Paper Plane

Considering how often you see the Paper Plane on cocktail menus next to classics like a Manhattan or Old Fashioned, one might assume this cute sounding libation at least predates Prohibition. In reality, the Paper Plane wasn't invented until 2008 (when M.I.A.'s smash hit single "Paper Plane" was popular) by legendary bartender Sam Ross for the opening of The Violet Hour in Chicago.

This pink hued cocktail is a variation on the classic Last Worda drink made from equal parts gin, lime, maraschino liqueur, and green Chartreuse. The Paper Plane follows the same equal parts template but calls for Aperol, Amaro Nonino, bourbon, and lemon juice. While employing very different liquors, both drinks play tart, bitter, and herbal flavors off each other beautifully.

For our non-alcoholic rendition, we're going to use Ghia, a wonderful Mediterranean-inspired aperitif, Lyre's Italian Spritz and American Malt, plus our Orange bitters and a bitter lemon simple syrup to round it out. It’s juicy and crushable—yet sophisticated enough to fool even the most skeptical of non-alcoholic cocktail disbelievers.

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