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Paper Plane

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cocktails•american•vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, contains alcohol
5 minutes•1 cocktail•

Ingredients

  • 3/4 ounce bourbon
  • 3/4 ounce Aperol
  • 3/4 ounce Amaro Nonino
  • 3/4 ounce lemon juice – freshly squeezed (~0.5 medium lemons)
  • ice
paper plane

Instructions

  1. 1.

    Place a coupe glass in the freezer to chill, about 5 minutes.

  2. 2.

    Add the bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and freshly squeezed lemon juice to a cocktail shaker.

  3. 3.

    Fill the shaker with ice.

  4. 4.

    Shake hard until well-chilled and the outside of the shaker is frosty, 10–12 seconds.

  5. 5.

    Double strain into the chilled coupe.

  6. 6.

    Serve immediately.

The Paper Plane is a bright, bittersweet, and citrus-forward cocktail that lands right in the sweet spot between refreshing and complex. Equal parts bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and fresh lemon juice create a silky balance of honeyed whiskey warmth, orange-bitter lift, and tangy acidity. Served up in a chilled coupe, it drinks clean and crisp with a lingering herbal finish that invites another sip.

Created in the modern craft-cocktail era, the drink has become a contemporary classic in bars worldwide. It was developed by bartender Sam Ross in 2007, originally devised for a Chicago menu and named after the M.I.A. song that was playing at the time. Its equal-parts format and use of Amaro Nonino helped introduce a broader audience to Italian bitters, cementing the Paper Plane’s place as a gateway to amaro-driven cocktails.