Paper Plane Cocktail Recipe

The Paper Plane cocktail is a delightfully complex, boozy modern classic cocktail. It is made with equal parts bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. It’s also one of my favorite bourbon cocktails to order when I’m out because it’s boozy, a little bitter, a touch sour, but so beautifully balanced overall. If you’re looking for an interesting, deliciously boozy drink, you’ve got to try this one.

There are four total ingredients in a Paper Plane cocktail: bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and fresh lemon juice. No special syrups, no extra bitters, just booze and fresh lemon juice. Find quantities and instructions in the blog post below, or just click the “jump to recipe” button above to jump to the recipe card!

Paper Plane Cocktail History:

Bartender Sam Ross, New York City bartender and modern cocktail extraordinaire, developed the Paper Plane cocktail in 2008. He created it for the opening of The Violet Hour, which is one of the most incredible cocktail bars in Chicago. Sam named the drink after the M.I.A. song, “Paper Planes”, that was super popular during the summer the drink was created. It is based on a classic, prohibition-era cocktail, The Last Word, which is an equal-parts-ingredients based drink made with gin, green chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and fresh lime juice.

This cocktail is boozy, so be cautious! My version is especially dangerous because it has an extra ounce of cocktail compared to the original recipe. If you want to do a test round of it before committing, feel free to pour 1/2 ounce of each ingredient together rather than the full ounce!

Like I mentioned above, my version of this cocktail makes four ounces. The original recipe calls for the ingredients to be poured in 3/4 ounce portions, which would make a three ounce cocktail. You can use either measurement, as long as all of the ingredients are equal parts.

Ingredient Notes

*Amaro Nonino (also known as Amaro Nonino Quintessentia) is a specific type of Italian liqueur that is based on aged grappa. There are several Amaros available, and they are typically named after the family that created them. Amaro Nonino dates back to the Nonino family from the 1930s, and is a uniquely bittersweet Amaro with caramel, citrus, and herbal notes. Amaro can be very different from one another, so I do not recommend substituting Amaro Nonino with any other Amaro for this recipe.

If you aren’t familiar with Amaro, this is a great opportunity to try it out! Amaro reminds me a bit of really good sweet vermouth: it’s very complex, a touch better, a little fruity, and so delicious. There are SO MANY different versions, so it’s really cool to try a few different ones separately from this drink.

Aperol is an Italian aperitif that has a clitrusy, rhubarb-y, slightly bitter flavor to it. If you’re familiar with an Aperol Spritz, then you know what Aperol tastes like! It perfectly balances the Paper Plane cocktail, but for a more bitter approach, you could use Campari instead.

Substitutes for Amaro Nonino:

However, if you cannot find Amaro Nonino, some of these liqueurs may be suitable substitutions:

• Amaro Averna
• Amaro Montenegro
• Boutique Italian Sweet Vermouth (such as Fred Jerbis)
• Cynar (which is also Italian Amaro)
• Angostura Bitters*

*If you absolutely cannot find any of the other options, 2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters will work. The cocktail will only be three ounces, and the flavors won’t be quite as complex, but it’s worth trying!

Of course, you’re welcome to take this cocktail recipe and play around with it to form your own variation, too! We all have such unique tastes, so it’s cool to see what other flavor companions you can come up with to make your perfect cocktail at home. I have a couple of variation ideas for you listed below.

I hope you love the Paper Plane as much as I do! It’s honestly perfect for before OR after dinner cocktails, and hopefully soon to be one of your new favorite cocktails. Feel free to reach out to me via email with any questions, and follow me on Instagram for more cocktail and small batch recipes!

xx Sara