Aviation

Aviation was created by Hugo Ensslin, head bartender at the Hotel Wallick in New York, in the early twentieth century.  The first published recipe for the drink appeared in Ensslin's 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks.

Thanks to Prohibition, Aviation was all but forgotten about given the scarcity of liquers.  Let’s be honest, during prohibition, it was all about getting your hands on the hooch, forget those fancy liquers.  In fact, in 1930,  Harry Craddock's influential Savoy Cocktail Book omitted the crème de violette all together. 
 
Aviation eventually disappeared from the US in the 1960s.  It wasn’t until 2007 that it was finally brought back into the American market.
 
Aviation is a beautiful, well crafted, balanced and complex cocktail that tastes different from almost everything else we’ve ever tasted.

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MIX IT UP

• 2 oz. Gin
• 1/2 oz. Maraschino Liquer - 
• 1/4 oz. Creme de Violette 
• 3/4oz Fresh Lemon Juice

Add all ingredients to an ice filled shaker, shake for 15 seconds, pour into a martini or coupe glass and garnish with blueberries. 

This time around we used Hanami Gin with its light flavor is fast becoming a new favorite of ours, Rothmans & Winter Creme de Violette, and Cristiani Maraschino Liqueur. 

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TURN IT UP
​Paul wanted to preface this playlist by saying that beyond the obvious connection of these songs to this drink, he has a great affinity for all of these songs and artists and he saw the perfect opportunity to put them all together.
 
So, we start off with the title track of Elbow’s album Takeoff and Landing of Everything.  Elbow happens to be one of our favorite bands.  They’re from the UK and over there they are a stadium band but we were lucky enough to see them last year in a small venue in Philadelphia and it was one of the best shows we’ve ever seen.

This song has an airy sound but speaks to the fact that what goes up must come down… even relationships.

To the take off and landing of everything
To the take off and landing of everything good

Next comes Elton John’s Take me to the Pilot because you can’t take off and land without a pilot…even in relationships.

Take me to the pilot for control
Take me to the pilot of your soul

Chris Isaak follows next with Flying another reverberation of the theme: what goes up must come down, the lake off and landing over everything.

Monday was the day we met.
Tuesday I was flying.
Wednesday she was far away.
Friday caught me crying.

Train follows next with Counting Airplanes.  So, without sounding too deep here, how many times do you see people who change who they are to try to keep a relationship from “landing” only to put off the enevitable?  You need to be loved for who you are.

You end up counting airplanes
Trying to keep up with these changes
I don't wanna be with anybody else
So don't try to figure me out
I won't try to figure you out
I don't wanna be some average anybody

OK…time to take a deep breath, this is a heavy hitting playlist and it ends on the heaviest hit ever, Joe Henry's Ohio Air Show Plane Crash...

When I felt him hit the bridge
At first I thought it was me
But I'll always keep you in my dreams
I'll always keep you in my dreams

The themes might be a little heavy but it's interesting how seemingly innocuous pop songs can have much deeper meanings.  This playlist was designed to compliment the Aviation, a complex but seemingly innocuous, cocktail. 
 
So, make the drink, sit back and listen to the tunes and enjoy the moment with whoever you happen to be with.
 
Cheers
Paul & Johanna
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