first of four

1 1/2 oz Prairie Gin (Damrak)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Avèze Gentian Liqueur (Salers)
1/4 oz Crème de Violette (Rothman & Winters)
1/4 oz Honey Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a cucumber slice (lemon twist).

On Thursday two weeks ago, I remembered the Punch Drinks article on how to use Avèze in cocktails. As I reread the text, the recipe that I decided to make with Luke DeYoung's First of Four that he crafted at Chicago's Scofflaw. I was curious to see if Salers would work just as well in DeYoung's riff on an Aviation as it did in the Of Lambs and Lions.
The First of Four greeted the nose with a lemon bouquet with a hint of gentian; had I used the cucumber garnish, it probably would have brought out and complemented the gentian notes more than the lemon twist. Next, lemon on the sip transitioned into gin, earthy-herbal, and floral flavors on the swallow.