Today’s cocktail I approached with this requirement: it had to contain either sloe gin, crème de violette, or bourbon. I’m not yet well versed enough in this drink mixing to trust myself to do right by whiskey and as far as the sloe gin is concerned - let’s be honest - I’ll most likely use it in a Sloe Comfortable Screw Against the Wall - if only because the name is ridiculous. So Crème de Violette it was.

The naming this time around was just painful. Every time I saw Violette, I thought of Voletta Wallace. I thought about calling it Cold Nights and Rainy Days, after a song, but the name seemed too cumbersome. In the end, grabbed the name from a line in “Interstate Love Song,” which was on STP’s Purple album of course. It’s a terrible name - Sunday Afternoon - with a sorry origin. So it goes.

In truth, I think it would be an excellent Sunday afternoon in the park kind of cocktail. There’s something sweet and romantic (?) about it. So the recipe…

2 parts Gin (Bombay Sapphire) + 3 parts Crème de Violette (Rothman & Winter) + 1 part Lillet Blanc + 1 part Limoncello + juice of one lemon + lemon twist

Before I iced and stirred the drink, I had a quick taste. With the last homemade cocktail, I had a bit more of idea where I was going whereas this one was a bit of a shot in the dark. First sip was lovely.

I suppose in some ways it started as the bastard child of a Martini and an Aviation. I didn’t want to make this drink to be a version of either plus creme de violette, so it ended up getting twisted a bit. I didn’t want to use Maraschino at all and I didn’t want to use plain French white vermouth, hence the Lillet Blanc. The limoncello was thrown in when I found it digging in the freezer for the gin. It added a great lemon flavor, but it also added some unwanted sweetness. I’m glad the lemon I used was on the large side because this drink is just sweet. Sweet sweet.

The taste of the violet is light, but certainly present. Any more would have made it too sweet. I appreciate the purple tint, but I feel like the color is a bit too reminiscent of a melted grape popsicle.

What it may need is a dash of something bitter. I thought about taking the route of the Atty, but absinthe would have overwhelmed exactly what I like about this drink. More gin may be in order. I would have put more, but I don’t necessarily trust that I will enjoy the flavor of the Bombay. It could be worse, of course, but it could also definitely be better. Maybe a swap of the proportions would help it? (I’ve never known extra gin to not help a thing.)

The other issue is the limoncello. It may have made sense to rinse the glass with it instead of pouring it into the mix. All the perfume, less of the sweetness? Maybe I just need to accept that it’s a bit of a girlie drink and be done with it. Not everything can be hardcore. Especially when it’s purple.

One of my favorite things about the drink is the aftertaste. It finishes completely smooth and slightly sweet with just the lightest hint of gin. I feel like a kiss from me would taste awesome right about now. Not that there’s anyone to kiss.

My music today was kind of perfect for the cocktail: a sampling from Yesterdays New Quintet. Twisted jazz for my twisted cocktail.