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Paper Plane

A modern classic created by Sam Ross and Sasha Petraske. Equal parts Bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice.

5 min · Makes 1

Four equal parts, shaken hard and double-strained, and the balance is the whole trick: the lemon keeps the bitter orange aperitivo and the amaro from turning syrupy, and the bourbon gives them something to lean on. Measure precisely; with four ingredients in equal parts, a heavy hand with any one tips the drink.

Prep
5 min
Serves
1
Difficulty
Medium

Paper Plane

Prep 5 min · Serves 1 · Difficulty Medium

Method

  1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.

  2. Pour all ingredients into the shaker.

  3. Shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds.

  4. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.

  5. Garnish with a small paper plane (optional) or lemon peel.

The story behind Paper Plane

Sam Ross created it in 2008 with Sasha Petraske as a favor for their friend Toby Maloney, who wanted a new drink for his bar, The Violet Hour, in Chicago. Ross named it after the M.I.A. song Paper Planes, which he and Petraske had on repeat while testing versions; the final formula pairs Aperol with Bourbon and Amaro Nonino from Friuli.

Paper Plane

Where it comes from

It was created in 2008 for The Violet Hour in Chicago by Sam Ross, working with Sasha Petraske, and named after the M.I.A. song they kept playing while they developed it. Its Italian half comes from the northeast: the orange aperitivo was created in Padua in 1919, and the amaro is made on a grappa base in Friuli.

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