Paper Plane

The Paper Plane was one of my favorite cocktails before I quit drinking. The combination of bourbon, two bittersweet liqueurs, and lemon juice is perfectly balanced, pleasantly bitter, and deliciously juicy. And fortunately for us who might be drinking less, it's easy to make a non-alcoholic Paper Plane.

This pink-hued cocktail was created in 2008 by Sam Ross for The Violet Hour in Chicago, and yes, it was named for the popular M.I.A. song of the time. It's a variation on the classic Last Word—a drink made from equal parts gin, lime, maraschino liqueur, and green Chartreuse. The Paper Plane follows the same equal parts template but calls for whiskey instead of gin, employs Aperol and Amaro Nonino, and calls for lemon juice.

We make one minor change to the recipe here, increasing the amount of non-alcoholic whiskey to 1 oz (instead of 3/4 oz) to ensure it stands out, and have added a couple of dashes of our Orange bitters for complexity.

There's some room to play around with your favorite non-alc spirits here, but we love Kentucky 74 (bourbon), Giffard Aperitif Syrup (in place of Aperol), and The Pathfinder as our amaro.

This non-alcoholic Paper Plane is juicy, tart, and bitter. It's crushable yet sophisticated enough to fool even the most skeptical non-alcoholic cocktail naysayer.

Paper Plane (Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Recipe)

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Category

Non-Alcoholic Cocktail / Low-Alcohol / Zero Proof / Mocktail

Calories

75

This non-alcoholic version of the modern Paper Plane cocktail really hits all the right notes.

Ingredients

• 1 oz non-alcoholic whiskey

• 3/4 ounce non-alcoholic bittersweet orange liqueur

• 3/4 ounce non-alcoholic amaro

• 3/4 ounce lemon juice, fresh
  

• 2 dashes All The Bitter Orange bitters

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker tin with ice, and shake until chilled.
   

2. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.

3. Garnish with a lemon twist, expressing the oils over the drink.

Recipe Note

Feel free to use your favorite non-alcoholic spirits here. We like this drink best with Kentucky 74 non-alcoholic Bourbon, Giffard Aperitif Syrup, and The Pathfinder, but there are lots of other great options like Free Spirits Bourbon, Lyre's Italian Orange, and Dr. Zero Zero Amarno. Ghia works nicely as the amaro, too, although you may want to add 1/4 oz of simple syrup to balance its tart flavor profile.

MAKE IT MINDFULLY LOW ALCOHOL

Just swap in alcoholic whiskey for a delicious low-alcohol tipple.