Ingredients
- 3/4 ozFresh Lemon JuiceFresh squeezedSubstitute: Meyer lemon
- 3/4 ozAmaro NoninoItalian amaroSubstitute: Amaro Averna
- 3/4 ozAperolItalian aperitifSubstitute: Campari for intensity
- 3/4 ozBourbon WhiskeyQuality bourbonSubstitute: Rye whiskey
Instructions
- Add 3/4 oz bourbon, 3/4 oz Amaro Nonino, 3/4 oz Aperol, and 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice to shaker
- Fill with ice and shake vigorously
- Double strain into chilled coupe glass
Technique Notes
Four equal quarters, and every one of them matters. This drink is unforgiving of a heavy hand because no ingredient has a majority to hide behind.
Why the Paper Plane Works
Four ingredients in equal measure works because bourbon's sweetness, Aperol's bittersweet citrus, Amaro Nonino's gentian-and-honey, and lemon's acid each occupy a different quadrant of the palate — none crowds the others. The result tastes elegant rather than busy because every component is doing exactly one job.
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Four modern American drinks. The Trinidad Sour pours an ounce and a half of Angostura as its base; chocolate and black walnut bitters recast the Manhattan and the Old Fashioned; the Paper Plane splits equal parts bourbon, Aperol and Amaro Nonino.
Essential Bitters Cocktails
Ten drinks, and the bitter ingredient does a different job from one to the next. In the Old Fashioned and the Manhattan it is a seasoning, a couple of dashes to sharpen the spirit. In the Negroni and the Boulevardier it carries the drink. In the Sazerac it sets the flavour the rest of the drink is built around, with rye and absinthe behind it. In the Trinidad Sour it is the base spirit itself. Four jobs, one kind of ingredient.