From cocktails.com:
The Aviation Cocktail is one of those with a mysterious past. We really don't know who first created it but, according to David Wondrich's Imbibe!, it was first printed in a 1916 book by Hugo Ensslin called Recipes for Mixed Drinks. The drink has remained popular over the years and recently became one of the classics for aficionado imbibers to try.
Until recently, the creme de violette was often left out of the mix, but even the smallest amount of the liqueur adds depth and color to the cocktail.
Ingredients:
2 ounces gin
1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
Dash of creme de violette
Flamed lemon peel for garnish
In a shaker with ice mix the ingredients. Shake vigorously and pour in to martini glass without ice. Take a lemon rind and use a lighter to briefly singe it. Add the rind to the drink.
And enjoy:
This is one of my all-time favorite drinks. It's not as "pink" as the photo lets on. The flash makes it appear so. It's really more purplish.
I drank three of these the other night prior to hanging out with cW. -Again, my apologies for being half in the bag prior to hanging out :)
Good time.
According to this article, coffeesp00ns is right: Anyway, that's what the cocktail books tell you. I can't say I've ever noticed much of a flavor difference between a twisted peel and a flamed one, but it certainly makes your drinking rituals a little more showy. And honestly, who doesn't love a little showmanship at cocktail hour? You work your tail feathers off; you deserve it.The principle behind a flamed twist is the same as any twist, really. You're squeezing oil out of the peel and onto the surface of the cocktail. In this case, though, you're squeezing it through a flame, which lightly caramelizes the oil and subtly enhances its flavor.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that is caramelizes some of the sugars on the rind, helping to sweeten it a bit, and bring out some of the other flavours. The branch I'm on could crack under the weight of my incorrectness, however.
I've had Bloody Mary's that have had pickle juice but I don't think any other. What you thinking?
I think b_b's recommendation is a good one. Not sure if cW is around but if so, any ideas?
I'll third b_b. The pickletini is actually quite delicious, but only if the pickle brine is of exceptional quality (i.e., salty, but not obscenely salty, and teeming with various spices, herbs, and macerated extras, such as cloves of garlic, (nosemuffs, thenewgreen!) wedges of onion, whole habanero peppers, lemon rind, etc.) and used somewhat sparingly, so that the subtler qualities of your gin/vodka of choice will still be able to make an appearance. Whether to include or not to include vermouth will be a hotly contested point. Between the expansive styles of a fine pickle brine and a quality vermouth, your cocktail glass may not be big enough for the both of 'em. caveat imbiber: made in anything other than perfect proportions, this cocktail is either a. undrinkable or b., pretty much indistinguishable from an ordinary dry martini. Same goes for all dirty martinis, though, in my opinion. Sadly, beyond bloodys (mary and caesar work equally well) and the pickletini, not much else comes to mind. The scarcity, I attribute to the general scarcity of savory cocktails. This latter scarcity I attribute to the fact that, generally, when craving savor, one says "let's eat!" rather than "let's drink!" Still, it is a somewhat galling lack. Many cocktails dally in savor country (saketinis, sage margaritas, [aka, paparitas], cilantro mojitos, jalapeno margaritas, and so on), but none of these delicate balances between sweet/salt/tart can withstand the briny intensity of a proper pickle juice. Used in small enough proportion to behave, it will disappear. The one other "drink" which comes to mind is the pickleback. For the uninitiated, this is a shot of whiskey followed by a shot of pickle juice. While I hardly consider this a cocktail in any traditional sense of the word, it is without doubt a singular experience, and one worth having at least once. As bizarre as the pairing sounds, something about it works, and by "works," I mean, "does something in your mouth that has never been done there before." Whether you find this thing epiphanic or disgraceful is impossible to predict beforehand. The combination is singular, and might lead us to experiment further, but the two seem to make sense only in sequence, not in combination. If we can crack this nut though, we'll all drink more healthfully. Pickle juice is, after all, an amazingly rich conveyor of electrolytes, which, as has been noted, are key to avoiding any ill effects of your revelry. I've been told it was the coconut water of the early twentieth century. Let's see the energy drink industry make an ad campaign out of that one.
It's a great cocktail. I made the mistake in this one of putting in the creme de violette prior to shaking. I think it's far more appealing visually if you add a dash at the end. Let me know what you think of it. Also, many bars are serving them these days.