Classics Series: Aviation
I’ve been hearing a lot of rumblings about cocktails served in ice balls as well as frozen mixer balls served with shots of liquor, so I decided to give it a try at home! For our first ball, we’re serving a classic Aviation in an ice ball topped with a maraschino cherry. You can also serve this drink straight in a coupe glass. Look for a more detailed post on how to make ice balls in the next few weeks 🙂
Aviation Recipe (1 serving)
- 2 oz. gin
- 0.5 oz. maraschino liquor
- 0.5 oz. fresh lemon juice
- 0.25 oz. crème de violette
- 1 maraschino cherry for garnish
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker
- Citrus press
- Jigger
- Hawthorne strainer
- Fine mesh strainer
- Coupe glass, stored in the freezer
- (Optional) Marinade injector
- (Optional) Tiny hammer
- (Optional) Round ice mold
Quick & Dirty Ice Ball Instructions
Before making the drink, I would test making a couple of ice balls to make sure that you can get the outside of the ice ball to be around 0.25 inches thick. It took me 6 trys to get the right consistency, so take your time!
- Fill a round ice mold and leave in the freezer for 2 – 2.5 hours
- Carefully squeeze the plastic part of the mold until the ice comes loose and take out the ball, setting it on the rubber end
- Use a lighter or stove to heat up the end of a metal toothpick or other thin metal object and slowly poke a small hole at the top of the ball (note: I don’t recommend hitting it since you might get accidental cracks in the ice)
- Use the hot metal tip a couple more times to melt a hole the size of a pencil
- Stick an empty marinade injector into the ball and remove the water inside, being super careful not to touch the sharp tip to the edge of the ice
- For the last bit of water, carefully take the ball into your hand and shake the water out of the small hole
- Congrats! You made an ice ball! To make a dramatic Instagram video, use this tiny hammer to serve your drink.
Directions
- Squeeze 0.5 ounces of lemon juice and add to the shaker
- Add the gin and liqueurs into the shaker
- Add 3-4 handfuls of ice into the container and seal the shaker
- Shake vigorously for at least 20 seconds and the shaker is completely frosted
- Place a Hawthorne strainer on top of the shaker and double-strain the drink through a fine mesh strainer placed over the glass
- (Optional) Use the marinade injector to carefully transfer the cocktail into the ice ball
- To garnish, drop a cherry in the glass or place on top of the ice ball
- If serving in an ice ball, crack the ball with a tiny hammer
Cheers!
