The Paper Plane. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
RECIPE BY JAKE SULK, THE PROFESSORS LLC
Excuse the casual cocktailer for thinking the Paper Plane is a classic drink. By all appearances, the cocktail looks like a Golden Age classic. Despite its omnipresence, though, the Paper Plane was created by New York bartender Sam Ross in 2008 (and named for M.I.A.’s hit song “Paper Planes,” which dominated independent music airwaves that summer). Originally, Ross designed the cocktail for fellow bartender Toby Maloney’s new joint, The Violet Hour, in Chicago.
Once the Paper Plane was featured on Ross’ own menus at Milk & Honey and Little Branch in New York City, the cocktail really took off, spreading across the country through word of mouth. You can order a Paper Plane in almost any city, in almost any bar, around the world.
The success of the drink is due to the Mr. Potato Head theory. Famously championed by former Death & Co. head bartender Phil Ward, the Mr. Potato Head theory posits every template of a well-balanced drink is a blueprint for another well-balanced drink – you only need to swap out certain parts and replace them with others. The theory resulted in some of the best cocktails of the late 2000s, including the Paper Plane, which references the template of the Last Word cocktail (equal parts gin, lime juice, maraschino liqueur and green Chartreuse).
Ingredients:
• 3/4 ounce Nonino (see additional note below)
• 3/4 ounce Aperol
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice
• 3/4 ounce bourbon whiskey
Directions:
Set out two halves of a shaker tin set. In the smaller half, add bourbon, lemon juice, Aperol and Nonino. Fill the larger half with ice cubes, fit the tins together and shake for about 13 seconds. Fine strain into a coupe. For the garnish, express an orange peel over the drink, twist it and drop it into the glass.
Additional Note:
Amaro Nonino Quintessentia is a fantastic product. Do not accept substitutes – Nonino is worth every penny. Nonino is a grappa-based amaro, or a bittersweet liqueur made by infusing a base alcohol with bitter botanicals. Common examples include Averna, Cynar and Ramazzotti. Sip them neat, on the rocks or use them as a cocktail ingredient. Each amaro is made from its own special recipe of herbs, barks, flowers and spices.
Photo by Emily Giancarlo
Jake Sulek (above) is the beverage director for the Professors LLC, a beverage consulting firm based here in Lexington. He is a veteran cocktail bartender with 15 years’ experience in the hospitality business, as well as a certified whiskey specialist through the WSET and the Stave & Thief Society.