Paper Plane
Equal parts bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aperol and lemon. Four ingredients, one measure, and the best argument for owning an amaro.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a coupe.
Add all four ingredients to a shaker in equal measure.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 12-15 seconds.
Double strain into the chilled coupe. No garnish.
A thoughtful finish
- Measure all four. Equal parts is the entire design, and this is a drink where eyeballing it shows immediately.
- Amaro Nonino is the specified amaro and it genuinely matters — it is lighter and more orange-and-vanilla than Averna, which would make the drink much heavier.
- No garnish is correct. The drink is a clean orange-amber and does not need anything on it.
Common mistakes
- Substituting any other amaro without adjusting. Averna or Ramazzotti make a noticeably darker, sweeter, more cola-like drink.
- Using Campari in place of Aperol. At more than twice the strength and far more bitter, it unbalances the whole thing.
- Adding syrup. There is plenty of sugar in the two liqueurs already.
A few good questions.
Can I substitute the Amaro Nonino?
Amaro Montenegro is the closest easily-found swap. Averna works but makes a heavier, sweeter drink — pull it back to half an ounce and add a touch more lemon if you use it.
Why bourbon and not rye?
Bourbon's sweetness and vanilla sit better against the two bitters. Rye makes a drier, sharper version — that drink exists and is called the Final Ward, with Chartreuse and maraschino instead.
Is it related to the Last Word?
Directly. The Last Word is equal parts gin, maraschino, green Chartreuse and lime. Sam Ross's Final Ward swapped in rye and lemon, and the Paper Plane swapped the liqueurs for Italian bitters.
Why the name?
After the M.I.A. song 'Paper Planes', which was everywhere in 2008 when Ross wrote the drink.
Variations
- Last Word — Gin, maraschino, green Chartreuse and lime.
- Final Ward — Rye, maraschino, green Chartreuse and lemon.
- Naked and Famous — Mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Aperol and lime.
- Mezcal Paper Plane — Mezcal in place of bourbon.
Where it comes from
2008 · New York City / Chicago · Sam Ross · The Violet Hour
Sam Ross created it in 2008 for the opening menu of The Violet Hour in Chicago, and named it after the M.I.A. song ‘Paper Planes’. It is a direct descendant of the Last Word’s equal-parts architecture, by way of the Final Ward — Ross’s own earlier riff substituting rye and lemon. The Paper Plane goes one step further and replaces the Chartreuse and maraschino with two Italian bitters, which is what makes it so approachable: all the structure of a Last Word with none of the ferocity.
Sources
- Sam Ross, menu for The Violet Hour, Chicago, 2008 (bartender attribution)
- Robert Simonson, A Proper Drink, 2016 (book)
- Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails, 2014 (book)
Strength. About 1.14 US standard drinks at an estimated 18.2% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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