Violet Raspberry Cocktail

By: Madeline Mahoney

Recently, I discovered créme de violette. This Austrian liqueur is produced from Queen Charlotte and March violets of the Alps. It has a bold purple color and a sweet, floral taste on a robust brandy base. I love floral cocktails and once I saw the vibrant purple, I knew I wanted to make a cocktail using créme de violette.

Créme de violette typically pairs well with gin or a sparkling wine. The best known cocktail using créme de violette is likely the Aviation, which combines the liqueur with gin, lemon juice, and a maraschino liqueur.

As a gin fan, I decided to use gin as the base for this cocktail. The other ingredients create a cocktail that’s fruity, floral, and fun to look at.

Ingredients

1 shot gin

A little over a half shot of créme de violette

A squeeze of lime

Tonic water

A scoop of Talenti raspberry sorbet

Instructions

Add the gin, crème de violette, and squeeze of lime to a shaker, and shake. Pour into your class of choice, I went with a coupe glass. Next add a splash of tonic water based on how strong you like your cocktails. Finally, adding a scoop of raspberry turns this drink from a cool purple to a deep magenta and creates a little fizz.

Pour in a splash of tonic water to watch the drink’s color transform

At around thirty dollars for a bottle, buying this liqueur wasn’t a decision I took lightly, but so far I’ve been pleased with my purchase. My friends have appreciated the novelty of a purple cocktail and the bottle is lovely in and of itself. As we head into spring with some concerningly warm Chicago weather, try out this sweet fruity and floral cocktail. The fun flavors and beautiful color are sure to charm!