A Paper Plane Cocktail is a summer drink with a refreshing balance of sweet and bitter flavors with a tanginess from fresh squeezed lemon juice. This easy-to-make cocktail is a great choice as an after dinner digestif or make a pitcher to serve party guests.
This post contains affiliate links. See our Disclosure Statement for more information.
The Paper Plane Cocktail was originally created by Sam Ross in 2008 as a summer cocktail to be served at The Violet Hour bar in Chicago.
It’s made with equal parts of bourbon whiskey, Aperol, Amaro Nonino and lemon juice. The flavor is the perfect blend of sweet, bitter and a little sour.
This cocktail is best served as a digestif after a meal, but could be enjoyed other times, as well.
Why This Recipe Works
The Paper Place is a simple cocktail to make. It’s as easy as mixing equal parts of all of the ingredients, then shaking them over ice.
It has the best sweet and bitter flavor, especially for serving as a digestif after a meal.
You can make a single serving or easily scale up the recipe to serve a crowd, if needed.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Ingredients
- 1 ounce bourbon whiskey
- 1 ounce Aperol
- 1 ounce Amaro Nonino: while Amaro Nonino is the preferred amaro liqueur for this cocktail, you can substitute Campari instead.
- 1 ounce lemon juice: using freshly squeezed lemon juice will give you the best flavor.
- dehydrated citrus slice (optional garnish)
The entire recipe and instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can also print the recipe from the card, if needed.
Prep!
There is no significant prep work for this recipe unless you want to dehydrate citrus slices to be used as a garnish.
Create!
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
Add the bourbon whiskey, Aperol, Amaro Nonino and lemon juice.
Place the lid on and shake for 30 seconds or until chilled.
Strain into a coupe glass.
Present!
Garnish with a dehydrated citrus slice, if desired.
Tips and Techniques
- Use fresh squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Amaro Nonino is strongly recommended for this cocktail, but you could substitute Campari, if needed.
- If you are making a larger batch of this Paper Plane Cocktail recipe for a party, you can mix it up ahead of time and store it in a covered container or pitcher in the refrigerator to serve as needed.
More Cocktail Recipes
Love this Paper Plane Cocktail recipe? Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for more!
If you try this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would please leave a comment and star rating. Thanks!
Paper Plane Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 ounce bourbon whiskey
- 1 ounce Aperol
- 1 ounce Amaro Nonino
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- Dehydrated citrus slice for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Add the bourbon whiskey, Aperol, Amaro Nonino and lemon juice.1 ounce bourbon whiskey, 1 ounce Aperol, 1 ounce Amaro Nonino, 1 ounce lemon juice
- Place the lid on and shake for 30 seconds or until chilled.
- Strain into a coupe glass.
- Garnish with a dehydrated citrus slice, if desired.Dehydrated citrus slice
Notes
- Use fresh squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Amaro Nonino is strongly recommended for this cocktail, but you could substitute Campari, if needed.
- If you are making a larger batch of this Paper Plane Cocktail recipe for a party, you can mix it up ahead of time and store it in a covered container or pitcher in the refrigerator to serve as needed.
Leave a Reply