Sour · 1916
Aviation
Gin, maraschino and a few millilitres of violet. Pale sky-blue and utterly of its era.
Specification
| London dry gin | 50 ml |
| Maraschino liqueur | 15 ml |
| Crème de violette | 7.5 ml |
| Fresh lemon juice | 20 ml |
| Brandied cherry | 1 |
Method
- 01Combine everything in a shaker with ice.
- 02Shake hard for 12 seconds.
- 03Double strain into a chilled coupe.
- 04Drop in a single cherry.
Where it comes from
Hugo Ensslin printed it in 1916; when the Savoy book reprinted it in 1930 the violette had vanished, and it stayed missing for seventy years because the liqueur was unobtainable in America. Its return in 2007 brought the original back.
If you change one thing: Violette is a garnish in liquid form — 7.5 ml gives you the colour and the perfume, 15 ml gives you soap. Measure it, do not free-pour.