crème de violette is a liqueur with the aroma, flavor, and deep purple hue of violets (Viola odorata), generally made by adding alcohol to a syrup of the flower. Cordials and syrups of violets date to at least the 1600s, and by the middle of the next century it was an established French specialty. Though isolated shipments of the liqueur had shown up in America since the 1780s, it only found its way into the cocktail bar around the turn of the twentieth century, when imported French crème de violette was used in such American drinks as the Aviation and the widely popular Blue Moon. See Aviation Cocktail and Blue Moon. After enjoying a certain vogue in America and in Europe, the liqueur’s cocktail use tapered off by the 1930s, when its heavy floral scent had begun to seem old-fashioned (violets contain ionone, a compound that to some people tastes of soap). In 2007, responding to a small but persistent demand from modern mixologists, the American importer Haus Alpenz reintroduced the liqueur, uncommon even in Europe, to the United States as a cocktail ingredient, with the Austrian Rothman and Winter brand. Although it is still not used often, when crème de violette does appear in a cocktail, its strong scent and flavor and its distinctive color ensure that even in small amounts it will play a crucial role in the drink, and often a defining one.
See also Haus Alpenz; and parfait amour.
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Doudoroff, Martin. “Crème de Violette.” Martin’s New and Improved Index of Cocktails and Mixed Drinks from the First Golden Age of the American Bar. App for iPad.
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Stewart, Amy. The Drunken Botanist. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin, 2013.
By: Dinah Sanders