Meet my new favorite cocktail, the Aviation. It’s a classic, but a less common one–perhaps because the ingredient creme de violette is so hard to come by.

The recipe consists of:

• 1.5 oz gin
• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• .75 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
• a dash of creme de violette

Shake the ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry.  I like to use amarena cherries that have been “bourboned.”  If you don’t have creme de violette then elderflower liqueur makes a nice substitute.