The Aviation

The Aviation

2 oz Gin

1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur

1/4 oz fresh lemon juice

add ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

Garnish with a Maraschino cherry.

This drink has been on my “to try” list for quite some time. It took me awhile to track down the Maraschino liqueur.

While there is no mistaking the base spirit in this drink, I enjoyed how the fresh squeezed lemon juice and the liqueur balanced things out. As I put the glass to my mouth the aroma of juniper berries was unmistakable. The first sip gave a swirl of flavor: the crisp flavor of gin first, then some cherry sweetness and a lemony citrus kick at the end.

In the picture above, the drink looks a little cloudy. That just because I had the cocktail glass in the freezer for about four hours before I made this drink. The glass got a little frosty when it hit the air.

Also, I’d like to point out my circa 1920’s hand juicer. You can see a hint of lemon peel showing through between the two halves of the juicer. I picked that up on ebay. It’s cast iron and had a little bit of rust. A little cleaning up, a coat of primer and Rustoleum Metallic paint and I think it is a fine addition to my growing collection of bar tools.

All in all, I think this is a fine cocktail. It has an excellent juxtaposition of flavor that goes down easy. In fact, I think I have time for one more before I call it a night…..