When I first got into craft cocktails, there was something amazing about the Aviation. Truthfully, it was probably related to the wonderful Sinatra song Blue Moon, which fit right in with classic prohibition era cocktails. Either way, when I final managed to find a bottle of cvreme de iolette, it was off to the races to make an Aviation. I was in love, which lead me to buy 3 different brands, one of which was Rothman & Winter Creme De Violette.
Rothman & Winter Creme De Violette
There are two main problems with any bottle of creme de violette:
- Creme de violette tastes like violet candies
- There are small handful of cocktails that use tiny amounts of this floral liqueur.
As a result a bottle of creme de violette lasts for what seems like ever. As a result, one should be choose when picking a Creme De Violette. So is Rothman & Winter Creme De Violette the one for your bar?
Sight: A deep royal purple with light blue edges.
Smell: The smell of violets is unmistakable, but so are the smells of preserved dark fruit jam and violet candies. It’s a little bright as well – like its slightly acidic.
Sip: The sip starts unmistakably syrupy, but is delightfully floral and definitively violet. It’s not completely overpowering though. There are still all those touches of super dark ripe fruits that hide around the edges. Just a hint of floral bitterness hides.
Savor: The finish keeps rolling through the violet, like a sugar candy. The violet is definitely floral, but lingers pleasantly.
Rothman & Winter Creme De Violette is powerfully floral, but also elegant in it’s grace. In addition to the violet, the other flavors it hints at are helpful in adding another layer. While you would presumably never drink it on its own, for the classic Aviation it demonstrates enough body to be part of the cocktail without being overwhelmed by it.
In Cocktails
Rothman & Winter Creme De Violette balances well in an aviation, providing a perfumed hint of violets against the herbal and spicy notes of the gin and maraschino. The lemon brings it all out keeping the drink bright with just the hint of sweetness. Beyond the aviation, a blue moon is probably the next most common (an Aviation with no Maraschino Liqueur) and perhaps a Violette Royale next (sparkling wine and creme de violette). Neither are particularly common, but are both options for what to do with a nice bottle of creme de violette.
Final Thoughts
On it’s own this is a hard bottle to justify, and even for someone that loves craft cocktails, creme de violette is a challenging ingredient to craft new drinks with. With a limited number of classic cocktails that call for it, it can also take a while to go through a bottle. For these reasons, this creme de violette remains an enthusiast’s ingredient. That said, if you need to pick a creme de violette, Rothman & Winter is a great choice.
Looking for more information – check out Haus Alpenz description of their creme de violette.
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