Photo: Devojka
For a more leisurely take on the juicy modern classic, try serving your Paper Plane over ice:
I imagine this is what the experience of sipping a Paper Plane for the first time must be like for so many people—a kaleidoscopic hit of lacquered nectar that is fresh, juicy, bright, sweet, tart, bitter, and unexpectedly complex all at once. It certainly was for me. In the genre of what I like to think of as “sherbet cocktails,” Sam Ross’s beloved classic is a standout. And like its peers, it needs to be served shaken up, fizzing and giggling in its coupe, ready to knock back while it’s still very much alive. But shaking a cocktail into perfection is hard work. It demands energy that (for me at least) is easily sapped by July heat and, you know, the weight of living in the modern world. For a cocktail that goes down in a few easy sips, sometimes the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.
To make a Paper Plane, you will need:
3/4 ounce lemon juice (fresh only please)1/2 ounce Campari with ¼ oz simple syrup or ¾ Aperol3/4 ounce Amaro Nonino*3/4 ounce Bourbon*No substitutions, I’m afraid. Though I’ve seen it done with other amaro, there is no way to approximate what is essentially the centerpiece of this cocktail. While I groan at the annual markup of the stuff, a bottle of Amaro Nonino is relatively easy to find and a wonderful addition to your home bar.
Add the ingredients to a tumbler, and give it a good swirl. Fill a glass with crushed ice, strain a quarter of the mixture into it, then tamp down the ice with the bottom of the tumbler. (The liquid will melt the ice a bit, creating more room in the glass for you to achieve maximum crushed ice capacity.) Add more ice and strain the rest of the liquid into the ice-filled glass. Top with more crushed ice. No garnish necessary, but if you must accessorize, an orange slice will do.
