While it’s great fun to learn about the classic cocktails of the canon, it’s also well worth your time to try out some modern iconic drinks such as the Paper Plane cocktail. This cousin to The Last Word cocktail uses bourbon rather than gin, but it has the same layers of complexity which arise from combining four equal parts.
How to make a Paper Plane
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce of bourbon
- 1 ounce of Amaro Nonino
- 1 ounce of Aperol
- 1 ounce of fresh lemon juice
Method:
- Add bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aperol, and fresh lemon juice to a shaker.
- Add ice.
- Shake until combined.
- Strain the ingredients into a chilled couple glass
- Add a lemon peel garnish.
What is a Paper Plane?
Similar to a classic Last Word which consists of equal parts gin, Green Chartreuse, lime juice, and maraschino liqueur, the Paper Airplane is made with equal parts bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aperol, and lemon juice. While the two drinks might not seem similar, it’s the number of ingredients and equal parts that make them mirror images (albeit a bit foggy) of each other.
The bourbon and lemon puts it in the whiskey sour category and the Aperol and Amaro add a bittersweet flavor, making it a truly unique cocktail that needs to be tasted to be believed. It’s the kind of drink that you’ll order time and time again.
Is the Paper Plane made with Aperol or Campari?
The Paper Plane is made with Aperol, not Campari. That makes it a little unusual, as cocktails in need of a bitter-sweet amaro most often use Campari due to its strong flavor and its attractive ,bright red color. But the Aperol is important here. Aperol is a sweeter, more gentle flavor compared to the hefty bitterness of Campari, and that is useful in a drink like the Paper Plane, which already has a lot of big flavors.
Between the bourbon and the Amaro Nonino, this drink doesn’t need any more booziness or robust bitterness. Instead, the more mellow and approachable flavors of the Aperol act almost like a sweetener, standing in place of a simple syrup or other sugary addition. The bright orange color of the Aperol also helps this drink stand out visually.
Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from experimenting with the use of Campari in this drink, especially if you love bitter flavors. A good compromise might be to split the difference and use half Aperol and half Campari, which would give you the sweetness of the Aperol and also a more bitter kick from the Campari.
But if you’re trying this drink for the first time, you’ll definitely want to stick with Aperol. It was chosen for this recipe for a good reason!
When was the Paper Plane created?
If you take a look at this cocktail’s ingredients, you might assume that it’s a classic drink with its origins in the early 1900s. It was created in 2008 by bartender Sam Ross (the same bartender who created the now iconic Penicillin cocktail) at the Violet Hour in Chicago.
Eventually, he brought the drink to New York’s Milk & Honey and eventually, it became a staple at various cocktail bars throughout the country and eventually the world. Supposedly, even though it’s often garnished with a tiny paper airplane, it got its name from the M.I.A. song “Paper Plane” which was wildly popular when the drink was created.
Bottom line
Before you try to make any cocktails (classic or contemporary), you should invest in a well-made shaker and strainer. If you only buy the bare minimum when it comes to home bartender equipment, make it those two items. Countless cocktails require a shaker and strainer and not much else.
That being said, while some cocktails seem overly complex and require multiple steps, the Paper Airplane is as easy to make as it is flavorful. First, you need a bottle of well-made bourbon. Don’t go cheap on this. Buy something you’d enjoy neat or on the rocks. Quality matters when it comes to crafting cocktails. The other ingredients are great for a bar cart as they can fit well into various other cocktails.
