The Aviation Project – Having an Aviation at Bryk
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Aviation was a pillar of basic cocktail mixing knowledge and was a secret shared by word of mouth, a so called “bartender’s handshake”. Its first appearance in print was in 1916 in Recipes for Mixed Drinks by Hugo Ensslin, and then again 14 years later, in Harry Craddock’s influential and oft-consulted Savoy Cocktail Book. But, a crucial fact was missing, namely the Creme de Violette. It was no longer produced and completely disappeared from the market in the second half of the 20th century. The drink was served for a long time without this unique addition. Luckily, a cocktail historian found the original recipe in the first edition of Recipes for Mixed Drinks and breathed new life into the Aviation. A drink with a history through and through and a good reason to continue our exploration.
The Aviation, which features gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur and crème de violette, is usually light purple and pale blue in tone, and dates back to 1911.
This Aviation’s home is at Bryk. Located in Prenzlauer Berg, Bryk belongs in my personal Top 10 Berlin bars. Bryk bar is an elegant, dark bar with a touch of Scandinavian style. As soon as the door opens you receive a warm welcome. The atmosphere is cosy and you can choose whether you would like to take a seat at the long dark counter or in one of the comfortable armchairs with accompanying small wooden tables. The lighting is pleasantly discreet and the focus of the light is on the drinks.
Their drinks are fairytale-like and
they even have their own house gin.
Homemade espumas, glitter, fancy decoration and names are the trademarks of the drinks. Furthermore, Bryk bar is the only bar in town which serves smoked Gin & Tonic. If you find yourself wondering about the white lines marked on the black tiles of the back bar, every line represents one smoked G&T sold. High quality drinks with carefully selected house-made ingredients change seasonally and come along with a bowl of dill popcorn.
A creative mix on classic and innovative cocktails.
When I thought about the Aviation project it was clear that one, made by Bryk’s bar manager, Cordula Langer, could not be missed. Cordula Langer is one of the most famous female bartenders and her career path includes many well-known bars such as Bar Lebensstern. She learned gastronomy from the bottom up, is a perfect host and her sensorial skills are amazing. Sounds like you can expect a wonderful Aviation.
For the Aviation she chooses the specially created Bryk Gin which has a lot of juniper, is citrusy and has some lavender notes. The Bryk Gin is produced in a small distillery in Brandenburg. Here is Cordula’s recipe:
5 cl Bryk Gin
2 cl Lemon Juice
1 cl Bigallet Crème de Violette
1 cl Maraschino Luxardo
Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Put a maraschino cherry in the glass. It is like the sunset over the sky.
This Aviation was a beautiful treat for both eyes and tastebuds. It was very balanced and the Bryk Gin suited the drink very well.
to be continued ..
