shake with ice and strain into the glass.

Garnish with a lemon twist.

This is a very bare version of the Aviation: no violet liqueur and not even a garnish. I’ll do a complete version in my next post.