"RecipesForMixedDrinks" news and stories

We made plans to welcome guests from New York this week; however, a snow storm prevented them from enjoying fun in the sun in our home down in Mexico. Instead of cursing the weather for canceled flights, we made a round of aviation cocktails.

Hugh R. Ensslin's book Recipes for Mixed Drinks was one of the last cocktail recipe collections published before Prohibition. Although historian-type folks like David Wondrich have found passing mentions to this cocktail in other sources, Ensslin's book contains the first aviation cocktail recipe anyone' s found thus far.

His recipe calls for El Bart gin, a brand now defunct. I have been unable to find out details of what this gin might have been like. The collector world was wow'ed when an old tin sign advertising this brand sold for $60,500 at auction.

Many post Prohibition aviation recipes do not include violette as it is not easy to find. Rothman & Winter is now available in the U.S. Maraschino is a cherry liqueur made from maraska cherries. The three brands available in the U.S. are Luxardo, Maraska and Stock.

After the jump, find the recipe for the Aviation Cocktail.