I recently had an in person lunch with a new colleague – what a treat! Not surprisingly our conversation eventually led to food and drink. Eric C shared with me that his current favorite drink is a Paper Plane. Perfect – a new drink to explore. He explained that it’s equal parts bourbon, Aperol, amaro and lemon juice. ‘Amaro’ means ‘bitter in Italian. While Campari and Aperol are the most well-known amaros, there are many others.
The amaro of choice (in addition to Aperol) for a Paper Plane is Amaro Nonino Quintessentia. Since this is not available in any of the PA Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores (or ‘state stores’ as we like to call them), I decided to do a taste test using other two amaros I had at home – Amaro Averna and Amaro Montenegro (which is what Eric uses when making this at home).
Ed and I enjoyed both versions but had a slight preference for the one made with Amaro Averna (the darker of the two in the photo). The one made with Montenegro was a bit more citrus-forward and the one made with Averna was a bit more smooth. You cannot go wrong with either of them.
The Paper Plane was created by award-winning New York City bartender, Sam Ross, in 2008. Look for bitter, sour and herbal notes in this cocktail. Despite my photo, it was actually named for M.I.A.’s song ‘Paper Plane’ from Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and not a paper airplane. I am not familiar with the song, but I thought it would be fun to make a few paper airplanes so Ed and I each made one. Ed’s was from memory while I needed some help from the internet.
I was talking about this cocktail with our friends, Chris and Lauren M, and learned that Anthony’s in Malvern, Pennsylvania, has an extensive amaro menu and a few different amaro flight options. What a great way to test some out prior to buying. All three amaros are on their list plus a Paper Plane cocktail. (Bonus the Sam Ross’ Penicillina (or Penicillin) cocktail is also on their menu.) I know what I will be trying next time I’m there. Note to my local friends, Anthony’s used be a BYOB but now has a full bar.
Check out Riegl Palate’s Black Manhattan for another amaro drink using Amaro Averna.
| Paper Plane | Print |
- ¾ ounce bourbon
- ¾ ounce Aperol
- ¾ ounce amaro (see Notes)
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice (~ ½ lemon) (see Notes)
- Chill a Nick & Nora or coupe glass in the freezer for a few minutes or add ice cubes to it. Discard ice cubes prior to filling the glass.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add bourbon, Aperol, amaro and lemon juice. Shake for about 10 seconds or until well chilled.
- Strain into prepared glass.
* Before squeezing the lemon, heat it in a microwave for about 20 seconds and then rub it back and forth on the counter top. This easy two-step process results in more juice per piece of fruit.
Source: Variation of a recipe from Liquor.com
For all you paper plane lovers that hate the $50+ cost of Nonino Quentesentia, I offer, yet, another alternative. The cocktail is a bit different, but very enjoyable: sub CioCiaro for Nonino. You may never go back to citrus forward paper planes again!
Barry – Thank you for sharing your recommendation. I do not have this in our bar, but will be on the lookout for it (sadly it’s not available in Pennsylvania!).