Cocktail Hour: Aviation

I can't WAIT to get my hand on a bottle of creme de violette. It makes drinks look mystical! Who doesn't want a mystical coloured cocktail? (Creme de menthe is not mystical, that stuff can go right back in the drinks cabinet where you found it).

The blue tint to this gin cocktail makes it look fab, but you'll also be left with a gorgeous violet taste (yep, just like those Parma Violet sweets you had before you were old enough to drink). It's a much nicer blue than curacao, don't you think?

You'll need:

• 50ml gin
• juice half a lemon
• 1 maraschino cherry
• 10ml creme de violette

Shake it!

Shake the ingredients in a cocktail shake filled with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass and pop the cherry in. The Aviation is probably best enjoyed on your own private jet. But if you don't have one of those, a wheelie office chair might do the trick.

Flickr image from scaredy_kat's photostream.