Purple Aviation (Indigo Gin, Shaken)

A classic Aviation cocktail made with contemporary Empress 1908 Indigo Gin, whose natural butterfly pea flower pigment reacts with lemon juice to turn the drink a vivid true purple. Shaken (not stirred) to keep that color vibrant.

smart_display Published 2026-07-17 download Extracted 2026-07-19

5m Prep

5m Total

1 Servings

cocktail gin aviation creme-de-violette maraschino-liqueur lemon-juice shaken purple-cocktail mixology no-cook

Ingredients

2 oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin (or other contemporary gin) (chilled)
0.25 oz Rothman and Winter Crème de Violette
0.25 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
0.5 oz fresh lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
as needed ice (for shaking)
1 piece lemon peel (for expressing oil over the top)
1 piece cocktail cherry (for garnish)

Steps

1

Add the gin, crème de violette, maraschino liqueur, and fresh lemon juice to a shaking tin.

Tip: Use only a quarter ounce of crème de violette — too much and the cocktail tastes like soap.

~1 min
2

Fill with ice and shake hard. Shaking (rather than stirring) is the traditional method for this sour-style cocktail and best preserves the vivid purple color when using a pigmented gin like Empress Indigo.

Tip: The butterfly pea flower pigment in Indigo Gin turns a more vivid true purple as the acidic lemon juice is added.

~1 min
3

Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.

~1 min
4

Express the oil from a piece of lemon peel across the top of the drink, then discard the peel. Garnish with a cocktail cherry dropped to the bottom of the glass.

Tip: Placing the cherry at the bottom gives you a little treat once the cocktail is finished.

~1 min

Nutrition (por porción)

180

Calorías

Carbohidratos

Cultural Context

The Aviation is a Prohibition-era gin sour first published in Hugo Ensslin's 1916 'Recipes for Mixed Drinks', built around crème de violette for its signature pale-violet hue. Bartenders have long debated the best way to coax out that purple color and whether to shake or stir the drink. This version experiments with Empress 1908 Indigo Gin, whose color comes from natural anthocyanin pigments (specifically 'ternatins') in butterfly pea flowers — pigments that shift from blue to purple to magenta as acid (lemon juice) is added. Shaking with the Indigo Gin produces a far more vivid, saturated purple than either shaking or stirring a classic clear gin, while stirring softens the color but gives a heavier, punchier texture on the palate.