Paper Plane (Montenegro)
COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 22,5 ml Bourbon
- 22,5 ml Aperol
- 22,5 ml Amaro Montenegro
- 22,5 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
GARNISH:
- Lemon Twist
- Dried Red Clover
INSTRUCTIONS:
• Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
• Add ice and shake until chilled.
• Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
• Garnish with a twist of lemon and a dried red clover.
Cocktail author: original recipe by Sam Ross, this riff by Steve the Bartender.
Paper plane by Sam Ross is a cocktail that is very well-known in the cocktail enthusiast and bartender circles and for a good reason: it is an amazingly tasty cocktail. However, getting your hands on Amaro Nonino Quintessentia, can sometimes be a challenge, at least where I live. Therefore, I’m often on the look for alternative riffs, that could help me go around some of the more difficult to source ingredients. In this particular recipe Steve the Bartender solves this problem by substituting amaro Nonino with amaro Montenegro.
Sweet vanilla, caramel and oak notes of the bourbon lays the solid foundation for the cocktail. Aperol brings some familiar bitter-sweet orange notes to the mix, alongside amaro Montenegro which contributes countless herbal undertones elevating complexity of the cocktail. Final addition of lemon juice balances the cocktail out, specifically the sweetness of amari as well as lightening the cocktail and bringing a new fresh dimension.
In this particular riff, amaro Montenegro managed to successfully substitute amaro Nonino. Not in small part due to the versatility of the original Paper Plane recipe. Type and quantities of the ingredients used, leave enough space for improvisation. This particular riff is a delicious proof of that. Give it a try if you have chance.