The Bar Journal

​Petaluma-based Tempus Fugit, maker of Gran Classico bitters and absinthes, has just released a 19th-century-style spirit, Liqueur de Violettes, in San Francisco. The colour’s a natural blue-pink (from the violets it’s made from, hand-harvested in the sunny Côte d’Azur).

It was traditionally used with Champagne or in cocktails like the Aviation, until it fell out of favor. Often confused with Parfait Amour and Crème Yvette, which contain citrus, vanilla, and spices, the flavor here is more floral. If you like St. Germain, you’ll love Liqueur de Violettes.

The formula is based on a mid-19th-century French recipe, and Tempus Fugit makes it in micro-batches. What makes it unusual is that this is a liqueur and not a crème. The difference is sugar: If you add enough sugar to a spirit (more than 2.5 percent in the U.S.), it becomes a liqueur; add a LOT of sugar to a spirit, and you get a crème (crème de menthe, crème de cacao, etc.).

THE AVIATION

50ml shots gin

12ml fresh lemon juice

15ml  Maraschino luxadro 

7ml Crème de Violette

Shake well with ice and fine strain in to a cocktail glass. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry.

Salute !

Copy and artwork contained in this site (c) all rights reserved by Giuseppe Gallo.