How to Make a Blue Moon Cocktail

Blue Moon Martini is a classic cocktail which blends the sourness of the lemon juice with the floral qualities of Creme de Violette. It is one of the earliest cocktails that uses the now not so popular violet liqueur. It is said to have originated at the Waldorf Astoria in New York around the 1940s.

Creme de Violette is a very floral liqueur with heavy notes of violet. The drink was originally made with Creme Yvette, another violet liqueur. Creme Yvette ceased production in 1969 and the violet liqueurs were hard to come by for decades. With the re-introduction of Creme de Violette, many of the drinks from early 20th century including the Blue Moon and Aviation are becoming increasingly popular.

This drink has been mentioned in many cocktail books including the The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by David Embury.  As with many cocktails from the period, there are several recipes for the drink with the same name. Some use Blue Curaçao instead of Creme de Violette. But I have the found the following recipe to be the most authentic of it all.

Ingredients

  • 2 shots of Gin
  • 1/2 shot of Creme De Violette
  • 1/2 shot of Lemon Juice
  • Lemon twist for garnish

Preparation/Recipe

  1. Add some ice cubes into a martini shaker
  2. Add 2 shots of Gin into the shaker
  3. Add half a shot of the Creme de Violette
  4. Add half a shot of freshly squeezed lemon juice
  5. Shake well to mix the ingredients
  6. Strain the contents of the shaker into a chilled martini glass
  7. Garnish with a lemon twist
blue moon martini

Variations

Aviation: This is a variation of the Blue Moon drink, with the Maraschino liqueur added to the list of ingredients.
Moonlight: The Moonlight cocktail is a variation which includes the Cointreau to add an orange flavor.

Tips

You can use Creme Yvette instead of Creme de Violette, but Creme Yvette might actually be harder to come by.
Use freshly squeezed lemon juice to give the drink the light and refreshing taste. It makes a big difference.